Woman jailed for voucher ruse

Woman jailed for voucher ruse
By Elena Chong


Janet Wee Guek Hong, 34, who is due to deliver in April, will start her sentence after the Chinese New Year on Jan 28. -- ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW

A WOMAN who duped her victims into believing that she could get them discounted shopping vouchers was sentenced to six months' jail on Tuesday.

Janet Wee Guek Hong, 34, who is due to deliver in April, will start her sentence after the Chinese New Year on Jan 28.

The former sales coordinator pleaded guilty to three cheating charges involving $81,443 between 2005 and last year.

The court heard that she deceived her victims into believing that she would be able to get them discounted vouchers from various companies when she knew this was false.

In one case, she induced a former colleague and close friend, Ms Delia Lee Boon Keng, 29, to hand over $74,370 and source for buyers for NTUC, CapitaLand, DFS, CapitalMall, Takashimaya, Louis Vuitton, Shell and SPC discounted vouchers.

Two other victims were cheated of $5,253 and $1,820.

She had in fact used the money for her own use.

Eleven other charges, including three of theft, were taken into consideration.

Of the $105,576 cheated, she had paid back $94,312.

Defence lawyer Amolat Singh said his client's stupid and doomed-to-failure scheme had brought unprecedented financial hardship and sorrow to her aged parents who had to sell off their Housing Board flat to help her out.

She could have been jailed for up to one year and fined for each offence.

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_320081.html