Singapore scam gang operating in Cambodia allegedly led by two brothers
See Toh Kok Siong
[SINGAPORE] The alleged masterminds of a Singapore gang that ran a major scam operation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, are two brothers and their cousin.
The group was led allegedly by Ng Wei Liang, 32. He is one of 27 Singaporeans wanted by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) for their suspected roles in 438 scam cases involving losses of at least S$41 million.
The Straits Times learnt that Wei Liang had allegedly set up the operation some time in 2024, and allegedly recruited his renovation contractor brother, Wei Kang, 33, and Wei Liang’s girlfriend, Christy Neo Wei En, 29.
They also pulled into the group Wei Liang’s cousin Lester Ng Jing Hai, 29, who is reportedly a high-ranking member of the syndicate’s operations.
Wei Kang, Neo and Jing Hai were charged in September under the Organised Crime Act and denied bail on Oct 2 due to a risk of collusion.
Twelve others, including two Malaysians and a Filipina, were charged with them.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
On Thursday (Oct 30), ST contacted Wei Kang’s wife in Tampines. She agreed to speak but declined to be named.
“It has all come as a shock to us. We’ve been married for eight years and he’s a very ordinary man.
“He’s at home 99 per cent of the time, and runs a renovation firm with his father,” she said.
SEE ALSO
According to business records, Wei Kang had also operated a massage parlour registered at Maude Road in Little India.
Wei Kang’s wife, a mother of three young children, said they have had little contact with Wei Liang, whom they knew to be living overseas.
“I have not seen Wei Liang for two years. I don’t think he comes back to Singapore.
“We are not close. My husband also seldom meets him because he is not in Singapore,” she said.
Checks by ST showed that Wei Liang had dabbled in various businesses, including furniture manufacturing.
He was also the director of two events companies, an advertising company, and a management consultancy service, between 2014 and 2021.
One of the events firms is linked to Lam Yong Yan, another Singaporean wanted by the authorities in connection with the scam operations.
Wei Liang was the firm’s director from September 2020 to July 2021. The day he stepped down, Lam was appointed as a director of the company.
ST also visited Wei Liang’s home in Circuit Road, but nobody responded to knocks on the front door.
A neighbour said he last saw Wei Liang about a year ago. The neighbour added that Wei Liang has lived there with his parents for over two decades.
The two brothers allegedly ran a government official impersonation scam operation that targeted victims in Singapore.
In an Oct 29 statement, SPF said warrants of arrest have been issued against the 27 Singaporeans and seven Malaysians, and it is working with international counterparts to locate and arrest them.
The SPF is also working with Interpol to issue Red Notices against these suspects. An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person.
ACS alumnus
Another one of the 27 Singaporeans on the run is said to be a former Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student who once played for its rugby team.
Finan Siow was just 16 when he helped ACS (I) retain its rugby crown by scoring in a pivotal game against Raffles Institution at the Schools National B Division rugby finals.
Checks by ST showed that Siow was at ACS (I) between 2014 and 2020, and was enrolled in the school’s International Baccalaureate diploma programme.
Siow, who lives in Hougang, has been a director and shareholder of a household cleaning service from February 2023.
Checks against past convictions showed that a number of the 27 Singaporeans on the run had prior run-ins with the law.
Poh Yang Ting was one of 10 guests at an unlawful gathering at a Sengkang flat in May 2020, when the circuit breaker lockdown was in effect during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was fined S$2,500.
Andrew Tay Jing An, then 25, visited an illegally operated KTV outlet with another man during the post-circuit breaker period in June 2020. The outlet was not allowed to operate at the time.
Court records do not state whether Tay faced charges or was dealt with. The KTV operator was fined.
Francis Tan Thuan Heng, then 21, was named in media reports in 2015 as one of three persons linked to vice-related offences.
The report did not state the nature of his crime, but noted that the two other people were involved in helping to manage a brothel.
Leon Chia Tee Song was charged with committing armed robbery at a convenience store with another man in February 2016.
Together with his accomplice, Chia, then 22, allegedly pointed a flick knife at a woman during the robbery and stole more than S$3,600 worth of items.
Brian Sie Eng Fa, who was 20 years old in 2013, conspired with another youth in 2012 to get fast cash by planning a fake charity drive at a block of flats.
They cheated residents of S$325 within a day before they were arrested. Sie was ordered to undergo 18 months’ probation and perform 100 hours of community service.
ST understands that the gang members had a penchant for gambling, and were recruited on the casino trail overseas.
The gang allegedly ran government official impersonation scams in which victims were duped into parting with large sums of money through a three-step process.
The scammers would first call the victims and pretend to be bank employees. Their Singaporean accent was meant to reassure the victims that the calls were genuine.
After the initial call, victims were directed to another scammer, who would pose as a government official – either a police officer or a representative of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The government official impersonator would dupe the victims into believing that their bank accounts were implicated in an ongoing criminal investigation.
SPF said the scammer would then order the victims to surrender the funds in their bank accounts for “investigation purposes”, telling them to transfer their money into accounts which the syndicate controlled.
The gang’s activities were disrupted when SPF launched a simultaneous operation in Cambodia and Singapore on Sep 9.
The police urged anyone with information on the fugitives’ whereabouts to call the SPF hotline on 1800-255-0000 (or +65-6255-0000 for overseas callers) or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information received will be kept strictly confidential. THE STRAITS TIMES
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
