Man who sold wife’s Singpass details gets 18 months’ jail under stiffer sentencing guidelines

SINGAPORE: A man who sold his wife’s Singpass account to criminals for the promise of S$1,000 (US$768) has been sentenced to 18 months’ jail under stiffer sentencing recommendations put forward last month.
As a result of Abdul Sarhan Abdul Roni’s actions, a 76-year-old victim lost S$397,995. The funds were funnelled through a new bank account set up using the sold Singpass details.
Abdul Sarhan, a 43-year-old Singaporean, was sentenced on Sep 6. He pleaded guilty to one count under the Computer Misuse Act of disclosing his wife’s Singpass details for wrongful gain.
In an oral judgment made available on Wednesday (Sep 11), Principal District Judge Jill Tan noted that Abdul Sarhan’s case featured all the aggravating factors listed in the guidelines issued by a sentencing advisory panel last month.
The panel had issued guidelines on Aug 21, recommending at least six months’ jail for people who allow their Singpass credentials or bank accounts to be used in facilitating scams.
It was established in 2022 to formulate and publish guidelines on matters relating to the sentencing of offences.
The panel recommended a minimum sentence of at least 12 months’ jail for the offence of disclosing another person’s Singpass credentials.
Judge Tan noted that the guidelines proposed upward adjustments for situations where the offender is motivated by personal gain, even if he did not receive the gain.
Other factors include significant funds of S$100,000 or more flowing through the bank accounts created with the disclosed Singpass credentials.
In a case like this, an uplift of at least 25 per cent of the starting sentence should be considered, even if the offender does not know the extent of funds that flowed through the accounts, said Judge Tan.
Another factor calling for an uplift of the sentence is when the scam victim is vulnerable – such as a person above 65 years old. An uplift of 25 per cent would be warranted in such a situation.
Judge Tan told Abdul Sarhan that the appropriate starting sentence in his case was 12 months’ jail.
“I note that all the aggravating factors listed in the guidelines apply in your case,” she said.
In August 2023, Abdul Sarhan’s wife, who was in jail at the time, asked for the authorities to send her mobile phone to her home.
She intended for Abdul Sarhan to use her phone to make withdrawals from her bank account via a phone application.
Abdul Sarhan tried to access his wife’s account after receiving the phone but could not do so as he did not have her login credentials.
He was browsing Telegram when he chanced upon an advertisement for fast cash. The unidentified male who put up the ad offered Abdul Sarhan money in exchange for relinquishing his bank accounts.
Abdul Sarhan refused, saying his bank accounts were for his own use only.
However, he agreed to an offer of S$1,000 for his wife’s Singpass account details. After he gave the details to the stranger, he was blocked on Telegram and never received the S$1,000.
A Standard Chartered Bank account was opened with the information and a 76-year-old man was cheated of S$397,995 after receiving calls from a stranger claiming to be a senior police officer investigating money laundering. The stolen money was not recovered.
The prosecution sought 18 to 22 months’ jail for Abdul Sarhan.
Judge Tan said the court must be cautious in imposing the various uplifts to ensure the final sentence is not excessive in proportion to the offence.
In Abdul Sarhan’s case, the recommended uplifts could lead to more than 26 months’ jail, had he claimed trial, before considering other factors.
“As your fundamental act was to disclose Singpass information to scammers and you were not the one who perpetrated the scam or stole the money, the more than doubling of your sentence, is in my view, excessive,” she said.
She noted that Abdul Sarhan had been convicted twice before for offences under the Computer Misuse Act, and told him “you really should have known better this time”.
She applied a 30 per cent sentencing discount for pleading guilty early.
She told Abdul Sarhan that his final sentence was heavy but appropriate.
The abuse of Singpass and internet banking access information must be looked upon sternly, in view of the general prevalence of online scams, said Judge Tan.
“Offenders who provide scammers with such information and grant them access to the banking system to perpetrate these scams must have deterrent sentences imposed on them so that this gateway can be narrowed, if not closed,” she said.
For disclosing Singpass account details to a person for wrongful gain, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$10,000 or both for the first offence.
Repeat convictions can reap up to five years’ jail, double the maximum fine or both.