A Singaporean man allegedly posed as women on dating apps to lure men into rigged mahjong games, where the other players at the table were allegedly working together to make the victims lose.
The alleged mastermind, 27-year-old Marcus Ang Yi Sheng, was said in court to have created fake female profiles on dating platforms, chatted with potential victims, and invited them to play mahjong.
Once a victim agreed, a female accomplice would allegedly appear in person as the âwomanâ from the dating profile, either hosting the session or acting as the victimâs date.
According to court proceedings reported by CNA and Mothership, at least 19 games took place in 2024, with victims asked to pay sums ranging from S$1,120 to S$26,000 after losing.
How the Alleged Mahjong Scheme Worked
The court heard that Ang allegedly came up with the plan around April 2024.
The fake profiles were allegedly created on dating apps such as OkCupid and Tinder, with a Telegram username included so interested users could continue the conversation there.
After the victim was persuaded to join a mahjong session, Ang would allegedly arrange a four-player game. The victim would be the only real outsider at the table.
The other three players were allegedly accomplices who had been assigned roles.
Some would allegedly pretend to be siblings, friends or strangers, so that the victim would not realise that everyone else knew one another.
The group also allegedly used fake names during the sessions.
In mahjong terms, this was not exactly a friendly neighbourhood game downstairs. Prosecutors said the players were trained for specific roles, with one person blocking the victim from winning, another trying to win quickly, and another trying to form the largest possible winning hand.
CNA reported that Ang allegedly believed this arrangement gave the group a 99 per cent chance of winning.
Victims Asked to Pay Up to S$26,000
According to Mothership, no fewer than 28 games were arranged between April and June 2024, although only 19 actually took place.
Victims who lost were allegedly made to pay amounts between S$1,120 and S$26,000.
In one case reported by CNA, a victim was told to pay S$26,000 after a game on 1 June 2024. That session was played with âunlimited taiâ, meaning there was no cap on the mahjong points that could be scored.
The victim refused to pay.
In another incident, a victim was allegedly pressured to pay a similar amount. One accomplice allegedly pretended to offer to cover half the sum on his behalf, apparently to make him more willing to pay the remaining amount.
CNA reported that Ang allegedly threatened to go to the victimâs workplace and to accuse him of raping the female accomplice if he did not pay.
The victim made a police report the next day.
Female Accomplice Jailed 8 Months
On 1 October 2026, 31-year-old Olivia Chin Hui Zhen became the first person in the group to plead guilty, according to CNA.
She admitted to four charges of conspiracy to cheat and one charge of unlawful gambling under the Gambling Control Act. Another 32 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Chin was sentenced to eight monthsâ jail and fined S$3,000.
The court heard that she had acted as a host and player, and had also pretended to cover part of a victimâs losses in an attempt to get him to pay more.
Her lawyers argued that she was less culpable than others in the group, had made full restitution for the games she was involved in, and did not come up with the scheme.
The prosecution argued that she was still involved in the conspiracy and had taken part in several games.
According to Mothership, the rest of the group have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, except for one person whose case is still pending.
For conspiracy to cheat in Singapore, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined. For unlawful gambling, an offender can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$10,000, or both.
