SINGAPORE, Jan 11 — An 18-year-old boy was sentenced to 18 months of probation after pleading guilty to extorting S$450 (about RM1,478) from a man and cheating another victim out of S$200 (about RM657).

The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, was convicted on multiple charges, including one count each of extortion and cheating, related to two separate incidents in 2023, The Straits Times reported yesterday.

On January 10, the court heard that in March 2023, the teen boy worked with two girls to scam men into paying for sexual services that were never intended to be provided.

In March 2023, the boy and the two girls came up a plan to deceive customers into believing that the girls would provide sexual services for money even though the pair had no intention of doing so.

"Instead, (the boy) would use his Telegram account to exchange messages with potential customers.

"Once a customer had been identified, (members of the trio) would meet the customer, receive payment, and then they would flee with the money,” Deputy Public Prosecutor David Menon was quoted as saying.

In one instance, the boy and the two girls extorted S$450 from a man they had lured to an unknown block in Toa Payoh, after he sent them an explicit picture.

Fearing the photo would be circulated, the victim handed over the cash.

The boy was said to have received S$50 from the extorted amount, while the two girls kept S$200 each.

In a separate case, the boy was also found guilty of tricking a man into buying a counterfeit pair of Apple AirPods for S$200 in September 2023.

The boy was ordered to remain indoors from 10pm to 6am daily as part of his probation.

He must also complete 60 hours of community service, and his mother was required to post a S$5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.