PUBLISHED ONJune 26, 2025 6:12 AMByKhoo Yi-HangFour men, aged 16 to 23, were charged last Saturday (June 21) for using Sheng Siong teller machines to allegedly launder money.
Of the four, three were charged under Section 411 of the Penal Code, while one was charged with an offence under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes Act.
The scheme came to light when Sheng Siong customer and operations director Lin Zikai noticed multiple suspicious transactions made at the same time by the same account at different $TMs across Singapore on June 18.
The service was suspended the next day and restored on June 23.
Known as simple teller machines ($TM), the ones at Sheng Siong differ from other ATMs as they generate a PayNow QR code which can be scanned to authorise dispensing of cash.
A maximum of $1,000 can be withdrawn in one transaction, with the number of transactions tied to the PayNow daily limit.
While the default withdrawal limit for PayNow is $1,000, users can change it up to $200,000.
Muhammad Izz Iryan Bin Mod Ali responded to a "fast cash job" via Telegram, where he was told to withdraw money from a Sheng Siong $TM at Block 872C Tampines Street 86 on June 19, using the $TM's QR code.
Iryan, 23, is alleged to have snapped a photograph of the QR code generated by the machine's PayNow option, and uploaded it back to the Telegram group.
Shortly after, money was dispensed from the same machine, which Iryan was purportedly supposed to pass to another person.
It is believed criminals in the Telegram group were using compromised bank accounts to make the PayNow payments remotely using photos of QR codes.
The Sheng Siong headquarters alerted the store manager of suspicious transactions, who then detained Iryan until police arrived and arrested him.
Iryan was in possession of $20,300 which was suspected of being obtained from criminal conduct.
Separately, Muhammad Noraidilsahiq Bin Muhammad Norasif, 20, allegedly withdrew a sum of $8,000 from the $TM at Block 455 Sengkang West Avenue before being arrested.
Both Iryan and Noraidilsahiq were brought by police back to their respective scenes in Tampines and Sengkang on Thursday (June 26), where they retraced their steps while officers interrogated them.
A 16-year-old was also charged for receiving cash amounting to $19,500 from the $TM at the Sheng Siong outlet in Serangoon North Avenue 5 between June 18 and June 19, while Muhammad Izz Irshad Bin Mod Ali, 18, was charged for receiving $4,000 between June 9 and June 13.
When Iryan, Noraidilsahiq and the 16-year-old made withdrawals from their respective $TMs on June 19 during the same time, they were subsequently detained by store managers at respective Sheng Siong outlets across the island, Lin explained.
"For the $TM machine, we partnered with (UOB and OCBC) to recycle cash that we receive from our stores to provide convenience for our residents nearby to withdraw cash," Lin said.
"Moving forward... we have since upgraded the system and implemented a maximum of five withdrawals in one day per user."
According to the Penal Code, receiving or retaining stolen property can result in jail for up to five years or a fine, or both.
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