Jail for man who worked with wife to deal with love scam proceeds totalling more than $1 million
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
March 30, 2026
A man and his wife were part of a group of people who worked together to deal with the proceeds of love scams totalling more than $1 million.
On March 30, Anthony Ng Zi Qin, 53, was sentenced to six years and four months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to multiple counts of dealing with the benefits of criminal conduct.
His wife, Florence Choo Li Jin, 52, was given six years and eight months’ jail in February.
Ng’s offences started when a man identified as Cheng Keng Tiong approached him to ask if he knew how to buy cryptocurrency, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Phoebe Tan told the court.
Cheng told Ng that both of them could receive commissions if they helped a person identified only as “Keith” to collect cash and convert the money to USDT cryptocurrency.
The USDT would then be used to buy Bitcoin.
Ng agreed to be part of the plan and started to help Cheng in 2022.
Ng later introduced Cheng to his wife, who also agreed to be part of it.
Between Feb 1 and Aug 17, 2023, Ng engaged in a conspiracy with his wife and Keith to convert more than $1.1 million of a 74-year-old female love scam victim’s money to USDT.
Within that time, Ng acquired more than $12,000 – part of the 3 per cent commission received from the total amount of over $1.2 million collected from this victim.
Court documents stated that the victim did not recover any of the money she had relinquished, and was left with $500,000 in retirement savings.
Between June 14 and July 8, 2023, Ng engaged in a conspiracy with his wife, another woman, and Keith to convert more than $225,000 of a second love scam victim’s money into USDT.
As part of the scam on or around July 11 that year, this 61-year-old victim was also asked for a “loan” of around $125,000.
She then reached out to her son for help as she did not have any money.
The son then accompanied her to make a police report on July 12, 2023.
Both the victims were duped by one “Steven Zhang” whom they had met online separately.
In an unrelated case in 2023, Ng roped in a man called Wong Siew Foo into the criminal enterprise after Keith offered to pay 10 per cent in commissions for bank accounts which would be used in transactions.
DPP Tan said: “(Ng told Wong) that he would need him to help receive some monies into his bank accounts, withdraw (the cash) and hand these monies over to him.
“(Ng promised Wong) 5 per cent commissions of the sums that were deposited into his bank account.”
According to court documents, Wong then shared with Ng the details of his bank accounts.
Wong later received more than $105,000 in his bank accounts and Ng converted over $95,000 of the money to USDT.
In September 2023, Ng and his wife also tried to acquire $115,000 from a retiree, but the pair were caught before they could do so.
The couple were charged in court later that year.
On March 30, Ng’s bail was set at $100,000, and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on April 30.
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