SINGAPORE – A 17-year-old girl who was promised a monthly payment of $200 opened a bank account in 2021, even though she knew it would be used to transfer “dirty money”.
The teenager’s account was later used to launder fraud proceeds from nine victims totaling over $145,000.
Her name cannot be mentioned because she is now 19 years old and pregnant, as persons who commit crimes under the age of 18 are subject to the Youth Protection Act.
On August 12, the teenager, who is due to give birth in October, pleaded guilty to fraud and an unrelated theft.
On or before September 30, 2021, she entered into an agreement with a former male colleague to open a bank account and give him control over it.
On September 30 of the same year, the teenager went to a bank and stated on an application form that she would be the sole account holder.
After opening the account, she gave her former colleague the bank details and an associated ATM card.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Ariel Tan stated in court that the perpetrator lost contact with the man shortly afterwards and did not make any profit from handing over the account to him.
What happened next is not clear from court records, but when the teenager reoffended on March 31, 2022, she was out on bail.
At around 1pm that day, she went to a store in Suntec City mall and put nearly $96 worth of groceries in a basket, including several fruit tarts.
Later, a store manager noticed that the girl had only paid for a bottle of water at the store’s checkout and confronted her.
DPP Tan said: “The plaintiff decided to follow the defendant out of the outlet and when he caught up with her, he demanded to check her bag. The defendant then said, ‘Excuse me, I was too tempted.’
“The plaintiff then took the defendant to (a pantry) and emptied her bag… She committed this crime for the thrill of not being caught. All items… were returned to the place of sale.”
The teenager is represented by attorneys Josephus Tan and Cory Wong of Invictus Law Corporation.
On August 12, lawyers stated in court documents: “(The girl) had no say or involvement in the subsequent misuse of her bank account. She was certainly not a member of a syndicated operation.”
“(She) had also cooperated with the authorities to refer her to her former colleague for further investigation.”
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan has ordered a report to assess her suitability for probation and the verdict is due to be announced on September 25.
