Police bust online love syndicate, victims lost over $100,000

General Veers

Alfrescian (InfP)

Generous Asset

• Feb 28, 2012

• #1

Police bust online love syndicate, victims lost over $100,000
By Lim Wee Leng/Imelda Saad | Posted: 28 February 2012 1841 hrs

SINGAPORE: Police have busted an online syndicate which extorted at least $100,000 from unsuspecting individuals looking for love.

The case arose when a 22-year-old man lodged a police report on Sunday, alleging that he was a victim of extortion.

Initial investigations reveal that the man had befriended a woman in May last year, via an Internet chat room.

Both engaged in webcam conversations which led to the woman persuading the victim to appear naked in front of the webcam.

Unknown to the victim, the woman had recorded the footage. She then threatened to circulate the footage online if the victim did not transfer money to her.

The man complied and this went on for nine months, with several other suspects entering the fray.

In all, the man made over 80 transactions, amounting to at least $97,000 to various bank accounts provided by the suspects.

The suspects, three men and three women, aged between 17 and 47, were arrested on separate occasions on Tuesday.

The first arrest of four suspects was made at about 4am at a unit in Block 32 at Marsiling Drive.

The other two suspects were arrested later at 3.30 pm in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio.

It has been revealed that at least four other victims were conned, with the suspects receiving a total of at least $100,000.

Two of the suspects, a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman, will be charged in Court on Wednesday for an offence of Extortion with Common Intention. Investigations are still on-going for the remaining suspects.

If convicted, the suspects could be jailed up to seven years and caned.

Police gave this advice.

DSP Aileen Yap, Deputy Head of Investigation at Ang Mo Kio Police Division, said: "Exercise caution when dealing with unknown people over the internet. Do not accede to any request that may put yourself in a vulnerable position such as performing compromising acts in front of the webcam."

- CNA/de

 

Muthukali

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Feb 28, 2012

• #2

Sigh, love is blind.

 

hokkien

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Feb 28, 2012

• #3

Muthukali said:

Sigh, love is blind.

Click to expand...

sex urge is blind too

 

K

Krizalid

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Feb 29, 2012

• #4

Two charged in Internet love scam
Posted: 29 February 2012 1122 hrs

SINGAPORE: A young couple has been charged in court with extorting S$6,000 from a 22-year-old man.

Yap Siew Ting, 17, and Soh Zhi Ren Alexander, 21, allegedly tried to extort money from Ng Yong Cheng on 8 January 2012 at about 5.40pm from a Marsiling Drive flat.

They were among four suspects arrested on Tuesday in Marsiling for their alleged involvement in an Internet love scam syndicate.

Two other suspects were arrested in Ang Mo Kio.

The couple had allegedly threatened to upload a nude video of Ng onto the Internet if the victim refused to pay them.

If convicted of extortion, the two face a jail term of two to seven years.

They will also be liable to caning.

Yap and Soh are suspected to be the masterminds of the group, where a girl befriends men online and gains their trust.

This would take place on popular Internet website Alamak.com, where webcam chats would take place between them.

Once a victim's trust is gained, the suspect will undress to persuade the male victim to strip in front of the webcam.

The suspect will then record it and blackmail the victim.

The six arrested have allegedly extorted about S$100,000 from at least five victims so far.

- CNA/ck

 

K

Krizalid

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Feb 29, 2012

• #5

Naked video chats: 6 nabbed for blackmail

Published on Feb 29, 2012

Six people were arrested on Tuesday for blackmailing men who were encouraged to strip naked during video chats. Two victims were discovered after the police computer forensics team found their information in the four laptops confiscated during Tuesday's raid -- LIANHE ZAOBAO PHOTO

Six people were arrested on Tuesday for blackmailing men who were encouraged to strip naked during video chats.

The three men and three women, aged 17 to 47, were arrested in two separate raids at Marsiling Drive and Ang Mo Kio.

The scam is believed to involve a 17-year-old girl who befriended men in an online chatroom.

She would entice them to strip during video chats, and unknown to the men, a video would be taken by her boyfriend, the police said at a press conference.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

K

Krizalid

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Feb 29, 2012

• #6

Girl lures man to expose himself on webcam

Zenzen

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; ">The suspects were arrested at Blk 32, Marsiling Drive (left). A similar case that was reported earlier (right).</cite>
The police have busted an online sex scam syndicate that blackmailed men by threatening to post naked videos of them on the internet. According to The New Paper, the 22-year-old victim, a student, had alerted the police after being blackmailed by the group for nine months. The student had befriended a girl from the syndicate in an internet chat room, and had been enticed to expose himself on his webcam.

It is not known if the girl had similarly exposed herself, or whether the two had engaged in any cyber-sex acts. Later on, the girl claimed she had recorded a naked video of the student, and demanded $5,000 from him by threatening to put the video on the internet. In the next nine months, the syndicate blackmailed him 80 times, for amounts ranging from $200 to $8,000.

Different members of the syndicate would pose as the girl's brother, father, and even as lawyers, to demand money from the student, who paid them a total of $97,000. It is unknown where the student got the money. The student finally called the police last Sunday (26 Feb) to expose the scam. The police busted the syndicate two days later, by staking out the members' den, a three-room flat located at Blk 32, Marsiling Drive.

Six Singaporeans aged 17 to 47 were arrested. The masterminds are believed to be a 22-year-old man and his 17-year-old girlfriend. The girl's mother and the mother's boyfriend are also believed to have been arrested. At least four other single men are believed to be victims of the syndicate, which took about $100,000 altogether from their victims before they were busted.

The alleged masterminds have been charged in court today with extortion with common intention. For the offence, they can be jailed up to 7 years and caned.

 

K

Krizalid

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Mar 1, 2012

• #7

Exposed: Couple believed to be behind internet sex scam

Lianhe Wanbao

<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; ">Su Zhi Ren, 22, and his 17-year-old girlfriend Ye Xiu Zhen.</cite>
The couple allegedly responsible for the internet sex scam has been exposed.

They are Ye Xiu Zhen, 17, and Su Zhi Ren, 22, both of whom were arrested together with Ye's mother and the mother's boyfriend at their flat at Blk 32, Marsiling Drive, on 27 Feb.

The scam, where they blackmailed about $100,000 from five men, was reported in inSing yesterday.

Ye's mother has since been released from police detention and spoke to Lianhe Wanbao reporters.

She revealed that the man who was blackmailed for $97,000 over a period of nine months, is NTU student Huang Yong Cheng.

On how Huang managed to get the large sum of money, she revealed that Huang's father is a doctor and he stays in a million-dollar apartment.

Source: Lianhe Wanbao, 1 March 2012.

 

K

Krizalid

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Mar 7, 2012

• #8

Pair charged in Internet love scam further remanded
By Claire Huang | Posted: 07 March 2012 1957 hrs

SINGAPORE: The young couple charged in court last week for extorting S$6,000 from a 22-year-old man will be remanded for another week.

Yap Siew Ting, 17, and Soh Zhi Ren Alexander, 21, are accused of extorting money from Mr Ng Yong Cheng on January 8 at about 5.40 pm from a Marsiling Drive flat.

Prosecution said the pair are further remanded to assist in investigations as five victims have come forward since the news broke.

The couple were among four suspects arrested on February 28 in Marsiling for their alleged involvement in an Internet love scam syndicate.

Two other suspects were arrested in Ang Mo Kio.

They had allegedly threatened to upload a nude video of Mr Ng onto the Internet if the victim refused to pay them.

If convicted of extortion, the two face a jail term of two to seven years.

They will also be liable to caning.

Yap and Soh are suspected to be the masterminds of the group, where a girl befriends men online to gain their trust.

This would take place on popular Internet website Alamak.com, where webcam chats would take place between them.

Once they gained a victim's trust, the suspect will undress to persuade the male victim to strip in front of the webcam.

The suspect will then record it and blackmail the victim.

- CNA/cc

 

I

Imperial Cruiser

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Mar 8, 2012

• #9

Five contact police over alleged nude video scam

Published on Mar 8, 2012

Five persons have contacted the police after reading media reports about a couple charged with a naked video-chat scam.

A police prosecutor on Wednesday sought another week's remand for Yap Siew Ting, 17, and Alexander Soh Zhi Ren, 21, both unemployed.

The couple were taken to court a week ago for allegedly extorting $6,000 from a student.

They are said to have intentionally put Mr Ng Yong Cheng, 22, in fear of injury to his reputation by threatening to upload his nude video over the Internet if he did not hand over the money.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.

 

A

Alto Saotome

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Mar 14, 2012

• #10

Couple involved in online love scam faces more charges
By Claire Huang | Posted: 14 March 2012 1742 hrs

SINGAPORE: A young couple who was charged in February with extortion in an online love scam faced more charges in court on Wednesday.

Yap Siew Ting, 17, and Soh Zhi Ren Alexander, 21, were charged in court last month for allegedly extorting S$6,000 from a 22-year-old victim on January 8 this year.

That charge has been amended and they are now accused of extorting S$150,000 from him on May 31 last year.

Yap was slapped with three fresh charges on Wednesday.

She is also accused of attempting to extort S$19,000 from three other victims last month.

Soh faced 11 new charges.

Seven of the charges stated that Soh allegedly extorted S$6,700 from two victims in February and March last year.

The couple had allegedly threatened to upload nude videos of the victims onto the internet if they refused to pay up.

Soh was also charged under the Civil Defence Act for failing to turn up at his place of duty as a full time National Serviceman between August 2010 and February this year.

For this, Soh could be jailed up to two years.

If convicted of extortion, the pair faces up to seven years' jail.

Soh will also be liable to caning.

For attempting to extort money, both of them could be jailed up to five years.

Soh will be liable to caning as well.

- CNA/fa

 

T

Terry Bogard

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Jun 6, 2012

• #11

17-year-old girl pleads guilty to extortion in Internet love scam
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 05 June 2012 1942 hrs

SINGAPORE: Blinded by love, she acted in a moment of folly.

That was the explanation given by the lawyer of 17-year-old Yap Siew Ting, for her involvement in an Internet love scam, which saw one victim cheated of S$97,350.

The teen, who appeared contrite in court, pleaded guilty to one count of extortion and another count of attempted extortion.

Two other charges of attempted extortion were also taken into consideration.

The judge has asked for a pre-sentencing report for probation and reformatory training for Yap.

This is to assess her suitability for probation and reformatory training.

Yap was charged along with her boyfriend, Soh Zhi Ren Alexander, 21, earlier this year for extorting money through nude online video chats.

The duo first came up the idea in March 2011, after reading an article about online scams in the newspapers.

The couple then hatched a plan which saw Yap engaging her victims in online conversations and persuading them to strip in front of a webcam.

Both her victims were men in their twenties.

Unknown to them, Yap's boyfriend recorded them undressing with his iPhone.

The duo then threatened to upload nude videos of their victims onto the Internet if they refused to pay them.

One of their victims made 89 fund transfers amounting to S$97,350 to the couple, between May 2011 to January 2012.

The couple also tried to extort S$10,000 from another victim but failed in their attempt.

The incident came to light when both victims reported the matter to the police.

The couple was arrested on 28 February this year.

In a long and detailed mitigation, Yap's lawyer Aloysius Tan highlighted her youthful age, describing Yap as "just an unfortunate and impressionable teenager".

Mr Tan added that Yap, whose parents divorced last year, "let her emotions and love for a boy rule over her usual rational and thoughtful self."

The court also heard that Yap was working part-time at that time and was assured by Soh that his scam was "alright".

Mr Tan emphasized that Yap's role was a more passive one compared to Soh's, and that she ended up being misled by him.

Yap, who later requested to speak, told the court that she was remorseful and begged for leniency.

The maximum punishment for extortion is seven years and caning, while the maximum punishment for attempted extortion is five years and caning.

However, Yap will escape caning as under Singapore laws, women cannot be caned.

- CNA/ck

 

W

Westwood

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Jun 7, 2012

• #12

​

 

IamHandsome

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Jun 7, 2012

• #13

Mei Mei lokang deep leh:p Can hold pencil or pen.

 

Last edited: Jun 7, 2012

U

Ultimate Warrior

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Jun 27, 2012

• #14

Teen, 17, gets 24 months' probation for nude video scam

AsiaOne
Wednesday, Jun 27, 2012

SINGAPORE - The teenager behind an online extortion scam was today sentenced to 24 months' supervised probation.

Yap Siew Ting, 17, had pleaded guilty to extorting $150,000 from a 22-year-old man and attempting to extort $10,000 from a 24-year-old, by threatening to upload nude videos of them over the Internet.

Her alleged boyfriend, Alexander Soh Zhi Ren, 22, was her accomplice to the offences carried out in May last year and February this year.

Yap had logged into internet chatroom Alamak.com where she would chat with men. She would then move the conversations to a private webcam chat.

While engaging in conversations with sexual overtones, she got the men to remove their clothes, and Soh, who had hooked up a separate monitor by then, used his iPhone to record the men undressing.

The men stripped not knowing that they were being recorded,

The couple would then confront the victims with the video clips, threaten to upload the videos on the internet and demand money in exchange for not uploading.

The Straits Times reported that under the probation order, Yap has to perform 130 hours of community service and remain indoors from 10pm to 6am.

Yap's case will be reviewed by the court in November.

[email protected]

 

C

Cloud

Alfrescian (Inf)

Asset

• Jul 4, 2012

• #15

Man involved in online nude video extortion scam pleads guilty
By Claire Huang | Posted: 04 July 2012 1329 hrs

SINGAPORE: The man who masterminded an Internet love scam pleaded guilty and was convicted of the charges on Wednesday.

22-year-old Soh Zhi Ren Alexander was charged with the online extortion scam in February, along with his then-girlfriend, Yap Siew Ting, now 17.

The pair extorted S$150,000 from a 22-year-old man and attempted to extort S$10,000 from a 24-year-old man.

The two threatened to upload the men's nude videos if they did not pay up.

The 22-year-old victim made 89 fund transfers amounting to S$97,350, before he finally made a police report.

The court also found Soh guilty of extorting a total of S$3,000 from two other victims.

The victims' identity cannot be revealed due to a court order.

Besides these charges, the bespectacled Soh also admitted to two counts of shop theft, two counts of dishonestly receiving and disposing stolen items and one count of forging a cheque. These acts amounted to about S$9,500.

Soh was also convicted of being absent without leave for more than 18 months, when he was a full-time national serviceman in the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Prosecution proceeded with 10 of the 23 charges. The other 13 have been taken into consideration.

Last Wednesday, Soh's accomplice Yap was put on a two-year probation and ordered by the court to serve 130 hours of community service.

Her mother also has to post a bond of S$5,000 to ensure her good behaviour.

Soh faces up to seven years' jail and is liable to caning for extortion charges.

For attempting to extort, he could be jailed up to five years and caned. For shop theft, Soh could be jailed up to seven years and fined. As for dishonestly receiving and disposing stolen branded bags, he faces five years' imprisonment and a fine.

Soh can also be jailed up to two years for going AWOL.

The prosecution has called for a deterrent sentence, but Soh pleaded for leniency, saying he is remorseful. Soh is not represented by defence counsel.

He told the court his family and friends have not visited him since his arrest.

The district judge has asked for time to consider the sentence.

- CNA/wm

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5qez0hdKc1c?rel=0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" width="480"></iframe>

 

A

Akuma

Alfrescian

Loyal

• Jul 15, 2012

• #16

Nude video scam: Man gets 5 years' jail and caning

AsiaOne
Friday, Jul 13, 2012

A 22-year-old man has pleaded guilty for extorting money from men by threatening to upload their nude videos today, reported The Straits Times.

Alexander Soh Zhi Ren was sentenced to five years' jail and five strokes of the cane for various offences. He admitted to 10 of 23 charges which included theft, receiving and disposing of stolen goods and forgery.

He extorted $104,500 and attempted to extort $19,000 with his then 16-year-old girlfriend, Yap Siew Ting, according to the report.

The court heard that last year, Soh came up with the idea of cheating people over the web after reading an article in the newspapers. The article mentioned victims had their naked photos or videos taken by individuals whom they befriended on the Internet. These individuals threatened to post such videos or photos on the Internet unless the victims paid them money.

The pair chatted with their victims on Alamak.com, then persuaded them to strip in front of the web camera and perform sexual acts. Unknowingly, the men were filmed with an iPhone Soh had connected to Yap's computer.

Senior District Judge See Kee Oon said: "They were clearly planned and premeditated and the sum extorted was significant. He was motivated by greed, capitalising on the embarrassment that might be caused to the victims who had been manipulated and deceived."

Judge See also said Soh had no qualms involving his own girlfriend in the extortion scam.

Yap has been given probation for her role in the offences.

[email protected]