Rolex watches and Chanel bag: Man jailed for cheating people around him of $154k

SINGAPORE — A man cheated seven people of more than $154,000 in total by different methods, including convincing at least two to take part in an "investment scheme" that did not exist.

Tee Wei Jie, 32, who was working as a personal assistant at a Paterson Hill condominium at the time of the offences, also misappropriated another $9,200 from one of his victims.

On Thursday (Nov 14), he was sentenced to 22 months' jail after he pleaded guilty to five counts of cheating involving more than $140,000. They involved five victims.

Three charges involving the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.

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Tee, who committed his offences between 2020 and 2023, has since made more than $29,000 in restitution.

The Singaporean started his crime spree in October 2020, targeting his first victim, a brother of one of his friends.

Tee was aware that the 36-year-old man wanted to buy a Rolex watch. He offered to obtain one for him at a price of $12,980.

On Oct 17, 2020, the victim transferred the amount to Tee's bank account. Tee told him he would pass him the watch in six months' time, even though he had neither the means nor intention to get the timepiece for him.

Tee later used the money for personal expenses.

The victim subsequently made a police report in March 2023. Court documents did not disclose why it took him three years to alert the authorities.

Using a similar method, Tee cheated a second victim, the husband of a friend. In January 2021, Tee told the 31-year-old man that he could obtain a Rolex watch worth $19,900 for him.

The man handed Tee the amount in cash later that month. He lodged a police report in July 2022 when he did not receive the watch.

Tee struck again in June 2021, duping his third victim, a friend, of nearly $8,000 after the 33-year-old woman agreed to buy a Chanel bag from him.

She made a police report in January 2023 after he failed to deliver the bag to her.

In June 2023, Tee took a loan of $9,200 from his fourth victim, a former colleague. He later also asked the 33-year-old man, identified as V1, if he wanted to take part in a so-called "investment scheme".

Deputy Public Prosecutor Sheldon Lim told the court: "The accused promised to help V1 invest his money, and promised V1 monthly returns of 5 per cent on the principal invested sum if V1 participated in the scheme.

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"V1 agreed... [and] told the accused to keep the sum of $9,200, and to put the [amount into the scheme]."

Unaware that the scheme was non-existent, V1 later decided to invest more money in it, handing over more than $89,000 in total to Tee over five separate occasions.

In September 2023, V1 started to ask Tee to hand him the promised monthly returns on his investments.

Tee, who had spent the amount on his personal expenses, gave multiple excuses to avoid making such payments. V1 alerted the police later that year.

Tee used the same ruse on his fifth victim, a 53-year-old former colleague, when they had lunch on July 4, 2023. The man was duped into transferring him $10,000 the next day.

On Thursday, the prosecutor asked the court to sentence Tee to up to 27 months' jail, stressing that the offender had cheated multiple victims of considerable sums of money.

Defence lawyer Azri Imran Tan from IRB Law, however, pleaded for Tee to be given between 15 and 18 months' jail.

"Our client made a series of bad decisions, with regrettable consequences for the victims... He remains committed to repaying the victims, especially upon release from prison," he said.

Tee's bail has been set at $45,000, and he was ordered to surrender himself at the State Courts on Dec 16 to begin serving his sentence.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.