Malaysian man who is alleged mastermind of scam syndicate operating in S’pore arrested

SINGAPORE – A 27-year-old Malaysian man who is alleged to be the mastermind of a scam and money laundering syndicate operating in Singapore was arrested on Sept 22.

In a statement on the same day, the police said the man, nicknamed “Da Xiang”, was allegedly responsible for recruiting and coordinating Malaysians to carry out government official impersonation scams here.

The Royal Malaysia Police arrested him in Malaysia on Sept 22 and handed him over to the Singapore police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Da Xiang had physically met with at least four Malaysian runners on multiple occasions in Malaysia, assigned tasks, coordinated ATM withdrawals, and disbursed their earnings from these jobs.

Under his instructions, the runners brought gold items collected from scam victims during their assignments back to Johor Bahru and handed them over to him, the police said.

He is believed to be responsible for laundering at least $500,000 in scam and illicit proceeds.

Da Xiang is expected to be charged in court on Sept 23 with criminal conspiracy to assist another to retain benefits from criminal conduct.

If convicted, he could be jailed up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000, or both.

The police said there continues to be an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to assist scam syndicates in collecting cash and valuables from scam victims.

They warned that perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

The police also thanked the Royal Malaysia Police’s commercial crime investigation department for their help in the arrest of Da Xiang.

“Scam syndicates know no borders. It is only through close and sustained cooperation with our international partners that we can effectively dismantle these criminal networks,” said senior assistant commissioner of police Justin Wong, who leads the cyber command.

“We will continue to work closely with the Royal Malaysia Police and other international law enforcement partners to bring to justice those who target Singapore, regardless of where they choose to hide.”

In their statement, the police also advised the public to be vigilant and avoid trusting unsolicited calls, messages or e-mails.

They added that Singapore Government officials will never ask to transfer money, cash, jewellery or other valuables to unknown people over the phone.

Legitimate officials will also not request bank login details, instruct people to install mobile apps from unofficial app stores or transfer calls to the police.