Singaporean Ng Wei Liang (left) allegedly led a gang that ran a major scam operation in Cambodia. Police raided several of the group's locations in September. - SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE and
SINGAPORE: The alleged masterminds of a Singapore gang that ran a major scam operation in Phnom Penh, Cambodia were a pair of brothers and their cousin.
The group was led 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 $41 million.
The Straits Times learnt that Wei Liang had set up the operation sometime 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.
On 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.”
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 event 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.
Lam Yong Yan is among 27 Singaporeans on the run for his alleged links to a scam ring operating in Cambodia.
Ng 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 other 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.
Another one of the 27 Singaporeans on the run is said to be a former Anglo Chinese School (Independent) student who once played for their rugby team.
Finan Siow was just 16 when he helped ACS (I) retain their 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.
Finan Siow is among 27 Singaporeans on the run for his alleged links to a scam ring operating in Cambodia.
Checks against past convictions showed that a number of the 27 Singaporeans on the run had prior run-ins with the law.
They were convicted over crimes that included breaching Covid-19 protocols, vice offences, cheating and armed robbery.
ST understands the gang members had a penchant for gambling, and were recruited on the casino trail overseas.
The gang allegedly ran a government official impersonation scams in which victims were duped into losing large sums of money through a three-step process.
The scam callers 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 scammer impersonating a government official 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 Sept 9.
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. It said all information received will be kept strictly confidential. - The Straits Times/ANN
