Man posed as dead friend to steal CPF money

Man posed as dead friend to steal CPF money

SINGAPORE - A man impersonated his dead friend in an attempt to get his hands on his life savings, a court heard on Wednesday.

Nordin Ibrahim, 44, allegedly carried out the ruse after being put up to it by an accomplice.

He went to the Central Provident Fund Board offices in Robinson Road and claimed he was Mr Yacoob Ismail - who had died two days earlier.

Then he named the accomplice as the nominee for the deceased's $51,628 savings, the court heard.

But the duo were caught after the CPF nomination department found out Mr Yacoob was dead.

On Wednesday, accomplice Sufian Alwe was jailed for two months.

The court heard that the 38-year-old hatched the plan after visiting Mr Yacoob's home in January and finding him unconscious. The next day, Mr Yacoob died in hospital. Sufian found the 63-year-old Singaporean's passport while cleaning out his home in Johor Baru, court papers stated.

He then got Nordin to pose as Mr Yaacob so they could get their hands on the CPF money. When asked by a customer service officer why he looked older in the passport picture, Nordin allegedly claimed he had been ill, but was now better.

The duo, both of whom worked in the catering business, were arrested after they returned to the CPF Board offices a month later to ask about the nomination status.

Sufian was given an extra three months in jail and a $90,000 fine for unlicensed moneylending, meaning a total of five months behind bars. The maximum sentence for helping someone cheat by impersonation is five years in jail and a fine.

Nordin has been charged but not yet dealt with.

khush@sph.com.sg


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