A trip to a mobile phone shop is supposed to end with a new SIM card, not a mystery e-wallet opened in your name.
Two Malaysian phone shop employees, aged 25 and 47, were arrested on 25 August 2026 for their suspected role in a scheme that used customers' Singpass details to create LiquidPay accounts without their knowledge.
Police said the accounts were linked to about S$110,063 in scam earnings. The men are to be charged on 27 August with assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
They have not been convicted.
Help With Singpass, Then A Wallet They Did Not Ask For
According to a police statement reported by The Straits Times, the suspects allegedly exploited their work to get customers' Singpass login credentials.
In one case, while a customer was buying a SIM card, one of the men offered to help update Singpass details, then used that opening to create a LiquidPay account.
LiquidPay is a digital wallet and payment app run by Singapore-based fintech firm Liquid Group.
More Than 160 LiquidPay Accounts
Further checks found more than 170 Singaporeans and foreign work permit holders whose Singpass accounts were linked to similar activity.
Those compromised Singpass accounts were used to register more than 160 additional LiquidPay accounts without the holders' knowledge.
Since early March 2026, at least 20 Singapore citizens and work permit holders have been investigated over LiquidPay accounts that received the reported S$110,063 from various scams.
Police said the operation was led by Cyber Command officers, with support from the Singpass Trust & Safety team at the Government Technology Agency.
What The Charge Carries
Assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct carries up to 10 years' jail, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Investigations into Singpass users who voluntarily handed over their credentials are ongoing. That offence can mean up to three years' jail and a S$10,000 fine.
Police warned the public not to share Singpass passwords or two-factor codes with strangers, including people who seem helpful at a counter.
If someone at a phone shop offers to "update" your Singpass for you, that is your cue to take the phone back and do it yourself.
