Malaysian woman, 62, loses $238,500 to scammers in a bid to attain Singapore PR

A 62-year-old Malaysian woman lost RM762,700 (S$238,500) to scammers, after they promised to help her attain a Singapore Permanent Resident (PR) status.In a statement dated Sept 23, Johor Bahru south district police chief Azrul Hisham Mohd Shaffei said the woman saw an advertisement on Facebook in December 2025 offering help with obtaining the PR status.The woman subsequently contacted a Singaporean phone number and dealt with an individual who claimed to offer the service.She was told that the fee for obtaining Singapore PR status was $300.Azrul Hisham said that from May 5 to Aug 31, the woman deposited a total of RM762,700 of her savings into various bank accounts provided by the suspect across 123 transactions.She eventually realised she had been deceived after the suspect continued to demand more payments. She then lodged a police report.Azrul Hisham said preliminary investigations were conducted, including checking the bank accounts involved, obtaining confirmation of the transactions from the banks, and locating and arresting the suspect involved.The police chief did not provide further details of the suspect and it is unclear if the victim was able to get her money back.If found guilty, the suspect could be jailed up to 10 years, caned, or fined.The police advised Malaysians to exercise caution and not easily trust services promising the approval or processing of immigration documents via social media, especially when they are asked to make payments to unverified individual or company accounts.Any transaction involving large sums of money should also be verified to avoid falling victim to fraud, they said.Azrul Hisham also advised members of the public to check the semakmule.rmp.gov.my portal before making any transactions, and to contact the National Scam Response Centre immediately on 997 if they suspect they have fallen victim to fraud.“The Royal Malaysia Police takes all reports regarding fraud seriously and will take firm action against any party involved in such criminal activities,” he said.The Straits Times has contacted the Singapore Police Force and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority for more information.