national Zhang Tianyu has been sentenced to 30 months in jail (in Singapore) after pleading guilty to cheating and acquiring property which represents benefits from criminal conduct. Zhang came to Singapore and used the credit card details of scam victims to buy more than $40,000 worth of mobile phones.
Zhang was part of a transnational scam syndicate that cheated retailers such as Best Denki, iStudio and Challenger.
In Nov 2024, Zhang’s friend Zhao Yongzhi asked him if he wanted to work in Singapore for a salary of 15,000 yuan (S$2,600).
Zhang agreed, and both men flew to Singapore that month.
While in Singapore, Zhang was given a mobile phone installed with an app that allowed the credit card details of fraud victims to be remotely added and used for contactless transactions.
Over three days, Zhang used the credit card details to buy 20 iPhone 16 mobile phones worth over $40,000 from iStudio at Bugis Junction, Best Denki at Funan, and Best Denki and Challenger at Plaza Singapura.
He also followed Zhao to sell the phones to an unknown individual, and received an envelope containing $22,500 in cash to take back to their hotel room.
straitstimes.com/singapore/cour
theonlinecitizen.com/2025/07/09/chi