Malaysian man arrested for allegedly masterminding scam, money laundering operations in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old Malaysian man suspected of masterminding scam and money laundering operations in Singapore has been arrested in Malaysia and handed over to the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

The man, nicknamed “Da Xiang”, allegedly recruited and coordinated Malaysians to carry out government official impersonation scams and money laundering activities in Singapore, SPF said in a media release on Tuesday (Sep 22).

He was arrested in Malaysia on Tuesday and handed over to Singapore police on the same day.

According to preliminary investigations, the suspect met at least four Malaysian runners on multiple occasions in Malaysia, where he allegedly assigned them tasks, coordinated ATM withdrawals and paid them for their work.

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

Police believe the 27-year-old was responsible for laundering at least S$500,000 (US$392,000) in scam and other illicit proceeds.

He will be charged in court on Wednesday with criminal conspiracy to assist another person in retaining benefits from criminal conduct. He faces a jail term of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of S$500,000 if convicted.

INCREASE IN MALAYSIAN RUNNERS TRAVELLING TO SINGAPORE: SPF

Police said they have observed an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect cash and valuables from victims.

“The police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law,” SPF said.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Wong, Commander of Cyber Command, thanked the Malaysian authorities for their assistance in apprehending the suspect.

“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,” he said.

“The Royal Malaysia Police has been an invaluable partner in this effort, and we thank them for their close cooperation with the SPF to apprehend the syndicate mastermind.”

He added that SPF would continue working with Malaysian and other international law enforcement agencies to pursue people who target victims in Singapore, regardless of where they are based.