Chinese, Malaysian Nationals in $263k Scam Walk Free After Stern Warnings

Two individuals accused of conspiring to cheat three victims out of nearly 263,000 Singapore dollars have been granted a discharge amounting to an acquittal after receiving stern warnings from the authorities. The pair, Chinese national Wang Rui, 34, and Malaysian national Sau Young Seng, 38, will not face further prosecution for these offences.

The Attorney-General's Chambers confirmed the decision in a statement on September 24, explaining that after carefully considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the prosecution directed that stern warnings be issued in lieu of proceeding with a trial. Following the administration of these warnings, the prosecution applied for the discharge, which was granted by District Judge Brenda Tan on September 17.

Wang and Sau had each faced three cheating charges stemming from their alleged involvement in a conspiracy that took place between June and August 2024. They were accused of working with other unknown individuals to deceive the victims through fraudulent online schemes.

The first set of charges alleged that the duo was part of a conspiracy between June and July 2024 to deceive a victim into believing a WhatsApp-advertised online job opportunity was genuine. This allegedly led the victim to transfer more than 28,000 dollars to bank accounts belonging to seven other people.

The second set of charges involved a similar alleged offence against another victim between June and August 2024. In this case, the victim was purportedly deceived into believing in a genuine investment opportunity promoted via WhatsApp, resulting in the alleged transfer of nearly 232,000 dollars to five different bank accounts.

A third charge involved an alleged 2,600 dollar scam between July and August 2024, where a victim was reportedly duped into transferring funds to an online trading platform under the false pretense of a genuine investment opportunity.

The pair were arrested in November 2024 during an anti-scam operation, which led to the seizure of more than 6,800 SIM cards, 15 mobile phones, two laptops, and the recovery of over 10,000 dollars in cash. Despite the initial charges and the scale of the alleged fraud, the prosecution's decision to issue stern warnings resulted in their eventual acquittal. The offence of cheating carries a potential penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine for each count.

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