Jail and fine for scam mule who sold her bank accounts after fiance pitched scheme for fast cash

She did so while failing to take any reasonable steps to ascertain the unknown person’s purpose for controlling the accounts, said the prosecutor.

While the OCBC and Trust Bank accounts were accounts that she already had prior to the scheme, the CIMB Bank account was created for the purpose of selling access to it, the court heard.

A total of more than S$104,000 flowed through the three bank accounts after they were sold to the unknown person. Of this, around S$80,000 was traced to scam proceeds from four victims.

Nur Sarah and Salman spent the S$1,600 that they received from the scheme on shared daily expenses.

In June 2024, a scam victim reported to the police that she had transferred money to the Trust Bank account registered under Nur Sarah’s name. Nur Sarah was then arrested in May this year.

The prosecutor urged the court to jail her for seven to seven-and-a-half months and fine her S$800.

“The offence committed by the accused is not a victimless crime. Devastating losses are caused to victims and significant psychological harm can be caused to victims as a result of scams,” said Deputy Public Prosecutor Thaddeus Tan.

“This harm is also difficult to detect. By the time police reports are made by victims and the authorities discover the compromised bank accounts, it is often too late to remedy the losses caused and the money laundering that may have been facilitated.”

He argued that Nur Sarah’s sentence should be longer because she was motivated by profit and had opened the CIMB account specifically to sell it.

Defence lawyer Sinnadurai T Maniam asked the court to consider that Nur Sarah was “led” by Salman and did not initiate the offences, and asked for a jail term at the lower range of seven months.

“She was deeply in love with this boyfriend, your honour. She was doing what the boyfriend was asking her to do, although she knows that doing so was wrong,” he said.

While accepting that Nur Sarah was not the one liaising with the unknown person, the prosecutor pointed out that her participation was key as it was she who put up her accounts for sale, without which there would be no offences.

The district judge agreed with the prosecution that deterrence was the main consideration for the sentence.

Nur Sarah could have been jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$50,000 or both.