Recipient of Fraudulent Funds Claimed to Have Received Money from a “Well-Wisher”, Later Sent S$15,000 to India
SINGAPORE: A retiree was scammed out of more than S$64,000 (US$46,729) after a fake tech support technician took control of his computer. The victim had stored his bank account details and passwords on his computer, which were later accessed by the scammer.
The stolen money was transferred into two bank accounts belonging to Anil Tripathi, a 51-year-old Singapore permanent resident. Believing the funds were a gift from a “well-wisher,” Anil redistributed the money between his accounts and even sent over S$15,000 to his home country of India.
Anil went on trial on October 16 for dishonest misappropriation of the funds. He denied committing a crime and chose to represent himself in court, using a Hindi interpreter instead of hiring a lawyer.
During the trial, the prosecution outlined how Anil received the fraudulent transfers in June 2020 and redistributed the money, including withdrawing cash and transferring almost S$16,000 to India. Deputy Public Prosecutor Gan Ee Kiat stated that Anil had no reasonable belief that the funds belonged to him and described his actions as “clearly dishonest.” When confronted about the transfers, Anil claimed he thought the money was a gift from an unnamed benefactor.
The Scam Unfolds
The first witness for the prosecution was the victim, 68-year-old retiree Chiam Hock Leong. Mr. Chiam described how, on June 3, 2020, while using his computer, he encountered a message warning of a hacking attempt. He panicked and followed the instructions of a man claiming to be from Microsoft, who asked him to keep his computer on overnight to fix the issue.
During the phone call, Mr. Chiam unknowingly provided his email and password, which the scammer likely used to access his bank accounts and initiate the fraudulent transactions. When Mr. Chiam checked his phone later that evening, he discovered several notifications about transfers from his bank. After contacting the bank and his son-in-law, Mr. Chiam realized he had been scammed.
Mr. Chiam admitted to storing his bank details on his computer, which made him fearful of losing the information during the scam. He filed a police report the same day, and the accounts were frozen shortly thereafter. While authorities recovered around S$49,000 from Anil’s accounts, the remaining S$15,000, which Anil allegedly sent to India, was not recovered.
Anil’s Defense and the Court Proceedings
Anil, when questioned by the prosecution, maintained that he did not believe the money was stolen. He stated that he thought it was given to him by a “well-wisher” and was not aware of any fraudulent activity. Despite this, the prosecution argued that Anil should have taken steps to verify the source of the funds. District Judge Koo Zhi Xuan noted that, like finding a lost wallet, Anil should not have used the money without making inquiries into its origin.
Further cross-examination revealed that Anil had not contacted the police or the bank when he received the large transfers. Instead, he claimed that he needed the money to repay a loan he owed to friends in India. He also expressed a willingness to return the S$49,000 recovered by the police, though he had not yet made any restitution.
Legal Implications
The charge of dishonest misappropriation carries a potential penalty of up to two years in prison, a fine, or both. The trial continues, and the court will further examine Anil’s involvement in the scam.
