Singaporean man, wife cheat her lover of S$220k in property investment scam

New Straits Times

6 hours ago

KUALA LUMPUR: A married couple from Singapore pleaded guilty to cheating the woman's lover of S$220,000 (RM770,000) in a bogus property investment scheme.
The Straits Times reported that Felicia Tay Bee Ling, 49, and her then-husband Eric Ong Chee Wei, 50, conspired to deceive 48-year-old David Tan into investing in supposedly high-value condominium units at discounted prices at Residences @ Emerald Hill.
Tan believed the units could later be sold for significant profits.
Though Tan never met Ong, he was aware that Ong was Tay's husband at the time.
Tay and Tan's affair lasted from 2014 to 2017.
Tay was a housewife, while Ong previously worked as a property agent before moving on to various jobs.
Deputy public prosecutor Kiera Yu said the couple's goal was to con Tan into handing over "security deposits" for property units that, in reality, did not exist.
Tay assured Tan that the properties could be resold quickly for a large profit, promising high returns within three months.
She also advised him to keep the deal confidential, describing it as a private offer.
To support their scheme, Ong gave Tay fake option-to-purchase (OTP) forms using the name of a legitimate salesman from real estate agency OrangeTee.
The agent was unaware his credentials were being misused.
Between September and November 2015, Tan gave Tay a total of S$220,000 as security deposits for seven units.
Six of the units did not exist, while the seventh was not for sale.
Tay filled out the forms and sent screenshots of them to Tan via WhatsApp.
She even promised Tan that he would earn over S$1.7 million in returns once the units were sold.
When no returns materialised, Tan confronted her in early 2016. She failed to provide clear answers.
In an attempt to reassure him, Tay, using information from Ong, prepared a document dated Jan 8, 2016, claiming Ong would repay the money.
Tay and Tan's affair ended in March 2017.
On Dec 11, 2019, Tan contacted OrangeTee to verify the property deals, only to find that none of the transactions were legitimate. He lodged a police report the following day.
Both Tay and Ong were arrested in June 2022.
So far, Ong has repaid S$10,000 to the victim. Both will be sentenced in July.