Singapore Man Sentenced to Four Years for Managing Massive Fraudulent SIM Card Registration Operation

Al Hafirqan Al Hadisht receives 4 years in jail for managing a SIM card registration network linked to $140,000 in scam losses and a violent assault.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 9, 2026, 4:32 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Straits Times

Criminal Prosecution of a Central Scam Facilitator

A Singaporean court has delivered a decisive 48-month jail sentence to Al Hafirqan Al Hadisht, 26, for his pivotal involvement in a sophisticated scam syndicate. Between late 2024 and early 2025, Hafirqan managed a multi-layered operation to register 574 SIM cards using the personal particulars of others. According to the prosecution, these cards were essential tools for making fraudulent calls, forming the backbone of criminal activities that resulted in collective losses of roughly $140,000 for various victims.

Infrastructure of a Multi-Layered Recruitment Network

The investigation, launched by the Singapore Police Force in April 2025, revealed that Hafirqan utilized a network of 22 individuals to secure the illegal hardware. The operation involved the recruitment of two teenagers who acted as primary middlemen, sourcing further participants through Telegram chat groups to purchase the cards. Hafirqan provided the capital for the SIM cards and paid the recruiters for their services, effectively shielding the syndicate's masterminds while creating a constant supply of untraceable communication lines.

Legal Debates Over Culpability and Malicious Intent

During the sentencing hearing, the defense argued that Hafirqan functioned merely as a middleman following instructions, rather than a criminal mastermind. His lawyer contended that while Hafirqan was aware the cards were destined for unlawful use, he lacked specific knowledge regarding the nature of the scams. The prosecution successfully countered this by asserting that a desire for wrongful gain through criminal facilitation is an aggravating factor, regardless of whether the defendant knew the precise details of the final fraudulent scheme.