SINGAPORE: A 20-year-old man consented to give up the specifics of his Singpass account in exchange for S$ 8, 000 ( US$ 5, 850 ).
Even though he never received the money, his profile was used to open two bank accounts, both of which were used for the laundering of about S$ 220,000 in scam money.
Reign Lee Jing Yu, then 21 years old, admitted guilt on Friday, October 6, to two counts under the Computer Misuse Act: stealing from a friend and disclosing his Singpass parole for unlawful get.
Lee allegedly saw an online ad offering” fast income” for opening bank accounts in September 2022, according to the court.
He called the number listed in the advertisement because he wanted to get the cash. Lee was informed by an unnamed party on the other end that in exchange for providing his Singpass login information for the opening of bank accounts, he would receive South$ 8, 000.
Lee concurred and provided the individual with his Singpass user ID and password.
According to the attorney, Singpass is an net doorway to a variety of services that are managed by the Government Technology Agency, an legislative body.
Lee opened two bank transactions with CIMB and UOB using his Singpass bill. Entropy$ 136, 483.60, and S$ 83, 165, which were criminal revenues from various schemes, were received from the accounts, respectively.
With the exception of about S$ 30 in the CIMB account, the majority of the money had already been withdrawn by the time authorities seized both bank transactions.
Lee did not get the S$ 8,000 settlement that was promised.
In March 2023, Lee informed a 40-year-old gentleman he had made friends with one month prior of his need for lodging. He claimed that he had briefly left his parents’ house.
Lee was given permission to stay with him and a set of codes to the apartment by the man.
Lee, however, kept robbing the person. He took$ 400, 200 ringgit, 400 yuan, NTUC gift cards worth$ 200, and Apple accessories worth$ 50.
In April 2023, when the person realized his belongings were missing, he confronted Lee. Lee acknowledged stealing them and pledged to pay him back in total once he secured employment.
He has yet to do so, though.
For the Singpass-related offense, the attorney requested six to ten weeks in jail and one to two months in prison for theft.
Every Singapore owner’s trusted electronic identity, according to him, is the Singpass system, which Lee misused. It is” a particularly important form of computer technology.”
According to the attorney, illegal reporting of one’s Singpass profile information enables third parties to open bank accounts that con artists can use to commit fraud and commit money trafficking offenses.
Such behaviors are” immensibly difficult to prevent and detect since the Singpass account details shield the perpetrators from subsequent investigations ,” he continued, and they result in” tangible losses in the form of scam proceeds or dissipation of monies.”
According to the prosecutor, there has been” a rising tide of fraud cases ,” with the reported number increasing from 13,576 cases in the first half of 2022 to 22,339 circumstances, or 64.5 percent.
While the Singpass crime investigation was continuing, Lee had likewise stolen from his companion.
He may go back to judge the following year for punishment.