Yu Mingyan Jailed for Stealing $54K from Bedridden Friend
SINGAPORE — A man who betrayed the trust of his bedridden friend by stealing her CPF savings has been sentenced to 18 months and two weeks in jail, along with a S$30,000 fine.
Yu Mingyan, 34, accessed the CPF account of his 62-year-old former colleague — who was unable to speak or move — while visiting her at Gleneagles Hospital. Between June and July 2023, he guessed her Singpass login details and transferred a total of S$54,000 from her CPF account to himself via her bank account.
To cover up the crime, Yu later forged a police report, editing a real report filed by his mother to make it look like he had also been a victim of the unauthorized transactions. He sent this fake report to the victim’s niece when she confronted him.
Yu was also convicted for assisting an unlicensed moneylender by performing at least 16 suspicious bank transfers through an account he created in November 2023. His activities were flagged and led to the closure of the account.
In a separate incident in July 2024, Yu stole S$197 from a petty cash box at Farrer Park Hospital, where he worked as a physiotherapy assistant. He told police he took the money “out of habit.”
When questioned in court about repaying the stolen CPF funds, Yu claimed he was unable to do so, saying his income was committed to supporting his family. The prosecution noted that investigations confirmed he lacked the financial means to offer restitution.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Jeremy Bin described the case as particularly egregious, highlighting the victim’s complete vulnerability and Yu’s exploitation of Singpass, a government system designed to safeguard citizens’ information.
In total, Yu pleaded guilty to four charges: computer misuse, assisting a loan shark, criminal breach of trust, and forgery, with two additional charges considered during sentencing.
