Organised Crime Act 2015 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Organised Crime Offences
6. Recruiting members for organised criminal group
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2025.
A person in Singapore commits an offence if the person —
incites, induces or invites another person (whether within or outside Singapore); or
uses any violence, threat or intimidation towards any other person (whether within or outside Singapore) in order to incite, induce or invite that other person,to become a member of, or to assist in the management of, a group, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the group is an organised criminal group.
A person outside Singapore commits an offence if the person —
incites, induces or invites another person (whether within or outside Singapore); or
uses any violence, threat or intimidation towards any other person (whether within or outside Singapore) in order to incite, induce or invite that other person,to become a member of, or to assist in the management of, a group, knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that the group is a locally-linked organised criminal group.
Subject to subsection (4), a person who commits an offence under subsection (1) or (2) shall be liable on conviction —
in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $250,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both; or
in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $500,000.
Where a person (A) commits an offence under subsection (1) or (2) and it is proved that A knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that the other person referred to in that subsection was, at the time of the offence, a vulnerable person or below 21 years of age, A shall be liable on conviction —
in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $350,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both; or
in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $700,000.
A person in Singapore commits an offence if the person —
incites, induces or invites another person (whether within or outside Singapore); or
uses any violence, threat or intimidation towards any other person (whether within or outside Singapore) in order to incite, induce or invite that other person,to become a member of, or to assist in the management of, a group, knowing that the group is an organised criminal scam group.
A person outside Singapore commits an offence if the person —
incites, induces or invites another person (whether within or outside Singapore); or
uses any violence, threat or intimidation towards any other person (whether within or outside Singapore) in order to incite, induce or invite that other person,to become a member of, or to assist in the management of, a group, knowing that the group is a locally-linked organised criminal scam group.
Subject to subsection (8), a person who commits an offence under subsection (5) or (6) shall be liable on conviction —
in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $250,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or to both, and shall also be punished with caning with not less than 6 strokes; or
in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $500,000.
If a person (A) commits an offence under subsection (5) or (6) and it is proved that A knows or has reasonable grounds to believe that the other person mentioned in subsection (5) or (6) (as the case may be) was, at the time of the offence, a vulnerable person or below 21 years of age, A shall be liable on conviction —
in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding $350,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years or to both, and shall also be punished with caning with not less than 6 strokes; or
in any other case, to a fine not exceeding $700,000.
For the purposes of subsections (4) and (8), if it is proved that the other person mentioned in subsection (1), (2), (5) or (6) (as the case may be) was at the time of the offence, a vulnerable person or below 21 years of age, A is presumed, unless otherwise proven, to know or to have reasonable grounds to believe that that other person was, at the time of the offence, a vulnerable person or below 21 years of age (as the case may be).
In this section, “vulnerable person” means any person who suffers from an impairment of, or a disturbance in the functioning of, the mind or brain resulting from any disability or disorder of the mind or brain which impairs the person’s ability to make a proper judgment in relation to whether or not to become a member of, or to assist in the management of, a locally-linked organised criminal group, locally-linked organised criminal scam group, organised criminal group or organised criminal scam group.
locally-linked organised criminal group
“locally-linked organised criminal group” means a group that has as its only purpose, or one of its purposes, the obtaining of a financial or other material benefit from the commission by, or the facilitation of the commission by, any person (whether or not the person is a member of the group) of any serious offence;