SINGAPORE — A Singaporean woman, Kek Hui Ting, has been sentenced by courts in Yunlin and Changhua counties, Taiwan, to a combined prison term of more than 31 years for her role in nearly 30 fraud and money laundering incidents.
Court papers, published on Oct. 17 and 21, show Kek was convicted of 25 counts of fraud in Yunlin County and three counts in Changhua County. She received 30 years and two months in Yunlin and one year and six months plus a NT$30,000 (S$1,270) fine in Changhua.
Both counties determined that the syndicate Kek worked with had intent to defraud and launder money.
According to prosecutors, Kek entered Taiwan on a tourist visa on Feb. 21 and joined a local scam syndicate through a Telegram group. She was promised $300 per day to assist in the operation.
The syndicate provided Kek with debit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs, following instructions from the leader. Between March 1 and 4, she was taken to dozens of convenience store ATMs and withdrew more than NT$1.7 million for the syndicate.
The victims had already been tricked into transferring money to various accounts through malicious social media advertisements.
Kek was arrested on March 8 at the airport while attempting to leave Taiwan. CCTV footage showed her withdrawing cash at an ATM while partially concealing her face with a mask and hood.
During her trial in Changhua, Kek claimed she had not been paid by the syndicate, which had promised payment only after her departure from Taiwan.
The courts also ordered that Kek be deported after serving her prison term.
