A Malaysian man who overstayed in Singapore for over 2,394 days was sentenced to 14 months and 3 strokes of the rotan for cheating his fellow Malaysians in a rental scam.
According to Today News, 40-year-old Er Chern Siew pleaded guilty to 7 charges, 6 of which were cheating charges and 1 immigration charge.
He was first remanded back in October 2021 and his sentence has been backdating to then.
The last time he entered Singapore was through Woodlands Checkpoint in 2015 and continued to remain in Singapore even after his 14 days visit pass has expired.
He took on several jobs living in Singapore including a salesman and an unlicensed real estate agent.
In 2021, he cheated 14 victims in a span of 3 months from July to August, telling victims to pay him a rental deposit in order to “secure” the rental units located in Geylang.
Each payment was between $800 to $850, five of the victims were Malaysian women who were working in Singapore and looking for a place to stay.
This is not the first time Er has committed a crime, back in 2020 Er took a debit card that was left behind at an ATM located in Harbourfront Centre and use it to buy various items totalling $336.58.
The offence of Cheating is under Section 420 of the Penal Code, is punishable with an imprisonment term that may extend to 10 years, and a fine.