Trio jailed for crimes linked to scam syndicate; 6 victims cheated of cash, valuables worth over $1m

SINGAPORE - Three men were given jail sentences on Sept 18 for offences linked to a scam syndicate that cheated six Singapore-based victims of cash and valuables, including gold bars, worth over $1.1 million.

The victims were aged between 36 and 77 years old.

Four of them were over 60 years old, and each of the four lost between $35,000 and $500,000.

One of the offenders, Randolph Koh Yong Lee, 31, was sentenced to six years and two months’ jail, and a fine of $5,000.

Ryan Ng Zee Hao, 26, was sentenced to four years and 11 months’ jail, and also fined $5,000.

Their accomplice, Young Raven, 29, was ordered to spend four years and a month behind bars, and fined $700.

Each Singaporean man had pleaded guilty to dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct and being a member of a crime group.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay said that in February 2025, Koh got to know a woman known only as “El Ang” and asked her if there were any opportunities to earn “fast cash”.

She said she would put him in touch with one “Ah Wei”.

Koh and Ng, who was his friend, travelled to Malaysia the following month to meet the pair.

The men found out that Ah Wei was working for a scam syndicate and reported to a person known only as “Juice”, a Malaysian running a scam call centre in Cambodia.

Ah Wei was running his own cell as part of this syndicate and had just returned from Cambodia to meet them.

However, Koh and Ng did not want to work in Cambodia as the minimum commitment period was three months.

In May 2025, Ah Wei messaged Koh and told him about a “collection job” in Singapore.

It involved picking up cash and valuables from one location, and delivering them to another place.

Koh was promised a 2 per cent commission of the total amount he collected.

Koh contacted Ng, who roped in Young.

The DPP said Ah Wei later sent Koh the details of the collection job every day.

Ng would drive Young to each pick-up location.

There, Young would collect the cash or other items from an individual.

After that, Ng would drive Young to another location to hand over the cash and valuables to a syndicate member.

An unknown person working for the syndicate would approach Young and show him a banknote with a certain serial number.

If the serial number matched the one which was provided earlier, Young would hand over the items to the unknown person.

In May and June 2025, Young collected cash and valuables worth over $1.1 million from the six victims.

Koh and Ng each retained at least $5,000 in profits from this scheme, while Young earned $700.

None of the items have been recovered.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.