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SINGAPORE: Two Malaysian men who repeatedly entered Singapore and withdrew about S$1 million (US$792,000) in scam proceeds between them were sentenced to jail on Friday (Mar 6).<\/p>\n
Chang Yang, 23, was given four years and four months’ jail, while Ivan Thong Yoong Khean, 27, will be imprisoned for four years.<\/p>\n
The pair had admitted to conspiring with each other to withdraw S$403,020 from 24 bank accounts between May 2024 and December 2024. Another two charges each were considered in sentencing.<\/p>\n
On top of the shared sum, Chang withdrew another S$371,850 and Thong withdrew another S$255,620.<\/p>\n
Thong had taken up a “job opportunity” from an acquaintance as he was unable to pay back a loan he had taken.<\/p>\n
He was added to Telegram group chats, which Chang subsequently joined after owing RM100,000 (S$32,200) to a creditor.<\/p>\n
The chats disseminated weekly duty rosters which assigned two people to enter Singapore on certain days to perform cash withdrawals.<\/p>\n
On average, Thong and Chang were on duty two to three times a week.<\/p>\n
On entering Singapore, they received instructions from the other chat on how much to withdraw, which ATM cards to use and the one-time passwords for each card.<\/p>\n
They would collect the cards from lockers at *Scape mall or be handed the cards by a delivery driver.<\/p>\n
The men would decide where to make the withdrawals from and update the chat before taking further instructions.<\/p>\n
They retained about S$500 to S$600 from the withdrawn cash each time they performed their duty.<\/p>\n
Depending on the instructions received, Thong would either pass the rest of the cash to a third party, or Chang would take the money back to Malaysia.<\/p>\n
In total, Chang earned about RM50,000 while Thong earned about RM10,000 from their duties.<\/p>\n
The men were arrested at Takashimaya on Dec 5, 2024 with 36 ATM cards and S$34,720 on them.<\/p>\n
Another 15 ATM cards were found in a locker.<\/p>\n
The money withdrawn by the two men belonged to victims of government official impersonation scams and Alipay scams, with some victims being vulnerable and elderly.<\/p>\n
The prosecution said a transnational syndicate was involved, with both men “well aware” that they were working for a syndicate.<\/p>\n
For engaging in a conspiracy to enter into an arrangement that facilitates the control of criminal proceeds, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000, or both.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n