Following a two-week operation between April 28 and May 11, the Singapore Police are investigating 363 suspected scammers or money mules, including 261 men and 102 women aged between 15 and 77.

On May 12, police said they were helping investigate their alleged involvement in more than 1,400 scams, with victims reportedly losing more than $6 million. These include job scams, loan scams, e-commerce scams, online dating scams, impersonating government officials, and investment scams.

The suspects are being investigated on suspicion of fraud, money laundering or providing payment services without a license.

Police are urging people to refuse any requests from others to use their bank accounts or mobile phone lines as they will be held accountable if the requests are linked to a crime.

Fraud is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine, money laundering by up to 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, or both.

In Singapore, operating an unlicensed business providing any type of payment service is punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $125,000, or both.

Separately, the police warned on Monday that victims' Singpass certificates had been misused to create bank accounts for criminal purposes. At least five victims have fallen victim to the scam since April.

The scammers pose as bank employees or marketing companies acting on behalf of the bank and contact the victim to complete a paid survey about the bank's services.

After completing the survey, the scammer would ask the victim to scan the Singpass QR code sent via messaging apps such as WhatsApp, claiming that it was part of the bank's verification process to retrieve their survey results and pay for the completed survey.

By scanning the Singpass QR code and verifying their identity on the Singpass app, the victim was tricked into authorising the use of MyInfo data to open a bank account controlled by the scammer. These bank accounts are then misused by fraudsters to commit crimes or launder money.

It is only when the bank notifies them of these transactions, or when they receive a notification in the Singpass app inbox informing them that their personal details have been retrieved, that victims discover they have been scammed.

The police said members of the public should not scan any Singpass QR codes sent to them by others. They should only scan the Singpass QR code on the official website of the digital service they want to use.

Singpass will never send QR codes and web links through SMS and instant messaging apps.