A 27-year-old Malaysian man accused of masterminding a scam and money laundering syndicate operating in Singapore has been arrested in Malaysia and handed over to Singapore police.
The man, known as “Da Xiang”, was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on Sept 22 before being transferred to Singapore authorities, Singapore police said in a statement on the same day.
Police allege that he was responsible for recruiting and coordinating Malaysians to carry out government official impersonation scams in Singapore.
Preliminary investigations found that Da Xiang had personally met at least four Malaysian runners on several occasions in Malaysia, where he allegedly assigned tasks, coordinated ATM withdrawals and distributed their earnings.
Police said the runners also brought gold items collected from scam victims back to Johor Bahru and handed them over to Da Xiang on his instructions.
He is believed to have been involved in laundering at least S$500,000 (US$392,021) in scam and other illicit proceeds.
Da Xiang is expected to be charged in court on Sept 23 with criminal conspiracy to assist another person to retain benefits from criminal conduct.
If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.
Singapore police said there had been an increasing trend of Malaysians travelling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect cash and valuables from victims.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Justin Wong, who leads the cyber command, said authorities would continue working with international law enforcement partners to dismantle cross-border criminal networks.
“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 police thanked the Royal Malaysia Police Commercial Crime Investigation Department for its assistance in the arrest.
They also urged the public to remain vigilant and not trust unsolicited calls, messages or emails.
Singapore Government officials will never ask members of the public to transfer money, cash, jewellery or other valuables to unknown individuals over the phone.
Legitimate officials will also not ask for bank login details, instruct people to install mobile applications from unofficial app stores or transfer calls to the police.
