Lim Sin Yi pleaded guilty in court to four charges of cheating. The Straits Times/Asia News Network
SINGAPORE — He pretended to be a woman and posted naked videos on social media, convincing men to pay him to meet up for sexual services.
After he received the money, he gave excuses to break off appointments, even claiming on one occasion that he had a sexually transmitted disease.
On Monday, Lim Sin Yi, 23, pleaded guilty in court to four charges of cheating.
Lim’s scam started in June 2021 when he pretended to be a woman and posted an advertisement on his Twitter account listing several naked videos. It was not stated in court documents where Lim got the videos from.
He wrote in the advertisement that in exchange for $500, he would sell all the videos and arrange for a “meet-up” to provide sexual services.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Louis Ngia said Lim also uploaded several other pictures showing the female body, including naked ones, on his Twitter account.
The accused admitted during investigations that he was “posing as a seductive female”, added DPP Ngia.
Three victims fell for Lim’s advertisement, including two who each transferred $500 to him.
The victims cannot be named because of a gag order to protect their identities.
After paying $500, one victim repeatedly messaged Lim on Twitter to ask for the meeting that had been promised, and each time, the accused would give various excuses and say he was unavailable, said DPP Ngia.
Lim, posing as a woman, also said he had a sexually transmitted disease and needed time to recover while being treated with antibiotics.
About a month later, the victim again messaged Lim on Twitter to ask for the meeting details and transferred $30 for a video. He realized he had been cheated when his messages with Lim on Twitter were deleted.
That same month, another victim saw the advertisement and transferred $300 to Lim as a deposit to meet for sex, with the remaining $200 to be paid later.
To further his deception, Lim provided the victim with a random address in Ang Mo Kio he had pulled up from Google.
“This was a misrepresentation that they would meet at the provided location for the sexual services to be provided. (The victim) went to the provided location and waited there for about 50 minutes. As the accused remained uncontactable, (the victim) realized he had been cheated,” said DPP Ngia.
The victim subsequently made a police report.
Seeking at least three weeks’ jail and a fine, DPP Ngia said this was not a one-off incident and Lim’s modus operandi suggested there was a degree of premeditation for the offenses. He also noted that Lim had cheated three victims over the span of two months.
Lim’s lawyer Ashwin Ganapathy of I.R.B. Law said the offense was not planned but opportunistic in nature, stemming from Lim’s momentary lapse which led to him taking advantage of the victims.
Mr Ganapathy added that Lim had given consent to the prosecution to effect full restitution to the victims with money seized from his bank account.
Lim, whose bail was extended, will return to court on Nov 9.
For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, or fined, or both.
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