S'pore woman, 39, fakes own death & scams aunt, 66, of S$113,825, gets 20 months' jail

When a woman in Singapore ran into a financial predicament, she decided to lie to her aunt, then 61, that she had "passed away" by impersonating her father and lawyers from the Legal Aid Bureau.

The woman, Lin Ailian, 39, also ask her aunt to transfer some money to be eligible to inherit the deceased's "estate" in 2019, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Feeling sorry for her niece's "passing", the aunt, surnamed Zhou (transliteration), over a period of time transferred her life savings of S$113,825 to Lin's father's bank account, which was under Lin's control.

While Lin admitted to her wrongdoings five years ago in July 2019, Zhou said her niece "had never apologised" or "made any restitution" till today.

Asked aunt to pay for her 'funeral, cremation'

According to Shin Min, Lin began setting up the trap in January 2019, when she informed her aunt about her "passing" by impersonating her father.

At that time, Lin told her aunt, who was working as an accounting clerk, that she needed a sum to pay for the "funeral and cremation".

Between February and March 2019, Lin took up another identity as a lawyer from the Legal Aid Bureau and told Zhou that "her deceased niece had left her an inheritance".

However, Zhou would need to pay "a processing fee" before she could receive the sum, which had never existed from the start.

Impersonated two lawyers

When Zhou expressed her unwillingness to transfer "the processing fee" to a bank account whose owner she did not know, Lin proposed that she transfer it to Lin's father's bank account instead, reported Shin Min.

As Zhou believed that Lin's father was a beneficiary of Lin's "estate" and was in charge of distributing her "assets", she agreed to the arrangement.

Little did she know that Lin's father's bank account was actually under Lin's control.

Between May and June 2019, Lin impersonated another lawyer from the Legal Aid Bureau, telling her aunt that she would be taking over the case as "the previous lawyer was suspended".

Zhou made over 29 transfers to Lin

Over about six months between January and June 2019, Lin had asked Zhou to transfer money to her at least 29 times, according to Shin Min.

According to Lin, these amounts would be used to cover "court fees", "booking fees", and "fees of attendance for the lawyer", amongst others.

It was only when Zhou had no money left in her bank account that she stopped transferring more sums to Lin.

On Jun. 28, 2019, Zhou lodged a police report against Lin, thereby exposing her elaborate lie.

Jailed 20 months

For her wrongdoings, Lin was handed three charges, including for cheating and violating the Legal Profession Act, reported Shin Min.

On Oct. 15, she was sentenced to 20 months in jail after pleading guilty to two of the charges.

The third charge was taken into consideration for her sentencing.

During her mitigation plea, Lin said she had used most of the money Zhou transferred her to "rent a condominium flat for her and her parents".

Lin's lawyer added that Lin had only resorted to doing so because "she suffered a stroke in 2017" and "could not work due to her health".

She "couldn't secure a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat", and her "application for financial assistance failed".

Asked about why she did not secure a resale HDB flat, Lin's lawyer added that it was "difficult for her to find a suitable one" as that would involve renovations.

Zhou 'devastated' when learning about Lin's 'passing'

In an interview with Shin Min on Oct. 15, Zhou shared that Lin was her elder sister's daughter.

When she heard about Lin's "passing", she was devastated and wanted to help with Lin's funeral, recounted Zhou.

At the time, Zhou also asked about the cause of Lin's death, and was told it was due to a "difficulty in breathing".

Zhou added: "I also asked about Lin's death certificate. But the other party said they did not have it. They also shared they wanted to hold the funeral as soon as possible and bury Lin at sea."

Zhou said that throughout the six months, "the lawyer" had only spoken to her via text and refused to pick up her calls or meet her in person.

Retirement 'out of reach' for Zhou after scam

Zhou's frequent transfers eventually caught the attention of her husband, who subsequently alerted their daughter, reported Shin Min.

Their daughter then brought Zhou to meet a lawyer, who immediately told Zhou that she had been scammed and asked her to lodge a police report.

Zhou shared that while she used to have "a very close relationship" with Lin's mother, they cut off all contact over the last few years due to her encounter with Lin.

According to Zhou, the amount she lost to Lin was her "hard-earned money" that she had saved from working over the years.

"I have to continue working as a clerk. I lost all my money. How can I even dream of retiring?" Zhou, who is now 66, lamented.

Lin also 'scammed 2 other aunts': Zhou

While Lin had confessed in court, Zhou told Shin Min Lin "did not show any remorse" or apologise to her.

She also claimed that Lin had scammed two other aunts, who are Zhou's "two younger sisters", causing them to lose S$60,000 and S$70,000, respectively.

"I am heartbroken knowing that she took advantage of her own family members," lamented Zhou.

She also added that over the years, she had "tried to forget" and "move on from the pain Lin had caused her".

"However, she had hurt me so deeply that I could not bring myself to forgive her," shared Zhou.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News