A 28-year-old Malaysian man has been sentenced to eight months in jail after helping an illegal syndicate operate 17 Singapore bank accounts that collectively handled almost S$4 million in transactions.
The man, identified as Tan Kian Hoa, was sentenced on 27 October after pleading guilty to one charge of criminal conspiracy to commit unauthorised computer access under Singapore’s Computer Misuse Act.
Investigations revealed that Tan knew the activities were illegal in both Singapore and Malaysia, but continued working for the syndicate.
Applied For Job Advertised On Facebook
Tan’s involvement began in September 2025 when he came across a job advertisement on Facebook.
After applying, an unidentified individual contacted him through Telegram and offered him a monthly salary of RM3,500, equivalent to approximately S$1,102.
He was instructed to report to a workplace at Taman Eko Botani in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
However, the job was not an ordinary administrative position. Tan was recruited by an online gambling syndicate that also handled money obtained from scam victims.
The syndicate operated by transferring money from gambling customers to online casinos and processing payments for customers who won.
Used 17 Singapore Bank Accounts To Track Transactions
As part of his duties, Tan was responsible for accessing Singapore bank accounts controlled by the syndicate and verifying incoming transactions.
He was assigned different mobile phones each day. Each device contained internet banking applications and SIM cards linked to individual bank accounts.
Stickers were placed on the phones containing the respective account holders’ names, account numbers and login credentials.
Whenever customers deposited money into the accounts, Tan would receive notifications through the syndicate’s internal computer system.
His responsibility was to log into the accounts, check whether the money had arrived and ensure the amounts matched the records maintained by the syndicate.
If there were discrepancies between the bank transactions and the internal system, he had to contact the online casino’s customer service department to investigate.
After confirming the payments, Tan would take screenshots of the banking transactions and send them to Telegram group chats used by the syndicate.
Nearly S$4 Million Flowed Through The Accounts
According to court proceedings, a total of S$3,996,971 flowed through the 17 Singapore bank accounts during Tan’s involvement.
The money included proceeds from scam cases reported to the Singapore Police Force.
More than S$21,000 was traced to reported scam cases in Singapore.
The 17 accounts, which were under the syndicate’s control, comprised MariBank and GXS Bank accounts.
Interestingly, the reported losses linked to individual accounts ranged from just S$150 to S$2,968.
Despite the relatively small amounts involved in some individual cases, the combined value of transactions handled by the syndicate was substantial.
Tan also admitted that he knew throughout his employment that the syndicate’s operations were illegal in both countries.
Arrested In Malaysia Before Being Handed Over To Singapore Police
Tan was arrested by the Royal Malaysia Police on 20 July 2026.
He was subsequently handed over to the Singapore Police Force on 21 July to face charges over his involvement.
His case was linked to a wider international crackdown known as Operation Frontier+ III.
The Singapore Police Force had revealed in July 2026 that the operation disrupted the syndicate in March following a two-month joint enforcement effort involving 10 law enforcement agencies from different countries.
MariBank had also provided information that assisted the investigation.
Tan was eventually sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment on 27 October 2026.
The case serves as another reminder that accepting seemingly straightforward jobs involving banking credentials, money transfers or handling other people’s accounts can carry serious criminal consequences.
Even if someone is merely tasked with checking deposits and reporting transactions, knowingly participating in an operation involving illegally obtained funds can result in prosecution under Singapore law.