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Man found guilty of car insurance fraud of over S$1m

SINGAPORE — Serving as the right-hand man to an alleged criminal mastermind of a car insurance scam, Rahmat Mohd would help recruit phantom drivers and passengers, stage traffic accidents, and instruct the “drivers” and “passengers” to submit fraudulent insurance claims.

SINGAPORE — Serving as the right-hand man to an alleged criminal mastermind of a car insurance scam, Rahmat Mohd would help recruit phantom drivers and passengers, stage traffic accidents, and instruct the “drivers” and “passengers” to submit fraudulent insurance claims.

Yesterday, the 37-year-old was found guilty of his role in scamming insurance companies of more than S$1 million in fraudulent claims over a two-year period — the first of 29 individuals charged in relation to this case to be dealt with.

Appearing unrepresented in court yesterday, Rahmat Mohd admitted to 25 charges of conspiring to cheat insurers. In relation to this case, 13 insurance companies filed police reports on fraudulent insurance claims for 21 accidents between May 2011 and October 2013. Another 88 charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing on Jan 29.

In total, Rahmat abetted the submission of 44 property damage claims and 70 personal injury claims — all fraudulent — amounting to S$1,137,318.40. About a fifth (S$215,678.25) was paid out by insurers.

Court documents stated that Rahmat was part of a syndicate, having been recruited by Sollihin Anhar, 42, who is alleged to be the mastermind of the scam. Rahmat had met Sollihin in 2011 while working as a freelance dispatch driver, and Sollihin roped him in as a right-hand man.

Rahmat was tasked with collecting vehicles from car owners, driving them to secluded locations and engineering traffic accidents. He was also instructed to remind the car owners to fill in the Singapore Accident Statement to claim motor accident insurance. He was given S$200 for each vehicle that he collected or whenever he assisted the car owners or drivers in making false claims.

On one occasion in July 2013, Sollihin told Rahmat to pick up two cars from their respective owners. A third person — Kasim Hamzah —drove his company’s tipper truck to the vicinity of Mandai Road. There, Rahmat drove one of the cars in front of the truck, before reversing into it.

He then drove the damaged car near Kim Chuan and accelerated into the other car, which had been parked there earlier. Both cars were later brought to an auto repair shop in Bukit Merah, where Sollihin used to work.

The next day, Rahmat met with the two car owners and handed them a piece of paper with details of the staged accident. After processing the claims, SHC Insurance disbursed S$24,401.35.

In another instance, the accused posed as a passenger and submitted a fraudulent personal-injury claim of S$52,000 in his own name.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Hon Yi and Chew Xin Ying called for a minimum sentence of six years.

“The syndicate’s fraudulent claims were masked with a veil of legitimacy and made use of the legal processes to further their illegal objectives: In furtherance of their conspiracy to cheat, phantom drivers and passengers made false Singapore Accidents Statements, procured medical certificates for false injuries and filed police reports falsely stating that they were involved in an accident,” said the prosecution. VALERIE KOH

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