SPF and FBI sign MOU to deepen cooperation against scams and cyber fraud, building on joint op that saved millions

SINGAPORE / USA: The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have formalised their anti-scam partnership with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on July 24, 2026, cementing a collaboration that has already produced concrete results in protecting victims on both sides of the Pacific.

The MOU was signed at the US Embassy in Singapore by SPF’s Deputy Commissioner (Investigation and Intelligence) DCP Zhang Weihan and FBI Assistant Director for the Criminal Division Heith R. Janke, covering cooperation in combating online scams, cyber-enabled fraud, and money laundering cases.

A partnership already delivering results

The MOU formalises what has already been a productive working relationship. Most recently in July 2026, SPF’s Cyber Command and the FBI concluded a joint operation targeting transnational cryptocurrency scams affecting victims in Singapore and the United States.

Through information sharing and blockchain intelligence exchange, the two agencies identified 54 victims and potential victims across both countries, preventing losses of US$2.7 million (S$3.48 million) in the United States and S$388,000 in Singapore. The operation followed the FBI’s participation as a member of Project FRONTIER+ since May 2026.

What FRONTIER+ is

FRONTIER+, which stands for Funds Recovery Operations & Networks Team, Inspiring Effective Resolution Plus, is a cross-border collaboration platform established in October 2024. It currently comprises representatives from the anti-scam centres of 14 law enforcement agencies across Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, South Korea, Malaysia, the Maldives, Thailand, Australia, Macao SAR, Canada, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, South Africa, the UAE, and the United States.

The platform enables real-time intelligence sharing, joint operations, and coordinated enforcement to dismantle scam syndicates and protect victims across borders. This effectively created a standing multinational anti-scam task force that can move quickly when syndicates target victims in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously.

What the MOU covers

The agreement builds on the agencies’ existing record of collaboration in joint operations, information sharing, training and capacity building, and mutual assistance on transnational crimes. By formalising the relationship through an MOU, both agencies signal a long-term commitment to sustained cooperation rather than case-by-case coordination.

DCP Zhang Weihan said the partnership reflected a shared understanding that scams and money laundering cannot be tackled within national borders alone. “These crimes are inherently borderless, and it is only through close collaboration with trusted international partners like the FBI that we can effectively disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks behind them,” he said.

Why this matters

As scam syndicates grow more sophisticated in their use of cryptocurrency, cross-border money flows, and digital infrastructure to move funds and obscure their tracks, bilateral agreements like this one, backed by operational platforms like FRONTIER+, represent the efforts of everyone involved being built to counter them.

For Singaporeans who have been targeted by or are concerned about online scams, the implication is that the enforcement net is widening. A syndicate that routes funds through US cryptocurrency exchanges or targets victims in both countries simultaneously now faces coordinated action from two capable law enforcement agencies working from shared intelligence in real time.

Read also: 130 victims identified, S$2.9 million saved: Inside Singapore’s latest crypto scam crackdown