By Shaffiq AlkhatibI
In Singapore, two Malaysians, Kong Chien Hoi, 39, and Seow Gim Shen, 42, have been sentenced to 14 weeks in jail for their involvement in an illegal scheme to obtain personal information. The duo received sensitive data from Chinese national Sun Jiao, allegedly linked to a global cybercrime syndicate.
The court revealed that Kong and Seow obtained a file containing the personal details of 9,369 individuals, which was acquired through other gambling websites. Following this, Sun provided additional data on 6,800 people from Vietnam upon request.
Deputy public prosecutors stated that both men knew the data was obtained without consent and that Sun could have stolen it. Sun is among six individuals charged in September, with their cases still pending.
The investigation began when Seow, who met Sun at a casino in Cambodia, introduced him to Kong, who was running an online gambling operation accessible in multiple countries, including Singapore.
In a WhatsApp group chat titled “Malaysian data,” they discussed purchasing illegally obtained personal information. On July 24, Kong requested data on Thai nationals and received a file with details of 9,369 individuals later that day.
Despite Seow not opening the file, Kong forwarded it to an associate, who attempted to contact the individuals listed. The police conducted simultaneous raids on September 9, arresting six suspects and seizing various electronic devices and cash.
Kong and Seow were arrested two days after arriving in Singapore for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix, as they attempted to leave the country.