Operation FRONTIER+ III Freezes Nearly 102,000 Scam-Linked Accounts Across Ten Jurisdictions
A two-month international anti-scam operation has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests and the freezing of nearly 102,000 scam-linked bank accounts across ten jurisdictions.
Operation FRONTIER+ III was conducted from 10 March to 7 May 2026 by the Singapore Police Force’s Anti-Scam Centre and nine overseas law enforcement partners.
More than 3,200 officers took part in the operation, which targeted e-commerce scams, job scams, investment scams and impersonation scams.
Across the participating jurisdictions:
- 3,018 people were arrested;
- 7,553 people were investigated;
- More than 138,000 scam cases were reviewed;
- Reported losses reached approximately US$752 million;
- 101,989 bank accounts were frozen; and
- More than US$161 million in suspected illicit funds was seized or recovered.
The participating jurisdictions were Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Malaysia, the Maldives, Thailand, Macao SAR, Indonesia, Brunei and Canada.
Results in Singapore
In Singapore, the Anti-Scam Centre arrested more than 130 people and investigated over 1,000 others.
They were linked to more than 3,000 scam cases involving losses of over S$69.3 million.
Singapore authorities also froze 2,315 bank accounts and seized approximately S$34.9 million during the operation.
The enforcement activity included action against suspected money mules and people who had allegedly opened or surrendered bank accounts or Singpass credentials for financial gain.
Cross-Border Cooperation Helps Recover BEC Funds
The police release highlighted two business email compromise cases in which rapid international cooperation helped prevent further losses.
In the first case, scammers impersonated the chairman of a company and persuaded its Singapore-based chief executive to arrange payments for a purported acquisition.
Between 13 and 17 April 2026, US$36.3 million was transferred into two Singapore bank accounts. Part of the money was then moved to Hong Kong.
After the fraud was discovered, Singapore’s Anti-Scam Centre seized US$9.7 million from the local accounts and contacted its Hong Kong counterpart. More than US$11.1 million was subsequently seized from bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets in Hong Kong.
In a separate case, a Singapore commodity trading company transferred US$6.6 million to a fraudulent account in Oman after receiving an email from a domain that closely resembled that of a genuine supplier.
The company reported the fraud the following day. Cooperation between Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and HSBC Singapore resulted in the full recovery of the funds.
Money Mule Accounts Remain Critical Infrastructure
Large scam networks depend on accounts that can receive and quickly disperse victim funds.
These accounts may be opened by people who knowingly sell or surrender access, or by individuals recruited through job advertisements, commissions and other inducements.
Once funds enter a mule account, they can be:
- Split between several beneficiaries;
- Transferred to another jurisdiction;
- Withdrawn in cash;
- Converted into virtual assets; or
- Routed through further layers of accounts.
Freezing nearly 102,000 accounts therefore has an effect beyond individual cases. It disrupts the payment infrastructure needed by scam syndicates to receive and move funds.
The operation also showed how intelligence from financial institutions can lead to enforcement action. Information shared between MariBank and Singapore’s Anti-Scam Centre helped identify a Malaysia-based network linked to multiple scam accounts. Malaysian authorities subsequently arrested three suspects, while Singapore Police took action against 18 alleged money mules connected with the accounts.
Why Reporting Speed Matters
Cross-border fraud recovery is highly time-sensitive.
A bank may still be able to freeze funds while they remain in the first receiving account. Recovery becomes more difficult after the money is divided, transferred abroad or converted into digital assets.
Businesses that discover a suspicious payment should therefore contact their bank and the police immediately. They should be ready to provide:
- The transfer amount and time;
- Beneficiary account details;
- Payment references;
- Relevant emails and invoices;
- Correspondence with the suspected scammer; and
- Details of any altered payment instructions.
Banks also need clear escalation channels connecting fraud teams, AML investigators, anti-scam centres and overseas counterparties.
Suspicious transaction reporting remains important, but a report submitted after a lengthy internal review may arrive too late to support immediate recovery.
The Wider Significance
Operation FRONTIER+ III shows that national enforcement alone is insufficient when victims, mule accounts and scam operators are located in different countries.
The FRONTIER+ network allows participating anti-scam centres to exchange intelligence in real time, coordinate account freezes and conduct enforcement action across borders.
For financial institutions, the practical lesson is straightforward: rapid reporting, reliable account intelligence and direct cooperation with anti-scam authorities can determine whether fraud proceeds are recovered or disappear into a wider laundering network.
Main Source
Singapore Police Force — Operation FRONTIER+ III: Joint Two-Month Crackdown on Transnational Scams Resulted in More Than 3,000 Arrests Across Ten Jurisdictions
