Two men, Ong Kwang Wee and Seah Jian Hao, both 44, were charged in Singapore on Thursday after being deported from Thailand and Cambodia over scam offences. The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said the men were believed to be involved in transnational scam operations and money mule activities.
Ong was arrested by the Royal Thai Police during a raid in Bangkok. SPF said he was allegedly part of a transnational syndicate operating a scam centre in Myanmar that targeted Singaporeans with government official impersonation scams.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had travelled to Myanmar and was involved in administrative functions at the scam centre before fleeing to Thailand after the scam centre was raided by Myanmar authorities,” SPF said. “In addition to the man’s alleged involvement in the overseas scam syndicate, he purportedly relinquished his personal bank account in Singapore, enabling criminal syndicates to move suspicious funds using the account.”
Ong was deported from Thailand and arrested upon arrival in Singapore on Tuesday. He was charged with abetment to commit unauthorised access to computer material, an offence carrying a maximum of two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
Seah was arrested by Cambodian police for his alleged role in a transnational scam syndicate conducting telecommunication fraud from Krong Bavet near Cambodia’s border with Vietnam. Preliminary investigations found he allegedly served as a translator for the syndicate, and his Singapore bank accounts were used to receive illicit funds. According to charge sheets, Seah received over S$47,600 in suspected criminal proceeds in 2021.
Seah was also arrested upon arrival in Singapore and charged with abetment by conspiracy to cheat and possessing property reasonably suspected to be the benefits of criminal conduct. The offence of cheating carries up to three years’ jail, a fine, or both. Possessing property suspected of being from criminal conduct can result in up to three years’ jail or a fine of up to S$150,000, or both.
Government official impersonation scam cases nearly tripled in the first half of 2025, rising 199.2 per cent to 1,762 cases from 589 in the same period last year. SPF said, “The amount lost to this scam type increased by 88.3 per cent to about S$126.5 million in the first half of 2025, from about S$67.2 million during the same period in 2024.”
SPF highlighted its international collaboration, stating, “SPF was informed of the successful arrest of the two Singaporean men who were operating scam centres in Southeast Asia through ongoing collaboration and intelligence sharing with international law enforcement partners.”
Commercial Affairs Department director David Chew added, “It also illustrates the strong partnerships with our regional counterparts, including the Central Investigation Bureau of the Royal Thai Police and the Cambodia National Police, to identify, pursue, and arrest criminals involved in scam operations.”
