'Big Elephant' scam boss faces jail in Singapore for allegedly sending runners to collect victims' gold

A Malaysian man accused of masterminding a scam and money laundering syndicate in Singapore was charged in court there on Sept. 23, a day after Malaysian police arrested him and handed him over. Chin Hock Khan, 27, known as "Da Xiang" (Big Elephant), faces a charge of conspiring to help others retain the benefits of criminal conduct, The Straits Times reported.If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to S$500,000 ($392,000), or both.Court documents allege that between March and June he worked with others to collect cash and gold from people in Singapore, the newspaper reported. He was remanded in custody, and his case will return to court on Sept. 30.Singapore police said Chin allegedly recruited and coordinated Malaysians to carry out scams in which fraudsters impersonate government officials.Preliminary police investigations found that he met at least four Malaysian runners on multiple occasions in Malaysia to assign tasks, coordinate ATM withdrawals and pay them.Under his instructions, the runners brought gold collected from scam victims back to Johor Bahru and handed it to him in person, Bernama reported. A man was arrested for allegedly recruiting and coordinating Malaysians in scams. Photo courtesy of the Singaporean Police Force Police believe he laundered at least S$500,000 in scam and illicit proceeds, though the court documents did not state a value.The police said a growing number of Malaysians are traveling to Singapore to help scam syndicates collect cash and valuables from victims."Scam syndicates know no borders. It is only through close and sustained cooperation with our international partners that we can effectively dismantle these criminal networks," Senior Assistant Commissioner Justin Wong, head of the Singapore Police Force's Cyber Command, said in a statement quoted by AsiaOne.The police reminded the public that Singapore government officials will never ask them over the phone to hand money or valuables to strangers, nor request their banking login details.