SINGAPORE — Unable to repay a loan that he had taken, Ng Zheng Quan agreed to give the moneylender his Singpass login details, in exchange for having S$1,000 written off from his loan.

Using the young man’s Singpass details, the moneylender then opened two bank accounts that were used to receive a total of S$341,593.40 in scam proceeds over the course of a week.

In a separate incident, Ng also stole two bicycles that were locked at the bicycle bays of public housing blocks in Bukit Batok.

On Wednesday (July 31), the 21-year-old was sentenced to undergo reformative training for a minimum detention period of 12 months. Another seven charges were taken into consideration in sentencing.

Reformative training is a sentencing option available to offenders aged between 16 and 21 who commit relatively serious crimes. 

Ng had pleaded guilty to four charges:

• One of knowingly disclosing his Singpass password for an unlawful purpose
• One of committing mischief
• Two of theft

Singpass is the digital gateway to the personal identification data of Singapore residents, allowing them to access e-services.

The penalty for disclosing one's Singpass password for an unlawful purpose is a jail term of up to three years or a fine up to S$10,000, or both, for a first offence.

The court heard that Ng had taken a loan from an unknown person, identified only as “Brandon” in court documents, sometime before March last year.

The sum that Ng borrowed was not disclosed in court documents.

When Ng could not repay the loan, Brandon struck up an offer in March last year: If Ng would hand over his Singpass details — including his log-in ID and password — Brandon would write off S$1,000 from the sum that Ng owed him.

Ng agreed and gave his Singpass details to Brandon.

Using these details, Brandon opened two bank accounts – one with Standard Chartered and another with CIMB.

Over the course of a week, the two accounts were used to receive a total of S$341,593.40 in scam proceeds.

Between March 19 and 21 last year, scam proceeds totalling S$60,251 were transferred into the Standard Chartered bank account. 

A total of three police reports reporting scams were made against this bank account.

One of the victims filed a police report on March 23, stating that she had lost S$23,902 to an investment scam. Of this sum, S$900 was found to have been transferred into the Standard Chartered account.

Between March 25 and 26 the same week, scam proceeds totalling S$281,342.40 were transferred into the CIMB bank account.

A total of 18 police reports reporting scams were made against the account.

CUT LOCKS, STOLE BICYCLES IN BUKIT BATOK

Ng also stole two bicycles in a separate incident in January last year.

On Jan 5, he wanted to cycle to his girlfriend’s home in Queenstown and his friend agreed to accompany him.

As they were walking past Block 293A on Bukit Batok Street 21, Ng suggested stealing a bicycle so that his friend could ride along with him. The friend agreed.

Ng then went home to take a small saw and some tools to cut the lock on a bicycle that they had found at the bicycle bay of Block 293.

However, when they found that it was not in working condition and moved to another block.

At around 1.25am on Jan 6, they arrived at Block 293D on Bukit Batok Street 21.

There, they came across a B’twin Triban bicycle, valued at S$700, that was locked at the bicycle bay.

Ng proceeded to cut the lock securing the bicycle and removed it from the rack.

At this time, the friend alerted Ng to a Lampo bicycle, valued at S$699, that was not properly secured. They then cut the lock securing this bicycle.

Leaving the B’twin Triban bicycle behind, Ng cycled away with the Lampo bicycle and his friend rode another bike that Ng had separately borrowed.

Later at around 5.30am, the pair returned to the bicycle bay to retrieve the B’twin Triban bicycle.

They then left it and the Lampo bicycle at the staircase landing outside the friend’s home.

Over the next few days, Ng continued to use the Lampo bicycle and parked it at his home.

On Jan 7, the owner of the B’twin Triban bicycle made a police report about his missing bicycle. The next day, another person filed a police report about her son’s missing Lampo bike.

For committing mischief, Ng could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or both.

For each charge of theft, he could have been jailed for up to three years or fined, or both.