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Man jailed, fined for joyriding during Covid-19 circuit breaker, committing motor insurance fraud

SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old man was jailed 12 weeks and fined S$4,500 on Thursday (March 3) for motor insurance fraud offences and breaching Covid-19 rules during the 2020 circuit breaker period when movements and activities were restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Victor Wong Wai Lok (left) leaving the State Courts on March 3, 2022.

Victor Wong Wai Lok (left) leaving the State Courts on March 3, 2022.

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  • Victor Wong Wai Lok pleaded guilty to cheating and meeting others outside of his household when Singapore was in semi-lockdown from the pandemic
  • He had pretended to be a driver involved in an accident along Esplanade Drive to help his friend file an insurance claim
  • He then met nine others during that period to go for a joyride around Singapore
  • He was jailed 12 weeks and fined S$4,500

SINGAPORE — A 26-year-old man was jailed 12 weeks and fined S$4,500 on Thursday (March 3) for motor insurance fraud offences and breaching Covid-19 rules during the 2020 circuit breaker period when movements and activities were restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Victor Wong Wai Lok, a Singaporean, pleaded guilty last month to cheating as well as meeting others outside of his household to drive around Singapore in a convoy.

He had pretended to be a driver involved in an accident along Esplanade Drive. The actual driver, Darius Wong Yi Meng, did not have a valid driving licence at the time and asked for his help in submitting a fraudulent insurance claim.

The court heard that Darius Wong, 31, was driving his mother’s car on March 25, 2020 when he was rear-ended by another car.

Darius Wong refused to give the other driver his personal particulars but asked for the driver’s mobile phone number before they left the scene.

Afterwards, Darius Wong allegedly contacted Victor Wong and asked for his help to settle the damages to his mother’s car.

Victor Wong then drove down with their friend, Hee Qing Xin, to meet him at a bus bay near the Asian Civilisations Museum.

During this meeting, Darius Wong purportedly said that the other driver did not want to settle the matter privately and wanted to make a claim via the insurance companies. He also said that he had been disqualified from driving.

On Darius Wong’s request, Victor Wong agreed to put his name down on the insurance claims. He then made a false accident statement at a motor workshop, while also lying that Hee was his passenger at the time.

Victor Wong also took the car for repairs. The workshop issued a repairer’s estimate for S$54,000 to insurer NTUC Income to demand payment on a third-party property damage claim arising from the accident.

Suspecting that the claim was fraudulent, NTUC Income did not make payment.

Victor Wong and Hee also went to a medical clinic and reported injuries from the accident, including pain in the neck. The pair then went to a law firm to sign a warrant to act, authorising the firm to lodge insurance claims for their fictitious personal injuries.

The lawyers sent a letter of demand to NTUC Income, seeking to claim S$6,492 in damages and fees. NTUC Income similarly did not make payment because it suspected that this claim, too, was fraudulent.

Darius Wong and Hee have also been charged over the fraud. Their cases are pending before the courts.

Separately, about two months later, Victor Wong met nine others at midnight on May 16, 2020 to go for a joyride around the island when the country was in semi-lockdown.

He had received a call from a 36-year-old woman who asked him to meet her and others for a “night cruise”. They met in Woodlands before moving off.

For cheating, Victor Wong could have been jailed for up to three years or fined, or punished with both. Those who flout Covid-19 rules can be jailed for up to six months or fined up to S$10,000, or both.

Related topics

court crime motor insurance fraud NTUC Income Covid-19 breach

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