SINGAPORE, Jan 3 — A former assistant vice-president at OCBC Bank in Singapore was sentenced to 10 weeks in jail today, for unlawfully accessing the personal data of 396 bank customers.
According to Channel News Asia (CNA), Au Jia Hao, 39, admitted to violating the Computer Misuse Act by using his position to view the private information of clients, including public figures, colleagues, and family members, over an eight-month period from November 2022 to July 2023.
Au, who had access to OCBC’s Silverlake Integrated Banking System, was trained in privacy policies and aware of his duty to safeguard customer data.
Despite this, he accessed sensitive details such as NRIC numbers, birth dates, addresses, and bank balances, claiming it was driven by curiosity and work-related stress.
The breach was discovered in August 2023, leading to his termination from OCBC in September.
The report added that Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng argued for a sentence of 12 to 16 weeks, citing the risk of potential harm, especially considering Au’s access to high-profile individuals’ data.
The defence requested four weeks, emphasising Au’s mental health struggles and lack of intent to distribute the data.
District Judge Wong Peck highlighted the breach of trust in Au’s actions, noting his position within the bank made the offence particularly serious.
Under the law, unauthorised access to computer data can result in up to two years in prison, a fine of up to S$5,000 (RM16,400), or both.
