Scammers have splurged on everything from luxury cars to Rolex watches with the millions they stole. The Straits Times looks at syndicates in the regions that targeted victims in Singapore.
Giving up personal freedom for Rolex watches: An inside look into the ops of a scam syndicate
The scam syndicate in Taiwan ran like a well-oiled corporation, with managers, call centres, links to overseas partners and reward systems.
To motivate the workers in call centres, supervisors would tell them that they could earn enough to buy a luxury watch if they defraud more victims.
Scam syndicates in Malaysia owned fleet of luxury cars including Rolls-Royce and Ferrari
He was known to be flashy, often posting photos on Instagram of him with stacks of cash he allegedly earned through money laundering, scams and other criminal activities.
Nicky Liow Soon Hee, who is 34 this year, even had the title Datuk Seri to his name. Liow often threw lavish parties, arriving in a fleet of luxury cars with his entourage.
Singapore, Hong Kong police cripple syndicate that cheated 400 victims of almost $5 million
They had cheated over 400 victims in Hong Kong and Singapore of nearly $4.9 million in job scams, but law enforcement agencies in both cities managed to close in on them.
Between June 16 and 25 last year, in a joint operation codenamed Operation Plentyspring, the Singapore and Hong Kong police forces raided a number of premises.
