A 57-year-old woman will be charged in court on 24 March 2023 for her involvement in various offences related to cheating, computer misuse and money laundering.
Investigations revealed that between July 2020 to August 2022, the woman had allegedly opened six bank accounts, which she had quickly relinquished to her online lovers. The bank accounts with United Overseas Bank (UOB Bank), DBS Bank Limited (DBS Bank), CIMB Bank, Maybank, RHB Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC Bank), were allegedly used to launder proceeds of crime amounting to more than S$25,000. The woman was also believed to have relinquished her UOB bank account’s ATM card and i-banking credentials to facilitate the unauthorised transactions.
The woman faces the following charges:
- four counts of cheating under Section 417, read with Section 109 of the Penal Code, for deceiving four banks into opening the bank accounts, which carries an imprisonment term of up to three years or a fine, or with both.
- two counts of cheating under Section 417, read with Section 109, of the Penal Code 1871, for deceiving two banks into opening the bank accounts, which carries an imprisonment term of up to three years or a fine, or with both.
- one count of engaging in a conspiracy to cause a computer to perform a function for the purpose of securing access without authority to a program and facilitating unauthorised transactions on her bank account under Section 3(1), read with Sections 10, 11 and 11A, of the Computer Misuse Act, which carries an imprisonment term of up to two years or to a fine of up to $5000, or to both.
- one count of entering into an arrangement to facilitate the retention of benefits from criminal conduct using her bank accounts sometime in 2020 under Section 44(1)(a), punishable under Section 44(5)(a), of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act, which carries an imprisonment term of up to ten years or a fine of up to $500,000, or to both.
- one count of entering into an arrangement to facilitate the retention of benefits from criminal conduct using her bank accounts sometime in 2022 under Section 51(1)(a), punishable under Section 51(5)(a), of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years or a fine of up to $500,000, or to both.
The Police take a serious view of these offences and will not hesitate to take action against individuals who allow their bank accounts to be used for money laundering. To avoid being an accomplice to crime, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use their bank accounts as they will be held accountable if the bank accounts are linked to crimes.
For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamalert.sg or call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688. Anyone with information on such scams may also call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 March 2023 @ 9:15 AM