A 24-year-old Malaysian man was charged in court on Tuesday, November 18, for managing a scam call center in Cambodia that preyed on Singaporean victims.
Bernard Goh Yie Shen was charged with one count of engaging in behaviour he knew would enable cheating in Singapore under the Organised Crime Act.
According to the charge, his alleged supervision of the Phnom Penh call center advanced the illicit goals of a syndicate or locally connected organized crime group.
Goh was deported from Cambodia and is thought to be a part of the syndicate that allegedly impersonated government officials in order to deceive victims in Singapore.
According to a police statement, the syndicate is thought to be behind at least 438 of these cases, with losses totaling at least S$41 million (US$31.5 million).
In September of this year, a joint operation by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Cambodian National Police disrupted the syndicate, which operated out of a scam compound in Phnom Penh.
After being deported to Malaysia, Goh was taken into custody and turned over to the SPF.
Two Singaporeans were accused of being scam callers in Cambodia the day before he was charged.
Goh was placed under investigation.
If found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a maximum fine of S$100,000, or both.
A total of 31 suspects, including Malaysians and Singaporeans, are still at large. The alleged leader of the syndicate, Singaporean Ng Wei Liang, is one of them.
