A 22-year-old Sri Lankan student in Singapore has been sentenced to three months and two weeks in jail, along with a fine of S$1,100, after her bank account was used to launder nearly S$18,000 from scam proceeds, mainly linked to a fake Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) bulk order scam.
The student pleaded guilty under the Computer Misuse Act to abetting an unknown individual by providing her DBS bank login details for illegal use. She sold the account details for S$1,100 after facing financial difficulties, during which over S$30,000 flowed through her account before being withdrawn.
One of the main victims was a 59-year-old restaurant owner, who was tricked by a caller posing as “Marcus” from Stagmont Camp. He was persuaded to place large food orders and pay more than S$16,000 via PayNow to a number linked to the student’s account. Another victim, a 48-year-old woman, lost S$1,980 after a scammer impersonated her cousin on WhatsApp.
Police froze the student’s account with only S$89 remaining and arrested her on September 15. In mitigation, she said she acted out of desperation as her mother, a heart patient, could not send her money. She expressed remorse, saying, “I came here to study. I have disappointed my mother. Please give me a chance.”
The court stressed the seriousness of scam-related crimes, noting that such offences have become increasingly common. The student could have faced up to seven years in jail and a S$50,000 fine.
