A 24-year-old Malaysian man was charged in court on Tuesday (Nov 18) for allegedly managing the operations of a scam call centre in Cambodia that targeted victims in Singapore.
Bernard Goh Yie Shen faces one charge under the Organised Crime Act for engaging in conduct he allegedly knew would support cheating offences in Singapore.
According to the charge sheet, Goh oversaw the operations of the call centre in Phnom Penh, aiding the illegal activities of an organised crime syndicate with links to Singapore. The syndicate is believed to have carried out government official impersonation scams.
The Singapore Police Force said the group was suspected of being behind at least 438 cases, involving losses of no less than S$41 million (US$31.5 million).
The call centre was based in a scam compound in Phnom Penh and was disrupted in a joint operation by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Cambodian National Police in September this year.
Goh was deported to Malaysia, arrested, and subsequently handed over to SPF. His charge follows that of two Singaporeans who were accused a day earlier of acting as scam callers while in Cambodia.
He has been remanded for further investigations.
If convicted, Goh faces up to five years in prison, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.
Authorities said 31 suspects are still at large, including Singaporeans and Malaysians. Among them is the alleged syndicate leader, Singaporean Ng Wei Liang.
