Boy, 16, steals over S$91,000 from dad's CPF & insurance, spends on fishing trips & Korea holiday

A man reported his teenage son to the police after discovering that the son took a total of S$91,149 from the father's Central Provident Fund (CPF) account and insurance.

According to the prosecutor's statement, between 2023 and 2024, the son regularly helped his father with making payments through mobile apps.

This included applying for online banking, making monthly premium payments for the father's three insurance policies, and checking the father's CPF accounts.

The son was 16 in 2024 when he withdrew S$25,370 from the father's CPF ordinary and special accounts.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, he also took a few loans of over S$68,000 against his father's three insurance policies.

All these transactions were done without his father's knowledge.

This money went into the father's bank account, which the son subsequently accessed via online banking and used PayNow to transfer a total of S$91,149 to his own bank account.

On Aug. 29, 2025, the son was handed three charges under the Computer Misuse Act 1993.

On Sep. 3, he pleaded guilty to the charge of accessing computer material with an intent to commit or facilitate commission of offence, The Straits Times reported.

The other two were taken into consideration.

Gaining access

As a result of helping his father with online transactions, the son had the login details to access his father's online banking account and Income Insurance account, the prosecutor's statement noted.

He also knew how much money his father had in his CPF account, and what insurance policies he had.

He used his own phone to log into his father's Income Insurance account and applied for the loans.

As for the CPF withdrawals, the son had logged into the CPF account using his father's phone to help him check if money had been duly deposited there.

Then, he saw a notification on how to transfer money out of the account, which prompted him to make the unauthorised withdrawals.

The father's discovery

The father found out about the loans his son took out when his niece was helping to check his insurance policies, the prosecutor explained.

After understanding the entire situation regarding the money transfers, the father filed a police report in February 2025.

His son was arrested that same day.

During investigations, the son admitted to the offences, and said that he had spent the money on multiple fishing trips and on an overseas trip to Korea in August 2024.

He had not paid the money back at the time of the prosecutor's statement on Aug. 29, 2025.

The father and son agreed that the son would return the money once he started working.

Abuse of trust

The prosecutor highlighted that the son's offence involved abusing the trust that his father had in him.

The son "exploited this knowledge" of his father's online banking details, the prosecutor said.

While calling for both reports on probation suitability and reformative training suitability, the prosecutor proposed the latter as the better choice to provide a young offender with rehabilitation and a measure of deterrence.

The son's lawyer said, as quoted by ST, "He was stupid as he confesses, and went on this childish exuberance and went travelling. Since then, he has behaved himself, and has wisened up and matured."

The sentencing has been adjourned to October.

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