We’ve all been there – sometimes, we’re just so sick of studying for exams, especially when we know the result won’t turn out as expected no matter how much hard work we put in.
At times like that, out of the most desperate wish, wouldn’t it have been great if someone more capable could take the exam for us instead, a la Bad Genius style?
Unfortunately, that’s not legally or morally right, and your teachers would probably have said that cheating won’t get you anywhere in the real world – but it didn’t stop this man from helping his friend to do so.
Offered To Help A Bro Out
On 17 December, Thursday, 62-year-old Ng Chai was sentenced to jail for orchestrating a grand plan to help his friend pass his private-hire driver test – like something out of a movie, but with less pizazz.
During a chat at a coffee shop along Sin Ming Drive last year, 52-year-old Tan Chai Meng confided in Ng about recently undergoing chemotherapy for his stomach cancer, which resulted in him being unable to work as a lorry driver due to the demanding long hours.
Ng then advised Tan to take up a private-hire driving job instead. However, Tan was worried that it wouldn’t be a viable option for him, as the test to acquire such a license had written and spoken English components and he was unable to converse in the language.
Being the loyal bro he was, Ng then offered to help Tan take the test instead, a step further than most friends would probably do besides encouraging you.
Reassured, Tan then agreed and proceeded to register for classes, even booking a slot to take the test on 2 January 2020.
Another Friend Helped
When you make promises you can’t keep, they will most likely lead to more disaster trying to fulfil them.
Ng realised prior to the test that he was actually unable to enter the test venue to help Tan, for he had actually tried to do the same for someone else before, but was unfortunately caught and banned by the Land Transport Authority from further attempts at the test.
What a good friend he is, who voluntarily risks everything to take tests for others not only once, but multiple times.
Having no choice, Ng then approached another friend of his, Ho Yow Peng, 59, to take up the dirty job instead on behalf of Tan.
Ho, a friend that Ng got to know from a temple association on Geylang Road where he also made the acquaintance of Tan, then agreed to his request.
Took The Test Amid Suspicions
When the day of the test came, Ng, who seemed to be experienced in this field of impersonation, made all the necessary preparations for Ho and passed him Tan’s NRIC, driving licence, bank card and a spare mobile phone.
Upon arriving at the Sin Ming CityCab building to take the test, Ho presented Tan’s NRIC and driving licence to a Transport SG specialist tester there to verify his identity.
However, with every grand master plan, there will always be one fatal flaw.
Ng might have just forgotten to consider the fact that Ho probably looked vastly different from Tan’s photo on his NRIC, for the tester was quick to realise that fact as well.
Feeling that Ho was suspicious and that they might be dealing with an impostor in the room much like a real-life game of Among Us, the tester held an emergency meeting with another colleague to check on their suspicions.
They called Tan’s name three times, to which Ho did not respond to until the last time, and continued to stare at the screen on which he was taking the test on, avoiding eye contact like guilty people usually do.
When the tester questioned Ho, he insisted that he was Tan, saying that he did not carry any other photo identification on him in response to the tester’s request for more documents to prove this.
Returning for the second theory test later in the day, Ho showed Tan’s bank card for identification purposes instead, which did not have any photo on it.
The tester then grilled Ho with questions that were probably harder to answer than what was on the test, such as asking him to repeat the address on Tan’s NRIC. They also called Tan’s number as stated in the records, where the spare mobile phone in Ho’s possession rang.
Still not convinced, the tester continued to ask Ho why he looked so different from the photo in the NRIC, to which Ho made up an excuse of having lost a lot of weight while recovering from a serious accident in the hospital for two months.
But He Failed
The plan fell apart on its own after Ho failed the second theory test, requiring a retake on 7 January.
The tester had snapped a photo of him for record purposes and reminded him to bring other photo identification when he came for the re-test.
However, Ho returned to the centre the next day on 3 January to request for a printout of his test result, which he needed in order to sit for the re-test. There, the tester’s colleague confronted him, and everything was history.
Ng pleaded guilty to a count of abetment of cheating by personation, which is also known as impersonation, and will begin serving his four weeks of jail time on 28 December.
As of now, it is unknown if Tan and Ho were liable for any offence as well.
For impersonation, Ng could have been fined, jailed for up to five years, or both.
Well, it might be better to just tutor your friend instead of pretending to be them.
Featured Image: smolaw / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)
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