A 54-year-old Chinese national has been sentenced to 12 months in jail for scamming a 74-year-old woman in an extremely elaborate fortune-telling scam.
Chen Shu Fang (name transliterated from Chinese) had worked with three accomplices, who had all entered Singapore on social visit passes.
Here’s how they cheated.
Chinese Nationals Lost Money in RWS Casino So They Came Out With a Fortune-Telling Scam
The group had visited Resorts World Sentosa casino after arriving in Singapore.
After losing money, they decided to head to one corner and cry.
No, of course they didn’t do that.
Instead, the decided to recover their losses by running a scam.
Their plan involved spotting potential targets to bring to Chen, who would pose as a fortune teller.
On 25 January 2019, around 9 AM, one of them approached the victim in Chinatown. He showed her a photo and asked if she recognized the person in it.
After she said no, he pretended to ask for directions while gathering personal information about her.
The person then brought the victim to meet Chen and another accomplice.
Using the personal details they had gathered, Chen gained the victim’s trust by claiming her son faced impending danger. Chen told the victim she needed cash and jewelry for a blessing ritual to prevent the misfortune.
The victim, believing Chen’s claims, went home with the accomplice.
She collected three gold chains worth $3,400, some uncooked rice, and withdrew $31,000 from her bank account. She placed everything in a yellow plastic bag and met Chen at Duxton Plain Park.
While Chen distracted the victim with conversation, her accomplices swapped the bag containing valuables with another containing two water bottles and notebooks.
Chen instructed the victim not to open the bag for two days, claiming the blessing ritual needed time to work.
The victim discovered the theft when she opened the bag two days later and filed a police report.
The prosecution highlighted that the group deliberately targeted elderly victims and requested a 12-14 month jail sentence, noting the significant amount stolen and lack of restitution.
The judge sentenced Chen to 12 months in prison for her central role in the scam.
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