SINGAPORE: A money mule who had almost S$ 4.8 million ( US$ 3.5 million ) in her company’s bank account, which were suspected to be proceeds from a phishing scam in the United States, was jailed for 14 months on Wednesday ( Jan 8 ).
Sakinah Waheeda Abdul Manan, 34, admitted guilt to three counts of failing to carefully release her duties as a business director, including possessing suspected criminal benefits, giving another person illegal entry to a bank accounts, and giving another individual illegal access to a bank account.
Another four charges were considered in sentencing.
When Sakinah first learned about someone by the name of” Alan” on Telegram, she was informed that she had just been released from prison and was in need of money.
Alan told her that if she gave him her SingPass account to register companies, she could make up to S$ 60, 000 annually.
He added that she would have no need to do anything because she would be the registered locally residing director of the companies, but that foreign directors would run the businesses.
This raised Sakinah’s suspicions, as she was being offered a lot of money without having to do anything. But she agreed, and gave her SingPass credentials to Alan.
Alan registered two companies , – Froxify and Frox Designz , – using Sakinah’s SingPass account, and opened a CIMB bank account in Froxify’s name in July 2021.
To open the account, Sakinah had to attend an in-person interview at CIMB. Alan gave her information about Froxify’s supposed business so she could answer the bank’s questions.
The bank requested that Sakinah provide documentary proof of the identity of Froxify’s clients and suppliers, which she did.
The US received an alert from the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force on October 5, 2021 that money had been transferred from a fraud victim to a Singapore bank account.
The email system of the fraud victim, Home Legend LLC, was compromised in a phishing scam.
More than US$ 3.5 million was transferred out of Home Legend’s bank account over three days in September 2021, and deposited in Froxify’s CIMB account.
Froxify’s account hence received more than S$ 1.2 million each day on Sep 20 and Sep 22, 2021, and more than S$ 2.3 million on Sep 23, 2021.
Within a day or two, the money was gone. When the police seized Froxify’s account on Oct 7, 2021, a balance of about S$ 8, 600 remained.
As director of Froxify between Jul 26, 2021 and Nov 19, 2021, Sakinah relinquished control of the company to Alan, allowing it to receive criminal benefits, Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li said.
Sakinah was the only signatory to the firm’s CIMB account, but she did not know what company Froxify was involved in, where its office was, or where it was headed.
Sakinah S. also agreed to pay$ 1,500 if she opened a local bank account and gave him control of it. She opened an account with UOB on August 21, 2021, gave it its credentials, and Alan received a linked debit card, and she did it on August 21, 2021.
Two days later, S$ 8, 000 was deposited into the UOB account and transferred almost immediately to other bank accounts.
A victim of a cryptocurrency investment scam in Singapore deposited the money after filing a police report.
Sakinah was previously jailed in 2016 for theft and drug consumption, and in 2018 for consumption and possession of drugs.
The prosecutor asked for about 15 to 18 months ‘ imprisonment.
Mr. Li claimed that a sizable amount of money was squandered, that Sakinah did not try to prove her innocence by giving Alan access to her SingPass account, and that she was not a passive participant.
Sakinah was” a mere pawn used by the scam syndicate,” according to Azeera Ali of the Public Defender’s Office, who represented her in court because of her financial vulnerability and aspirations at the time.