On Jan 16, Mabel Tan Meiyi was sentenced to 14 months’ jail after pleading guilty to forgery for the purpose of cheating and making unauthorised modifications to computer material. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: A woman, taking advantage of an elderly man who lent her money, convinced him that she needed his ATM card and PIN to return him the cash she borrowed.
She then transferred more money, totalling S$52,000, from his account to hers on multiple occasions, leaving the 77-year-old retiree with just S$200.
On Friday (Jan 16), Mabel Tan Meiyi, 36, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail after pleading guilty to forgery for the purpose of cheating and making unauthorised modifications to computer material.
She used the money to send gifts to online broadcasters she liked and to repay a debt owed to her mother.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicole Tay said that in December 2021, the elderly man came across an online post by Tan seeking financial help.
They became acquainted, and the man agreed to lend her money.
On Jan 8, 2022, they met at the UOB branch in Woodlands Civic Centre, where the victim loaned $3,200 to Tan, who said she had family troubles.
Later that month, Tan asked the victim for another loan of $5,600. He agreed, and they met at an ATM in Woodlands.
The victim handed his ATM card to Tan and keyed in his PIN, allowing her to transfer money from his account to hers.
On Feb 11, Tan asked to meet the victim so that she could repay the first loan of $3,200.
While at the same ATM, she claimed that she needed his ATM card to transfer money into his account.
Although the victim was unsure if this was necessary, he handed over his card and keyed in his PIN, as he trusted her.
Tan then transferred $10,000 from his account to her own, before returning the $3,200 to his account. She also gave him a receipt showing the transfer of $3,200.
DPP Tay said the victim was unaware that $10,000 had been transferred out of his account and did not consent to it.
On five further occasions in February 2022, the pair would meet at the ATM, with Tan repeating her ruse – ostensibly making loan repayments to the victim while transferring a larger sum of money to her account.
On Feb 28, 2022, the victim went to the bank and discovered that he had $636 left in his account. He lodged a police report after realising the unauthorised transfers took place on the dates he met Tan.
She later returned $19,000 to the victim, with another $31,700 outstanding.
In July 2023, Tan asked to borrow more money from the victim, who was initially reluctant because she had not fully repaid him.
To persuade the victim, Tan forged documents from insurance companies and sent them to him, claiming that his policies had been cancelled and that $56,000 would be deposited into his account.
DPP Tay said that between February 2022 and July 2023, Tan transferred a total of $52,000 out of the victim’s account without his authorisation.
Seeking a jail term of 16 to 20 months, DPP Tay said Tan took advantage of the victim’s goodwill and trust in her and his lack of clear knowledge of how ATMs operated to make the unauthorised transfers.
The prosecutor said: “The accused also concocted an elaborate scheme to convince the victim to lend her more money, effectively draining the victim’s savings.”
Those convicted of making unauthorised modifications to computer material can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to $10,000, or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
