Singapore! theft, burglary, vice-related activities, prostitution, island-wide multi-agency enforcement blitz, S$23 million forex trading pyramid scheme, cheating, extortion, delivering a counterfeit Singapore $10,000 note, criminal intimidation 2024.12.13-2025.1.27

SINGAPORE – A teenage boy worked with two girls – who pretended to offer sex for cash – and extorted $450 from a victim who expressed his interest in engaging such services.

Separately, he also cheated a second victim of $200 after duping the latter into buying a counterfeit pair of Apple AirPods.

The boy, who is now 18, and the two girls cannot be named as they were below 18 at the time of the offences.

On Jan 10, he was ordered to undergo probation for 18 months after he pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including one count each of cheating and extortion.

As part of his sentence, he has to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am every day and perform 60 hours of community service. His mother was also bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.

In March 2023, the youth and the two girls hatched a plan to deceive customers into believing that the girls would provide sexual services for money even though the pair had no intention of doing so.

Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon said: “Instead, (the boy) would use his Telegram account to exchange messages with potential customers.

“Once a customer had been identified, (members of the trio) would meet the customer, receive payment, and then they would flee with the money.”

During one of these exchanges, a man sent the trio a picture of his private parts. The trio then lured him to an unknown block of flats in Toa Payoh in the wee hours of April 1, 2023.

The two girls met the man at the location and told him they would circulate the picture if they did not receive cash from him.

Terrified, he emptied his wallet, handed over $450 and fled. From this amount, the boy later received $50, while each girl kept $200.

In an unrelated case, the boy duped another man into believing that he was selling genuine Apple AirPods online.

On or around Sept 16, 2023, the boy handed the man a pair of fake ones and received $200 as payment.

The two girls, whose offences also involved other incidents, were dealt with in court earlier.

One of them was just 17 years old when she engaged in sexual acts with a 34-year-old man in exchange for $950 in 2023.

She then worked with the other girl to extort cash from him. When confronted, the man transferred $50,000 to a bank account belonging to the girl who had engaged in sexual activities with him.

In February 2024, she was ordered to undergo reformative training for at least six months after she pleaded guilty to one count each of cheating and extortion.

Young offenders ordered to undergo reformative training are detained in a centre to observe a strict regimen that can include foot drills and counselling.

The man who had engaged the sexual services of the then 17-year-old girl was sentenced to nine weeks’ jail two months later.

The other girl was sentenced to a two-year probation in May 2024 after she pleaded guilty to one count each of cheating and extortion.

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少年与两女设“仙人跳” 诱男子传裸照后勒索

16岁少年和二少女联合设“仙人跳”，扮“龟公”兜售性服务，结果成功诱得一男子上钩发下体照见面，三人威胁男子若不给钱就散播裸照。

被告是现年18岁的少年，他星期五（1月10日）承认包括欺骗与勒索在内等三项罪名。

判缓刑监视18个月

被告星期五认罪后被判接受18个月的缓刑监视，也必须进行60个小时社区服务，晚上10时至隔天早上6时要留在室内。他的父母须签保5000元，确保他在缓刑期间行为良好。

案情显示，2023年3月，被告与两名少女策划，由被告扮“龟公”，假装兜售两名少女提供的性服务。被告会使用Telegram寻找潜在顾客，打算与他们见面收钱后逃跑。

一名男子上钩后向三人发送了一张下体照，两名少女随后在同年4月1日凌晨约他在大巴窑一座组屋底层见面，威胁他若是不给钱就散播他的私密照。男子惊惧之下交出450元后离开。

三人事后分赃，被告获得50元，两名少女各获得200元。

这两名少女也涉及其他案件，其中一名少女17岁时曾与一名34岁的男子以950元进行性交易，之后与同伙勒索该男子5万元，被判接受至少六个月的强制性改造。男子被判监禁两个月。另一名少女则因欺骗与勒索罪，于去年5月时被判接受两年的缓刑监视。

网售仿制苹果耳机骗钱

被告也在网上谎称有苹果耳机卖，结果给了买家水货。

除了勒索罪行外，被告还在Carousell等交易平台上出售仿制的苹果耳机，却向买家发送了真品耳机的照片和序列号码，骗取了200元。

警方在逮捕被告时，还从他身上搜出八副仿制耳机。

SINGAPORE: He was the managing director of a firm called Singliworld which lured more than 2,000 investors in Singapore into an “investment scheme” that promised trading returns as high as 13 per cent per month.

But the scheme turned out to be fraudulent and there was a loss of over US$10 million (S$13.7 million) after more than US$21 million was collected from the investors, which also included thousands from other countries.

On Friday (Jan 3), Leong Koon Wah, 51, who was Singliworld’s managing director at the time of the offences, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail, and ordered to pay a penalty of S$3,658,600.

He will spend an additional 18 months behind bars if he fails to fork out the amount.

Leong was also a director at three other firms – Singliworld HK, Triumph Global (Asia), which was incorporated in Hong Kong, and Union Markets, a New Zealand-incorporated company.

As at May 2015, Leong had earned approximately US$3.1 million through multi-level marketing (MLM) despite having invested only a total of US$1,000 himself.

He also held several accounts linked to the scheme in his wife’s name even though she had not made any investments. He earned around US$3.4 million through her accounts.

Ng Kuan Chuan, 38, who was also a director at Triumph Global and Singliworld HK, was sentenced to seven years and six months’ jail after earning some US$300,000.

Ng, who was involved in the management of Union Markets, was also ordered to pay a fine of $300,000 and will spend another six months behind bars in default.

After an 88-day trial, District Judge Soh Tze Bian convicted the two Malaysian men of carrying on Singliworld’s business between March 2014 and May 2015, thereby inducing customers to invest in Singliforex – a scheme where their money would purportedly be used to trade in foreign exchange.

These customers were led to believe that professional traders would conduct the trading on their behalf through “foreign exchange brokerages” – Triumph Global and Union Markets.

However, no such trading had taken place and the scheme was unsustainable.

Judge Soh also convicted the pair of offences involving Triumph Global and Union Markets. The men had carried on the business of foreign exchange trading linked to these two firms even though the companies did not have the necessary licences.

Leong had also pleaded guilty to two other charges involving Singliworld. According to court documents, it had promoted a pyramid-selling scheme between February 2014 and May 2015.

Singliworld had also carried on the business of foreign exchange trading even though it was not licensed to do so.

In his oral grounds of decision in December 2024, Judge Soh said that the Singliforex scheme exhibited multiple hallmarks of fraudulent activity, each of which underscored its deceptive and unsustainable nature with fraudulent features.

He added: “In my view, the scheme preyed on investors’ trust through deliberate misrepresentations, manipulation of outcomes, and unsustainable financial practices.

“By combining the illusion of professional trading, guaranteed profits, and MLM incentives, Leong and Ng as the perpetrators maintained a deceptive front while systematically misappropriating funds, ensuring the eventual collapse of the scheme.”

In earlier proceedings, the prosecution told the court that Leong incorporated Singliworld in December 2012 and was its “directing mind”. He later employed administrating staff from March to May 2015.

Singliword’s only business was promoting to members of the public the Singliforex scheme.

Leong and Singliworld promised prospective investors that a team of “professional traders” would purportedly trade in foreign exchange on behalf of the investors.

Ng was one of the people who had carried out the “trading” even though he was neither qualified nor licensed to do so.

From around March 20, 2014, to April 30, 2015, those who wished to participate in the Singliforex scheme had to open and maintain a forex trading brokerage account with Triumph Global.

From around May 7, 2015, they had to open and maintain such an account with Union Markets.

Deputy public prosecutors Nicholas Tan, Michelle Tay and Suriya Prakash stated in court documents that Singliforex investors were not allowed to have the “trading” done via a forex brokerage of their choice.

Investors were also locked out of their accounts at Triumph Global and Union Markets, and could not do any trading on their own.

At the time of the offences, Singliworld did not hold a capital markets services licence issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore for leveraged foreign exchange trading.

Despite this, Singliworld held itself out as carrying on such a business between March 2014 and May 2015.

Leong had also devised a set of financial incentives so that Singliforex would be an MLM scheme, with incentives designed to encourage investors to refer and recruit others to participate in the scheme.

The prosecution said that Leong structured the Singliforex scheme to be pyramidal in nature, and placed himself at the apex of the pyramid.

On Jan 3, Leong and Ng were each offered bail of $300,000.

Leong is expected to begin serving his sentence on Jan 31, while Ng intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence.

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Two men get jail for cheating investors in S$23 million forex trading pyramid scheme
About 4,500 investors were deceived by the forex trading pyramid scheme, of whom more than 2,400 were in Singapore.

SINGAPORE: A court on Friday (Jan 3) handed down prison sentences and a hefty penalty to two men who ran a S$23 million (US$17 million) multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme that promised investors returns from foreign exchange trades.

The pyramid scheme, which District Judge Soh Tze Bian described as “one of the most severe” cases of fraudulent trading, ran from 2014 to 2015.

About 4,500 investors were deceived, of whom more than 2,400 were in Singapore. Combined losses likely exceeded US$13.7 million, with unrecovered losses of more than US$10 million, the judge said.

Leong Koon Wah, 51, was the director of Singliworld, which offered the forex trading scheme known as Singliforex. He was also the director of two brokerages – Triumph Global (Asia) and Union Markets – that purported to carry out the forex trades.

After 88 days of trial, the Malaysian pleaded guilty to running Singliworld as an unlicensed forex trading business and promoting a pyramid scheme.

Two Chinese nationals linked to a syndicate entered Singapore on Nov 5 with the intention to buy luxury goods with stolen credit card information, but backed out.

Li Xueqi and Xu Zhaochen, both 36, obtained images of fake passports to be used as proof of identity during the purchases. They also met two alleged accomplices – fellow Chinese nationals Zhao Yongzhi, 28, and Zhang Tianyu, 29 – in Singapore.

After learning about the specifics of the plan, Xu backed out, followed by Li. All four men were eventually arrested.

On Dec 20, Li, who had roped in Xu to take part in the scheme, was sentenced to 15 weeks’ jail, while Xu was given eight weeks’ jail.

Both pleaded guilty to one count each of being part of a criminal conspiracy by agreeing with others to commit cheating by personation.

The cases involving Zhao and Zhang are pending.

District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan said that the predominant sentencing consideration in cases involving syndicated transnational credit card fraud is deterrence.

“Such offences harm not only the owners of the credit cards which were illegally used, but also consume valuable time and resources of local retailers and authorities to address the downstream implications of these fraudulent purchases,” he said.

“Over time, they can… damage Singapore’s standing both as a financial hub as well as a preferred centre of commerce.”

Investigations revealed that the scheme involved the use of a mobile application that could be remotely filled with other people’s credit card details. Some of these details had been unlawfully obtained through phishing.

The court heard that Li was in China when he received a message from someone named Huihuang, who told him that he could earn money by buying luxury goods, such as iPhones, in Singapore using other people’s credit card details.

On Nov 4, Li contacted Xu, his former classmate, who agreed to join him in the scheme.

Li then sent photographs of himself and Xu to Huihuang for fake Japanese identification documents.

Li and Xu arrived in Singapore the next day, on Nov 5. Huihuang then sent Li images of the fake Japanese passports.

According to court documents, Zhao and Zhang later explained to Li and Xu that the plan involved the use of a specific mobile phone to make payments.

Someone would call the person buying the items to tell him what to do.

The purchaser would then use the given phone to make contactless payments. He could also use the image of the fake passport as proof of identity, the court heard.

Xu later decided to back out, but Li was still interested in being part of the scheme at the time.

On Nov 6, Li met Zhao at a store selling Apple products at Marina Bay Sands. Court documents stated that Zhao then demonstrated how to carry out the plan.

However, Li became worried that he would be caught and left the store. He then told Zhao that he did not want to continue with the scheme.

All four Chinese nationals were arrested and charged in court.

On Dec 20, defence lawyer K. Keerthana pleaded for Li to be given eight weeks’ jail. She also asked the court to sentence Xu to six weeks’ jail.

She told Judge Koo that her clients had voluntarily refused to take part in the cheating offences.

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来新参与盗刷信用卡犯罪活动 两中国籍男子临阵退缩仍被判监　

听说新加坡有“赚钱”机会后，两名中国籍男子特地飞来狮城，他们从犯罪团伙手上取得日本假护照，接着准备盗用信用卡资料来购买名贵商品，但两人临阵退缩，放弃干案。

来自中国的被告徐照晨（36岁）和李学齐（36岁），各面对一项串谋假冒他人身份行骗的控状，他们星期五（12月20日）在国家法院认罪后，分别被判坐牢八周和15周。

顾至轩法官下判时指出，虽然两名被告最终放弃参与违法勾当，但他们都答应犯案，并为此特地飞来新加坡，其中一人也跟随和目睹另一同党盗刷信用卡买手机，无法说他没有造成任何伤害。而且，法庭必须对这类罪案给予严惩，以阻遏有意前来新加坡犯罪的不法分子。

警方在今年11月侦破外国诈骗团伙入境新加坡盗刷信用卡的案件，逮捕五名外国罪犯，其中两人便是徐照晨和李学齐。

根据徐照晨和李学齐所承认的案情，两人是高中旧同学。今年11月4日，李学齐告诉徐照晨，他从一名叫“辉煌”的男子得知，可以来新加坡盗用别人的信用卡购买名贵物品，以此方式“赚钱”。徐照晨考虑后，决定和李学齐一起参与勾当。两人把各自的人头照发给辉煌，让对方为他们制作假的日本护照证件。

隔天，徐照晨和李学齐飞抵新加坡，并且收到辉煌发来的假证件照片。接着，两人按照指示，与另外两名男子张天宇和赵永志见面，由后者解释如何执行盗刷信用卡的犯罪计划，包括他们在犯案时必须使用犯罪团伙所提供的手机，以及向商家出示假证件照片。

徐照晨在了解计划后，决定放弃参与勾当。但李学齐仍想铤而走险，他在11月6日跟随赵永志前去滨海湾金沙一家商店，由赵永志向他“示范”，如何以盗刷信用卡的手段买到苹果手机。接着，两人去到另一家商店，这一次赵永志得花上更长的时间才完成付款。之后，李学齐告诉赵永志，他决定不犯案，因为他担心会被逮着。

徐照晨和李学齐分别在11月6日和7日被警方逮捕。张天宇和赵永志也已经落网并被控上法庭，两人的案件仍在审理中。

One of the two foreign criminals who allegedly burgled landed properties in Singapore this week said in court that he wants to plead guilty.

On Dec 20, Chinese nationals Feng Yunlong, 38, and Zhang Yongxiang, 52, were each handed one charge of house-breaking in order to commit theft.

They are said to have entered a property in Greenleaf View in Holland on Dec 16 at about 9pm by pushing open a sliding window.

According to charge sheets, the duo stole one Cartier Roadster watch valued at $8,800 and a Casio Edifice watch worth $150.

Feng was charged via video-link from Central Police Division. Speaking through a Mandarin interpreter, Feng said he wants to plead guilty and will not be engaging a lawyer.

A police prosecutor applied for Feng to be remanded for one more week to bring him out for investigations and scene visits.

Feng asked, “So this means I’ll be here for one more week, right?”, to which the interpreter said “yes”.

According to court records, Zhang is currently at Changi General Hospital and will be remanded at the Central Police Division upon his discharge. The court records did not explain why he was in hospital.

The two cases will be heard again on Dec 27.

At a press conference on Dec 19, police said the case at Greenleaf View happened while the owners were away. The victims reported the incident on Dec 18, two days after the burglary.

The two suspects have been linked to another report of housebreaking and theft at a property in Zehnder Road in Buona Vista, which was burgled during the day on Dec 18, said the police.

Police officers identified the two suspects after studying footage from security cameras in the area.

They were traced to a hotel in Joo Chiat and arrested at around 6pm, about six hours after the first police report was made on Dec 18.

The police recovered two watches worth about $8,800 in total, a branded pouch worth about $5,000, about $3,570 in cash and an assortment of jewellery.

According to the police, both landed properties did not have burglar alarms, although the house in Greenleaf View had security cameras that aided police investigations.

The doors and gates of the homes were locked at the time, the police said.

The suspects are believed to have gained access to the properties by scaling the walls and fences and climbing in through the unlocked windows.

The police have stepped up measures to prevent and deter housebreaking and theft at private residential areas since June.

These include employing additional police cameras, frequent police patrols and engagement with residents of private residential estates.

The police have not ruled out the possibility that Zhang and Feng are linked to the housebreaking syndicates that were active in Singapore in mid-2024.

It was previously reported that international criminal syndicates had been breaking into landed properties here, stealing some $3.85 million from at least 10 homes from June to August.

The gangs had largely targeted homes in the vicinity of the Rail Corridor and Bukit Timah Road, but at least one house in Windsor Park Road, in the Upper Thomson area, was also burgled.

In relation to those cases, the police arrested three Chinese nationals and sought information on another 14 who had left Singapore.

Those convicted of housebreaking in order to commit theft may be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

A Chinese national was offered a 30,000 yuan (S$5,600) reward if he came to Singapore to retrieve nearly $500,000 in cash and valuables that two burglars had earlier stolen.

Food deliveryman Wu Jinxing, 28, who earned around 200 yuan a day, accepted the offer and arrived in Singapore on July 27.

He then went to a forested area near Buona Vista MRT station to retrieve an orange Hermes Birkin bag worth around $45,000 which contained some of the loot.

He was arrested soon after and was charged in court on July 29.

On Dec 16, Wu, whose offence was linked to a syndicate, was sentenced to seven months’ jail. He had pleaded guilty to one count of handling the benefits of criminal conduct.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Janessa Phua said the two burglars – Wu Jianxin, 30, and Huang Ziqian, 35 – who are also Chinese nationals, are still at large.

Details about the houses they targeted were redacted from court documents.

According to the documents, the pair broke into one of the houses in July to steal the orange Birkin bag, cash in different currencies, and three luxury watches, each worth up to $165,000.

They hid their loot at the Rail Corridor.

They also went to other houses to steal jewellery, cash and 12 more Hermes bags.

They hid these items behind properties in Bukit Sedap Road, near Holland Road.

The court heard that Wu Jianxin and Wu Jinxing have known each other for 12 years.

At 2.30am on July 27, Wu Jianxin contacted the younger man and asked if he could fly to Singapore immediately for a one-day trip to collect a bag and a watch on his behalf.

Wu Jianxin, who offered him 30,000 yuan as a reward, also promised to settle the latter’s travel expenses.

Wu Jinxing agreed to be part of the plan despite knowing that it involved illegal activities. He arrived in Singapore at around noon that day and took a train to Buona Vista MRT station, as instructed by Wu Jianxin.

The DPP said: “(Wu Jinxing) walked down a bicycle route along the Rail Corridor… followed the instructions of Wu Jianxin to climb up a thick vegetation slope and to search for a spot underneath a tree. Wu Jianxin had given these instructions to the accused… via video call.”

Wu Jinxing found the orange Birkin bag hidden underneath some pipes and leaves, and took it.

He then took a taxi to a Geylang hotel and checked into a room at 7pm. With Wu Jianxin observing him through a video call, Wu Jinxing emptied the contents of the bag onto a bed.

Meanwhile, police were alerted on July 27 about the case and officers went to Bukit Sedap Road to recover the other stolen items.

Court documents did not disclose how the authorities knew about the location of the remaining loot.

Still taking instructions from Wu Jianxin, an unsuspecting Wu Jinxing went to Bukit Sedap Road to retrieve the valuables and officers in the vicinity arrested him at 9.40pm.

The officers took him back to his hotel room, where they found the orange Birkin bag and its contents.

On Dec 16, DPP Phua urged the court to sentence Wu Jinxing to between eight and nine months’ jail, adding: “The accused’s offence facilitated the criminal activities of a syndicate… There was a transnational element to the accused’s offence.”

For handling the benefits of criminal conduct, Wu could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $500,000.