Operating across dating apps such as Tinder and OkCupid, the coordinated syndicate lured unsuspecting male victims to matches where conspirators used secret signals and rigorous training to secure a 99 percent win rate. The illicit operation netted an estimated S$100,000 before unraveling through police intervention. Ang pooled all the fraudulent winnings, distributed commissions ranging between S$300 and S$500 to his accomplices, and even intimidated losing players with false rape accusations. Marcus Ang Yi Sheng was ultimately sentenced to two years in jail and fined S$15,000.
Key points
Fraudsters successfully used fake dating app profiles to bait victims into heavily manipu…: Fraudsters successfully used fake dating app profiles to bait victims into heavily manipulated gambling sessions.
Perpetrators maintained control over the games through structured training, role assignme…: Perpetrators maintained control over the games through structured training, role assignments, and pooled profit distributions.
Authorities secured jail terms for key syndicate members, though cases against other rema…: Authorities secured jail terms for key syndicate members, though cases against other remaining conspirators remain pending.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
The 27-year-old posed as women on dating platforms and invited prospective dates to play mahjong games secretly rigged by his accomplices.
SINGAPORE: A man who devised a scheme to lure men on dating platforms into losing money in rigged mahjong games was sentenced to jail on Thursday (Nov 5).
Marcus Ang Yi Sheng, a 27-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced to two years' jail and fined S$15,000 (US$11,751).
He pleaded guilty to eight charges, including multiple counts of conspiring to cheat, as well as criminal intimidation and charges related to gambling.
Another 33 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Ang estimated that the group earned about S$100,000 across multiple games.
THE CASE
Ang devised the conspiracy around April 2024. He created dating profiles of fictional women on dating platforms like OkCupid and Tinder with accompanying Telegram usernames.
Prospective dates would contact Ang through the Telegram usernames, and he would pose as the fictional women before inviting them to play mahjong.
Once a game was scheduled, Ang would direct a female co-conspirator to pose as the woman in the dating profile and…
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