Two Singaporeans arrested over Cambodia-based scam ring targeting citizens

Two Singaporean men have been arrested and deported from Cambodia and Thailand for their suspected roles in a transnational scam syndicate that targeted Singapore citizens through government official impersonation scams.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed on 16 November that Wayne Soh You Chen, 27, and Brian Sie Eng Fa, 32, were detained by foreign police in Phnom Penh and Khon Kaen respectively.

Upon deportation and arrival in Singapore, both men were formally arrested.

According to the SPF, the two suspects are believed to be part of an organised group operating from a scam compound in Phnom Penh. The syndicate is allegedly responsible for at least 438 impersonation scam cases, with estimated financial losses totalling at least S$41 million.

The arrests were the result of coordinated enforcement efforts involving the Singapore Police Force, Cambodian National Police (CNP), and the Royal Thai Police. The joint operation included intelligence sharing and collaborative investigations aimed at dismantling the scam network.

Soh and Sie are the first individuals apprehended out of a wider pool of 34 suspects, which includes 25 other Singaporeans and seven Malaysians who remain on the run.

The group is said to have been led by Singaporean fugitive Ng Wei Liang. He is alleged to have recruited several close associates into the operation, including his older brother, cousin, and girlfriend. While Ng has not yet been captured, the three associates were charged in September under the Organised Crime Act.

The authorities stated that the scam ring had established operations in Phnom Penh, where they conducted impersonation scams targeting victims in Singapore by posing as government officials. As part of Singapore’s enforcement response, prohibition of disposal orders were issued, and assets linked to the group have been seized.

Soh and Sie will be charged in court on 17 November under the Organised Crime Act 2015, with charges including facilitating the commission of a serious offence and aiding the operations of a criminal group. If convicted, each faces a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$100,000, or both.

These latest arrests come just days after two other Singaporeans were similarly deported and arrested for alleged scam-related activities in Myanmar and Cambodia.

On 11 November, two men aged 44 were detained upon their return to Singapore. One was arrested in Bangkok by the Royal Thai Police and is believed to have managed administrative functions at a scam centre in Myanmar. He had allegedly relinquished control of his Singapore bank account to facilitate illicit fund transfers.

The second man was apprehended in Krong Bavet, Cambodia, by the Cambodia National Police. Investigations indicate he had worked as a translator for a telecommunications fraud syndicate and also received scam proceeds in his local bank accounts.

Both men were charged in court on 13 November. The man involved in the Myanmar operation faces charges of abetment to commit unauthorised access to computer material. The other faces charges of abetment by conspiracy to cheat and possession of suspected criminal proceeds.

The arrests occur against the backdrop of a significant surge in scam cases in Singapore. The SPF reported that impersonation scams involving bogus government officials rose sharply by 199.2 per cent in the first half of 2025, climbing to 1,762 reported cases from 589 in the same period of 2024.

Corresponding financial losses also increased, with reported losses hitting S$126.5 million, up from S$67.2 million during the first half of 2024.

Efforts to trace and arrest the remaining suspects are ongoing. Malaysian police authorities have confirmed that they have begun locating the seven Malaysian individuals believed to be involved.