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S'pore woman, 27, jailed 32 years 6 months in Taiwan for working as scam syndicate runner
She was promised a payment of S$300 per day, but eventually did not get paid by the scammers.
November 04, 2025, 01:39 PM
A Singaporean woman, 27, has been sentenced to 32 years and six months' jail in Taiwan for working as a runner for a scam syndicate.
She entered Taiwan on a tourist visa in February 2025 and withdrew close to NT$1,700,000 (S$71,578) in scam proceeds from ATMs in a span of four days.
She was detained at the airport by local police in March as she attempted to leave the country.
Signed up via Telegram
According to The Liberty Times, the Singaporean woman, identified as Kek Hui Ting or Jie Hui Ting (transliteration), joined a scam syndicate in Singapore on Feb. 19 and was promised a payment of S$300 per day.
It was previously reported that the woman was aged 27.
She signed up for the job through a Telegram group, The Straits Times reported.
The scam syndicate went by the name "Dong Dong Dong Dong Run No. 1" (transliteration) and targets online users in Taiwan, ETtoday reported.
Their scams involved setting up Facebook groups purporting to sell scooters or rent homes and advertising fake lucky draws on Instagram.
One victim lost as much as NT$159,218 (S$6,703) to the fake rental scam.
On Feb. 21, Jie travelled to Taiwan, entering on a tourist visa.
Made 50 withdrawals in four days
Image via SETN.
Between Mar. 1 to 4, Jie was ferried in a car to various convenience stores in Yunlin, Taixi, Changhua and Beidou.
There, she would withdraw the scam proceeds from ATMs on behalf of the syndicate.
It is estimated that she made a total of 50 such withdrawals at 20 locations in a span of four days, attaining cash totalling NT$1,700,000 (S$71,578).
After the withdrawals, she would place the cash at designated drop-off locations.
On the afternoon of Mar. 7, local police caught on after noticing that a foreign woman had been withdrawing large sums of cash from ATMs.
After further investigations, they placed a restriction order to limit Jie's entry and exit from the country.
On Mar. 8, as she attempted to leave Taiwan, she was intercepted and detained by Yunlin county police.
Did not receive promised payment
Jie later revealed to local police that she had not been paid by the syndicate, who had said they would pay her once she left the country.
The Singaporean was eventually handed three charges in Changhua county and 25 charges in Yunlin county for fraud and other related offences.
During the hearings, the courts acknowledged that Jie's cooperation had led to compensation for some of the victims, but argued that her offences were still considerably serious.
She was found guilty and sentenced by the court in Changhua county to one year six months' jail and fined NT$30,000 (S$1,263.15).
In Yunlin county, she was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
In total, she will have to spend 32 years and six months in Taiwanese prison.
She was ordered to be deported once she had served her sentences.
Top image via Zi You Shi Bao, ETtoday
