14 hours ago
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SINGAPORE: Two Malaysian men who needed money were added to Telegram chat groups where they received instructions to withdraw cash from ATMs in Singapore.
Between them, they withdrew about S$1 million (US$792,000) by following a duty roster.
The large sum of money belonged to victims of government official impersonation scams and Alipay scams, and a transnational syndicate was behind the operation, the prosecution said.
Chang Yang, 23, and Ivan Thong Yoong Khean, 27, pleaded guilty on Wednesday (Feb 11).
Chang admitted to conspiring with Thong to withdraw S$403,020 from 24 bank accounts between May 2024 and December 2024. Another two charges will be considered in sentencing.
On top of admitting to the same charge as Chang, Thong also pleaded guilty to a charge of retaining 51 ATM cards and their access cards, together with Chang. A third charge will be considered in sentencing.
The court heard that Thong had taken a loan from an acquaintance in September 2023 and was unable to begin repayments in February 2024.
The acquaintance suggested a "job opportunity" which required Thong to do cash withdrawals from ATMs in Singapore.
Thong agreed and was in two Telegram group chats known as "Cheng Gong Ji Tuan, Che Shou, An Qian Qun" and "2".
Chang was added to the chats in May 2024 by a person he owed RM100,000 (S$32,200) to.
The creditor told him that he would be able to pay off his debt by following the instructions issued in the two chats.
Thong and Chang received their duty rosters from one of the chats each week. The roster assigned two people to enter Singapore on certain days every week to perform cash withdrawals.
On average, the two men were on duty two to three times a week.
After they entered Singapore, the men would receive specific instructions from the other chat on how much to withdraw, which ATM cards to use and the one-time passwords for each card.
They would collect the cards from lockers at *Scape mall or be handed the cards by a delivery driver.
The men were allowed to decide where to make the withdrawals from, and they were to update the chat once they had settled on a location.
Once given the instructions, the pair would promptly withdraw the cash, as the banks would be alerted to suspicious deposits or withdrawals if they took too long, leading to the accounts being frozen.
After withdrawing the money, the men would update the chat on the amounts withdrawn and wait for further instructions.
The bank accounts they made withdrawals from include DBS, POSB and UOB.
They retained about S$500 to S$600 from the withdrawn cash each time they performed their duty.
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.
In total, Chang earned about RM50,000 while Thong earned about RM10,000 from their duties.
They knew that the money they withdrew was illegal proceeds.
The men were arrested at Takashimaya on Dec 5, 2024 with 36 ATM cards and S$34,720 on them.
Another 15 ATM cards were found in a locker.
PROSECUTION SEEKS JAIL
The prosecution is seeking 52 to 54 months' jail for Thong and 56 to 58 months' jail for Chang.
The prosecutor said that on top of the S$403,020 the pair withdrew, Chang withdrew another S$371,850 and Thong withdrew another S$255,620 in their charges taken into consideration.
He added that the money belonged to victims who fell prey to government official impersonation scams and Alipay scams, with some victims being vulnerable and elderly.
"Harm was also caused to confidence in public administration in Singapore because the scams would foster doubt in the victims' minds when they received official communications from government officials in future," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Karl Tan.
He added that a transnational syndicate was involved, with both men "well aware" that they were working for a syndicate, as evidenced by their receipt of instructions from the two Telegram chats.
They had also displayed planning and premeditation, entering Singapore with the purpose of committing offences and deciding where to do it, said Mr Tan.
He said the criminal operations of the syndicate were complex and methodical, with the roles of both men "clearly defined".
They will return to court next month for mitigation and sentencing.
