SINGAPORE: A 27-year-old woman who sold access to her bank accounts, which were used to launder scam proceeds, was jailed for seven months and fined S$800 (US$620) on Thursday (Dec 11).
Nur Sarah Hussin was roped into the scheme by her fiance at the time, whom the prosecutor said was still under investigation for these and other offences.
She pleaded guilty to one charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Five other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
She was unable to pay the fine, which represented half of the S$1,600 that she and her then fiance received from the offences, and will serve an additional four days' jail instead.
The court heard that in 2024, Nur Sarah's fiance at the time, Muhammad Salman Kamal, heard from a friend who had sold his bank account to an unknown person for fast cash.
In need of money, Salman asked his friend if the unknown person needed more bank accounts, and was informed that he could earn S$800 for every account he provided.
Knowing that Nur Sarah also needed money, he pitched to her the idea of selling bank accounts, and she agreed as his own accounts were frozen at the time. Both knew that doing this was illegal.
Between June and July 2024, Nur Sarah gave Salman her login credentials for three accounts with OCBC Bank, Trust Bank and CIMB Bank.
She did so while failing to take any reasonable steps to ascertain the unknown person's purpose for controlling the accounts, said the prosecutor.
While the OCBC and Trust Bank accounts were accounts that she already had prior to the scheme, the CIMB Bank account was created for the purpose of selling access to it, the court heard.
A total of more than S$104,000 flowed through the three bank accounts after they were sold to the unknown person. Of this, around S$80,000 was traced to scam proceeds from four victims.
Nur Sarah and Salman spent the S$1,600 that they received from the scheme on shared daily expenses.
In June 2024, a scam victim reported to the police that she had transferred money to the Trust Bank account registered under Nur Sarah's name. Nur Sarah was then arrested in May this year.
The prosecutor urged the court to jail her for seven to seven-and-a-half months and fine her S$800.
"The offence committed by the accused is not a victimless crime. Devastating losses are caused to victims and significant psychological harm can be caused to victims as a result of scams," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan.
"This harm is also difficult to detect. By the time police reports are made by victims and the authorities discover the compromised bank accounts, it is often too late to remedy the losses caused and the money laundering that may have been facilitated."
He argued that Nur Sarah's sentence should be longer because she was motivated by profit and had opened the CIMB account specifically to sell it.
Defence lawyer Sinnadurai T Maniam asked the court to consider that Nur Sarah was "led" by Salman and did not initiate the offences, and asked for a jail term at the lower range of seven months.
"She was deeply in love with this boyfriend, your honour. She was doing what the boyfriend was asking her to do, although she knows that doing so was wrong," he said.
While accepting that Nur Sarah was not the one liaising with the unknown person, the prosecutor pointed out that her participation was key as it was she who put up her accounts for sale, without which there would be no offences.
The district judge agreed with the prosecution that deterrence was the main consideration for the sentence.
Nur Sarah could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$50,000 or both.
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Nur Sarah Hussin was roped into the scheme by her fiance at the time, whom the prosecutor said was still under investigation for these and other offences.
She pleaded guilty to one charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Five other charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.
She was unable to pay the fine, which represented half of the S$1,600 that she and her then fiance received from the offences, and will serve an additional four days' jail instead.
The court heard that in 2024, Nur Sarah's fiance at the time, Muhammad Salman Kamal, heard from a friend who had sold his bank account to an unknown person for fast cash.
In need of money, Salman asked his friend if the unknown person needed more bank accounts, and was informed that he could earn S$800 for every account he provided.
Knowing that Nur Sarah also needed money, he pitched to her the idea of selling bank accounts, and she agreed as his own accounts were frozen at the time. Both knew that doing this was illegal.
Between June and July 2024, Nur Sarah gave Salman her login credentials for three accounts with OCBC Bank, Trust Bank and CIMB Bank.
She did so while failing to take any reasonable steps to ascertain the unknown person's purpose for controlling the accounts, said the prosecutor.
While the OCBC and Trust Bank accounts were accounts that she already had prior to the scheme, the CIMB Bank account was created for the purpose of selling access to it, the court heard.
A total of more than S$104,000 flowed through the three bank accounts after they were sold to the unknown person. Of this, around S$80,000 was traced to scam proceeds from four victims.
Nur Sarah and Salman spent the S$1,600 that they received from the scheme on shared daily expenses.
In June 2024, a scam victim reported to the police that she had transferred money to the Trust Bank account registered under Nur Sarah's name. Nur Sarah was then arrested in May this year.
The prosecutor urged the court to jail her for seven to seven-and-a-half months and fine her S$800.
"The offence committed by the accused is not a victimless crime. Devastating losses are caused to victims and significant psychological harm can be caused to victims as a result of scams," said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan.
"This harm is also difficult to detect. By the time police reports are made by victims and the authorities discover the compromised bank accounts, it is often too late to remedy the losses caused and the money laundering that may have been facilitated."
He argued that Nur Sarah's sentence should be longer because she was motivated by profit and had opened the CIMB account specifically to sell it.
Defence lawyer Sinnadurai T Maniam asked the court to consider that Nur Sarah was "led" by Salman and did not initiate the offences, and asked for a jail term at the lower range of seven months.
"She was deeply in love with this boyfriend, your honour. She was doing what the boyfriend was asking her to do, although she knows that doing so was wrong," he said.
While accepting that Nur Sarah was not the one liaising with the unknown person, the prosecutor pointed out that her participation was key as it was she who put up her accounts for sale, without which there would be no offences.
The district judge agreed with the prosecution that deterrence was the main consideration for the sentence.
Nur Sarah could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$50,000 or both.
Continue reading...