Singapore man linked to scams that duped over 50 victims of $3.7m arrested in Malaysia
A man who was allegedly involved in scams that duped more than 50 victims of over $3.7 million was arrested in Johor in a joint operation by Malaysia and Singapore.
The 33-year-old Singaporean, who was handed over to the Singapore police on Thursday, will be charged on Friday with cheating and abetting by intentionally aiding unknown persons to illegally get access to a program hosted in the server of a bank.
The police said on Thursday that the joint operation by Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) and the Johor Commercial Crime Investigation Department of the Royal Malaysia Police has crippled a transnational scam syndicate allegedly involved in money laundering activities.
The two forces shared intelligence and information based on findings from reported scam cases since July, and a criminal syndicate’s money laundering cell operating in Johor was identified, they added.
On Nov 7, the Malaysian police raided an apartment complex in Johor and arrested the 33-year-old man for his suspected involvement in managing cross-border money transfers.
He is believed to be responsible for laundering the criminal proceeds linked to various investment scams, job scams, fake friend impersonation scams, government official impersonation scams and loan scams.
The police said the suspect is believed to have procured Singapore bank accounts through various chat platforms such as Telegram and Facebook, and the accounts were subsequently used to launder the syndicate’s scam proceeds.
Officers from the Anti-Scam Command in Singapore also arrested three men and a woman, aged between 17 and 36, for their suspected involvement in aiding the money laundering syndicate by handing over their personal bank accounts or relinquishing their Singpass accounts.
Investigations against them are ongoing.
CAD’s director David Chew said the arrest of the 33-year-old in Malaysia showed the police’s commitment to detect and dismantle transnational money laundering networks.
He added: “The Singapore Police Force will continue to collaborate closely with our Malaysian counterparts to detect and deter these transnational syndicates who use the anonymity of the Internet to commit crimes.
“We will continue to take tough action against individuals who perpetuate scams even if they are based overseas,”
The suspect can be jailed for up to three years and fined if found guilty of cheating.
If found guilty of abetting by intentionally aiding unknown persons to illegally get access to a program hosted in the server of a bank, he can be jailed for up to two years, fined or both.
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