SINGAPORE: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) announced earlier this week that a 24-year-old Malaysian man, Goh Eugene, had been arrested on Dec 28.
He is believed to be part of an organised criminal group based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and was charged in court on Tuesday (Dec 30).
The group is said to be involved in government official impersonation scams targeting victims in Singapore.
Goh had been arrested while he was entering Singapore at Woodlands Checkpoint, and his identity was established through ongoing investigations against the group he is involved with, the police said in its statement.
The police included photographs and details of the remaining 30 suspects at large, who are also part of the group, which is said to be behind at least 438 reported government official impersonation scam cases. The total losses from these scams amount to at least S$41 million.
The group Goh belonged to operated from a scam compound in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and was disrupted during a joint operation by the SPF and the Cambodian National Police on Sep 9. The police previously issued prohibition of disposal orders and seized assets linked to this organised criminal group as part of ongoing investigations.
Goh was charged in court for one count of facilitating the commission of a serious offence under the Organised Crime Act 2015. If he is found guilty, he could face a jail sentence of as much as five years, a S$10,000 fine, or both.
“The SPF will spare no efforts to trace and apprehend individuals perpetrating scams and hold them fully accountable under the law. Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call the Police Hotline at 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 police added.
Singaporean authorities have lately stepped up efforts to catch members of scam syndicates based in Cambodia. Last month, two Singaporean men were charged for having been scam callers in a centre in Cambodia that targeted victims in Singapore. They were identified by the police as 32-year-old Sie Eng Fa Brian and 27-year-old Wayne Soh You Chen.
The two were part of a scam syndicate that operated from a compound in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They are said to have conducted at least 438 impersonation scams that saw victims lose at least S$41 million. Sie was arrested in Thailand, while Soh was arrested in Cambodia. /TISG
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