Singapore (VNA) – Singapore has passed a billregulating criminal acts and tougher penalties for those who use SIM cardsfor scams.
The Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill, approved by the Singaporean Parliament on April 2, identifies three groups who use local SIM cards to facilitate scams, namely irresponsiblesubscribers, middlemen, and errant retailers who deal in such cards.
𓆉 It will be an offence for a person to hand over local SIMcards registered in his own name, or to allow his particulars to be used tosign up for local SIM cards. But those who have legitimate reasons such asregistering a SIM card for their family members will not be liable. Those whowere tricked into giving up their particulars will also not be prosecuted.
Middlemen are those who broker SIM cards for misuse, includingproviding local SIM cards for scam syndicates.
A person with 11 or more of such SIM cards,or a one having a SIM card that was previously used for crime will be liable. However, a personwith legitimate reasons like being an employer who is holding on to SIMcards intended for employees will also not be prosecuted.
Errant retailers are those who facilitate the fraudulentregistration of local SIM cards.
It will be an offence for a mobile service provider orretailer to register a local SIM card using anyone’s particulars withoutpermission, or knowing that the particulars are false or misleading if itbelieves the cards will be misused or later used in a crime.
The offences by the brokers and retailers of SIMcards for misuse will similarly carry a fine of up to 10,000 SGD (7,400 USD) and a jailterm of up to three years for a first offence. Repeat offenders can be fined upto 20,000 SGD and jailed for up to five years.
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