By Deborah Lau
SINGAPORE — A 34-year-old woman, Farah Diyanah Abdul Falik, was charged in court on Friday, August 2, 2024, for her alleged involvement in an e-commerce scam that deceived victims into paying for non-existent hotel room bookings, leading to losses exceeding S$1.3 million.
Falik faces a total of 283 charges, primarily for cheating. According to the charge sheets, she is accused of tricking victims into believing that hotel reservations had been made for them, prompting them to transfer varying amounts of money. However, none of the bookings were actually fulfilled.
The victims, who suffered a combined financial loss of over S$1.3 million, were reportedly targeted through fraudulent promotions offering discounted hotel room packages for popular hotels in Singapore. The offers were made through an undisclosed social media platform, and payments were processed via bank transfers and the PayNow e-payment service.
The police received multiple complaints from victims between December 2021 and December 2022, and after extensive investigations, the Anti-Scam Command identified Farah as the suspect. She was arrested for her involvement in more than 900 instances of non-fulfilled hotel bookings.
Falik is being represented by lawyer Mohamed Baiross from IRB Law. At her court appearance, no plea was entered. She has been granted bail of S$30,000, and her case is scheduled to return to court on August 30, 2024.
If found guilty of cheating, Farah Diyanah Abdul Falik could face a jail sentence of up to 10 years and/or a fine.