Alleged Malaysian Scam Syndicate Member Charged

 

A Malaysian national has been charged in a Singapore court for his alleged role as a cash collector in a sophisticated government official impersonation scam syndicate. Lee Jian Cheng, 31, was charged on Thursday, September 18, 2025, with engaging in a conspiracy to help unknown individuals retain the benefits of criminal conduct.

According to court documents, Lee is accused of collecting a substantial sum of $441,000 on behalf of the syndicate over a concentrated period between July 17 and August 1, 2025. His specific role was allegedly to act as the on-the-ground operative who physically received cash from victims, making him a critical component in the money laundering chain. His case has been adjourned and is scheduled to be mentioned again in court on September 25, 2025.

The Singapore Police Force provided details on the scam's modus operandi in an earlier statement. Between July 12 and August 8, 2025, they received multiple reports from victims who had been contacted by individuals falsely claiming to be officials from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). The fake officials would inform the victims that their bank accounts had been implicated in serious crimes like money laundering or that their personal information had been compromised.

The victims were then instructed to prove their innocence by surrendering their money or valuables to other individuals acting as couriers or by transferring funds directly to a specified bank account to aid in the supposed investigations. After complying with these instructions, the victims would only realize they had been scammed when they failed to receive promised refunds or when all contact with the scammers abruptly ceased.

The investigation was spearheaded by officers from the Anti-Scam Command, who managed to establish Lee's identity and his location in Malaysia. Through close cooperation with international law enforcement agencies, their Malaysian counterparts located and arrested Lee on September 16, 2025. He was subsequently handed over to the Singapore authorities the following day, September 17, to face charges.

This case is part of a broader crackdown on such syndicates. The police noted that in an unrelated case, 15 people were recently charged for their alleged links to a separate scam syndicate that operated out of a call center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Their cases are still pending before the courts.