Singaporean woman involved in S$1.3M hotel booking scams faces over 280 charges

SINGAPORE: A 34-year-old Singaporean woman, Farah Diyanah Abdul Falik, was charged on Friday, Aug 2, for her alleged role in an e-commerce scam involving fake hotel room package bookings. She was charged over 280 charges, primarily related to cheating.

Channel News Asia reported that Falik was accused of deceiving victims into transferring money through PayNow for supposed discounted stays at five-star hotels such as Capella Singapore, Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, and The Fullerton Bay Hotel.

According to the police, several reports occurred between mid-December 2021 and December 2022. Victims, who thought they were securing discounted hotel packages through social media, ended up losing amounts ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

“After payments were made by the victims through bank transfers and PayNow, they allegedly failed to receive the bookings,” the police said.

Investigations by the Anti-Scam Command identified Falik as the suspect behind these fraudulent transactions. The investigation revealed that she might be responsible for over 900 instances of failed hotel room bookings.

The total financial loss for the victims has exceeded S$1.3 million (approximately US$970,000).

Falik did not say how she would plead. She was granted bail of S$30,000 and is scheduled to return to court on Aug 30. She may face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine for each charge if found guilty.

The police have warned that they treat scams and fraud very seriously and that those caught involved will face legal consequences according to the law. /TISG

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