Yesterday (1 Feb), a helper in Singapore received a six-week jail term for misusing a sum of about S$15,500 that was wrongly transferred to her account.
Despite knowing that the money did not belong to her, she spent it on her personal expenses.
This included taking a trip back to her hometown in the Philippines.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), 34-year-old Filipino domestic helper Micmic Cyndy received a sum of S$17,151.69 in her POSB bank account last year.
The sum was paid to her account in five parts between 8 June to 27 July 2023. The largest of the five payments amounted to S$15,499.73.
On 24 July 2023, Tokio Marine Life Insurance Singapore received an inquiry from a customer, claiming he did not receive payment for his medical claims.
Source: Insurance Asia News
Upon investigation, the insurance company found out that the processed claims were wrongfully transferred to Cyndy’s account, instead of their customer’s.
When Cyndy came to know about the transferred sum, she did not report the matter to the authorities.
Instead, she withdrew a total of S$15,560.35 over a week and misused the sum on personal expenses. These include a trip to her hometown in the Philippines.
The following month, DBS Bank sent her letters requesting her to return the sum.
At that point, however, she had already spent most of the amount and could no longer recover it. Hence, Cyndy could only consent to return the unspent amount of S$1,591.34 to the owner.
As Cyndy did not make full restitution, the insurance company reported the case to the police.
In court, the prosecutor emphasised that the amount misused by Cyndy was “significant”.
On Thursday (1 Feb), the 34-year-old was sentenced to six weeks’ jail for one count of dishonest misappropriation.
She could’ve faced a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both.
Also read: Helper ‘Borrows’ Chanel Bags To Use On Off-Days, Jailed 6 Months After Employer Sees It On Facebook
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Featured image adapted from Choo Yut Shing on Flickr and by MS News. Picture on the right is for illustration purposes only.
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