Married Woman Jailed For Opening Bank Account For 'Online Boyfriend' In Singapore
The account was used to receive nearly SGD260,000 (RM857,844) from suspicious sources.
A 75-year-old Singaporean woman has been sentenced to five weeks in jail after opening a bank account on behalf of a man she believed to be her "online boyfriend"
The woman, Kang Pue Hua, who is married, was scammed by a person using the name "John Lee Marina".
The man, whose real identity remains unknown, persuaded Kang to open a bank account at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) in December 2021.
Despite declaring that she would be the sole operator, Kang handed over the ATM card and PIN to the scammer via WhatsApp, who then used the account for suspicious transactions between December 2021 and February 2022.
The account was used to receive nearly SGD260,000 (RM857,844) from suspicious sources, as reported by The Straits Times.
Kang Pue Hua unknowingly opened bank accounts for an online scammer.
Image via Kelvin Chng/The Straits
Kang also lied to the police, claiming she had lost the ATM card for a separate account at OCBC Bank, when in reality, she had given it to "John".
Her deception came to light after a woman named Goh lodged a police report in January 2022, stating she had transferred SGD10,300 (RM33,983) to Kang's OCBC account under instructions from a man named "Kelvin Lin".
The reason for this transfer was not disclosed.
In court, Kang's lawyer, public defender Vadi P.V.S.S., asked for leniency, noting that Kang had also been scammed of SGD20,000 (RM65,988) and that her husband was suffering from severe health issues
Kang said she believed "John" would help her and her husband financially.
However, Deputy Principal District Judge Ong Chin Rhu rejected the request for probation, emphasising the need for deterrence due to the involvement of financial deception.
Kang's husband, who was present in court, broke down in tears upon hearing the sentence.
Despite her claims of being misled, the court ruled that Kang's actions, which involved deceiving financial institutions and lying to the police, warranted a custodial sentence.
Kang met "John" in December 2021 via WhatsApp. He claimed to be a Singaporean who had lived in the United States for many years before returning home.
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