Student tried to scam $500k worth of NTUC vouchers [Guess which race?]

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'Ridiculous' scam lands student in jail



By Khushwant Singh
The Straits Times
Monday, Jun 24, 2013

SINGAPORE - A student came up with a "hare-brained" ploy to cheat a supermarket chain out of $500,000 in shopping vouchers by giving it a dud cheque.

Hakim Leong even rented a luxury sedan to collect them in order to "add an illusion of authenticity".

But he managed to spend only $5,000 worth of the FairPrice vouchers before the cheque bounced and he was arrested.

On Thursday, the 20-year-old was sentenced to 8½ months behind bars over the "ridiculous and absurd" scam, which the judge said had been dreamt up "in the folly of youth".

The court heard he and an accomplice set up a company called Miraclevents in November 2011. They then ordered the $500,000 worth of shopping vouchers from NTUC through their new firm.

Leong exchanged $1,000 of them for an equal amount of CapitaMall vouchers with a victim he ensnared online.

He also cheated Modetti Office Services by issuing a dud cheque for about $700 to register Miraclevents.

But only 48 hours after he ordered the vouchers, the scheme unravelled. Leong later pleaded guilty to cheating.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Lim had asked for a jail sentence of two to three years because of the scam's sophisticated planning.

However, Judge Soh Tze Bian agreed with defence counsel Lee Teck Leng that it was a "ridiculous and absurd" scheme as it was bound to unravel once the $500,000 cheque bounced.

He also agreed with Mr Lee that the National Trades Union Congress was "clearly slipshod in agreeing to accept cheque payment and releasing the vouchers before the cheque was cleared".

The judge found there was no way the pair could have escaped being caught as the cheque was from Leong's account and Miraclevents was registered under the accomplice's name.

Judge Soh said Leong suffered from "the folly of youth when he dreamt up the stupid, hare-brained scam which crumbled so quickly that he was arrested within 48 hours".

He has paid back all the money. The accomplice, identified in court papers as Tan Tuan Lue, 24, has not been dealt with.

Just for cheating NTUC, Leong could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined up to $10,000.


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