Malaysian jailed over scam where S$1mil of retiree’s savings were transferred to other bank accounts

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SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A man has been sentenced to jail over his role in a scam that saw a retiree losing S$1 million in life savings after the money was transferred to other bank accounts without her knowledge.

Court documents did not state if Dickson Jong Chee Siang was part of the group that scammed the 75-year-old retiree.

The Malaysian had instead recruited a man whose bank account was used to receive about $250,000 of the victim’s money.

Jong, 29, was sentenced to nine months’ jail on Thursday (Jan 12) after he admitted to cheating two banks. He also pleaded guilty to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.

The case involving his alleged accomplice and fellow Malaysian, Lin Chien Wei, 24, is pending.

The prosecution said that on Dec 9, 2021, the senior citizen received phone calls from several people claiming to be from the “Chinese Judicial Investigation Department”.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Hsiao Tien said: “These persons claimed that the victim’s identity had been misused in China, and she was required to assist in investigations.

“These persons instructed the victim to report to them by sending them messages every morning, afternoon and evening to ensure that she remained contactable.”

They also told the victim to provide her personal details such as her identity card number and home address. She complied with their instructions.

In mid-December 2021, she received letters bearing the letterheads of the Singapore Police Force, the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the State Courts.

Left outside her door, the letters stated that she was suspected of illegally opening a Chinese bank account.

The victim was told to cooperate with so-called Chinese Judicial Investigation Department and received a package containing a mobile phone in January 2022.

The DPP told the court: “She was then contacted by someone who directed her to use a ‘Team Link’ video-conferencing application which was pre-installed in the mobile phone.

“She engaged in multiple video calls with various persons on the... application, during which she was instructed to position the phone camera towards her personal mobile phone.”

During these phone calls, her personal mobile phone received several one-time-passwords sent to her by SingPass and UOB.

Without her knowledge, the victim’s life savings totalling $1 million were transferred from her Central Provident Fund account to her UOB bank account on Jan 18, 2022.

After that, the money was transferred to other bank accounts between Jan 28 and Feb 3, 2022. The victim lodged a police report on Feb 4, 2022.

DPP Tan said that according to police investigations, Lin was traced as the holder of one of the bank accounts that received part of the victim’s money - around $250,000.

The same bank account had received ill-gotten gains totalling nearly $500,000, and part of it were proceeds of other scams not disclosed in court documents.

The prosecutor added that Jong had recruited Lin to sell his bank account in exchange for money. She also said that Lin was told that he could receive $600 for doing so.

Jong was traced and arrested on Feb 23, 2022. He has not made any restitution.

Separately, he also cheated two financial institutions - Standard Chartered Bank and CIMB - by claiming to be the ultimate beneficial owner of his accounts with them.

Instead, he had allowed others to gain control of his bank accounts and received $1,800 in return.

He committed these offences in December 2021.

Jong’s bail was set at $15,000 on Thursday, and he was told to surrender himself at the State Courts on Jan 31 to begin serving his sentence.