Post by : Shakul

A Singapore court has sentenced a repeat fraud offender to 18 months and 49 days in jail after he admitted to multiple cheating offences, criminal breach of trust, and illegally selling access to his Singpass account. The case has drawn attention due to the accused’s repeated involvement in online scams and financial fraud schemes over several years.

The accused, identified as 34-year-old Foo Siang Wee, was found guilty of carrying out fake Rolex watch scams through online marketplace platforms. According to court proceedings, Foo had previously committed a similar fraud in 2021 and repeated the same method again in 2025 by advertising a Rolex Submariner “Half Gold” watch for sale on Carousell.

Investigators said Foo managed to deceive multiple buyers by convincing them to transfer thousands of dollars as advance payments for the luxury watch. In one case, a buyer transferred S$4,000 while another victim sent S$8,000 after believing the watch was genuine. Foo allegedly delayed the transactions with false excuses, including claims that his wife needed to verify the money before releasing the watch.

After receiving the payments, Foo reportedly cut off all communication with the buyers and disappeared. Authorities later discovered that he had spent the fraud proceeds on gambling activities before his eventual arrest in March 2025. Prosecutors told the court that Foo had been involved in cheating and property-related crimes since 2016.

Apart from the Rolex scams, Foo was also accused of stealing more than S$29,000 while working as a food court manager at Koufu in Toa Payoh’s HDB Hub between January and February 2025. Court documents stated that he initially apologised and promised to repay the stolen amount after being confronted, but later went missing and stopped responding to his employer.

The investigation also revealed that Foo sold access to his Singpass account to an unknown individual through Telegram in exchange for a promised payment of several hundred dollars. Although he reportedly never received the money, authorities considered the act a serious misuse of Singapore’s digital identity system, which could potentially expose sensitive personal and government-linked information.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nivethaa Ravintharan informed the court that Foo had a long criminal history involving scams and fraud-related activities. Previous offences included fake Marina Bay Sands hotel package scams and earlier Rolex fraud cases that targeted unsuspecting online buyers.

The court considered issuing compensation orders for the victims but decided against it after learning that Foo was unemployed and financially unable to repay the losses. Singapore authorities continue to warn the public about online marketplace scams, identity misuse, and digital fraud schemes that target buyers through fake luxury product listings and social media platforms.

Officials have advised consumers to avoid making advance payments without verifying sellers and to remain cautious when dealing with expensive products offered online at attractive prices. The case has once again highlighted growing concerns over repeat online fraud offences and financial scams in Singapore.

#world news #Singapore News #Crime