Serial scammer jailed 10 years for cheating elderly people of $1.74 m
A serial scammer was jailed for 10 years yesterday for cheating 22 elderly people of about $1.74 million.
Aisha Pari Mohamed Ayub's victims had lost between $1,000 and $225,900 each. No restitution has been made.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Lim Kah Hwee said: "Such predatory behaviour is abhorrent and cannot be condoned, and the punishment on the accused must reflect society's abhorrence of such conduct. Singapore is also facing a rapidly ageing population, and we are obliged to look after the elderly section of our society."
Of the 381 charges she faced, Aisha was convicted of 20 - 18 of cheating and two of abetting in the forgery of a Subordinate Courts' letter and a letter from the Monetary Authority of Singapore - on Jan 19.
In her scam, the 55-year-old claimed that she had inherited some money from her deceased father in Pakistan from the sale of his land worth $7.4m. She told her victims she had to pay the authorities in Pakistan and Singapore first to receive her so-called inheritance.
Aisha then asked them for money and vowed to repay the loan with interest as a "courtesy gift" after receiving her inheritance.
During earlier court proceedings, DPP Lim said Aisha had hatched the plan in October 2010 while she was running a clothing shop at the Golden Landmark mall.
She told her victims that if they loaned her money, they could make donations or take their parents on a pilgrimage with the "courtesy gift".
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