SINGAPORE, Oct 16 — A scammer was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison yesterday for defrauding her 61-year-old aunt out of nearly S$114,000 (RM374,302).
Dionne-Edna Lin Lilian, 39, pleaded guilty to charges of cheating and impersonating a lawyer, violations of the Legal Profession Act, The Straits Times (ST) reported today.
According to ST, the scam began in January 2019 when Lin, posing as her deceased father — her aunt’s brother-in-law — contacted the victim to falsely claim that Lin had died.
Subsequently, she masqueraded as a lawyer named “Daslin Ang,” telling her aunt that she had left behind an inheritance requiring payment of “processing fees” to access the funds.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Eugene Phua recounted the victim’s initial reluctance to transfer money, saying, “The victim agreed, as the accused had deceived her into believing that [Lin’s father] was also one of the beneficiaries from the accused’s will.”
This manipulation led the aunt to transfer cash into Lin’s father’s bank account, which Lin controlled.
Between May and June 2019, Lin escalated her deceit by impersonating another lawyer, “Phil Tong,” claiming that “Daslin” had been suspended for negligence.
Despite her aunt’s initial hesitations, Lin’s continued fabrications convinced her to comply, resulting in 29 transfers totalling almost S$114,000.
The aunt eventually reported the scam to authorities on June 28, 2019, prompting an investigation that revealed the extent of Lin’s deception.
DPP Phua highlighted the complexity of Lin’s lies, saying, “The accused’s lies were sophisticated as they involved her personating as a lawyer to guide her aunt through a complex probate matter.”
Lin’s bail was set at S$16,000, and she is expected to begin serving her sentence on October 25.
