Third man involved in fake gold scam gets jail, caning for cheating and weapon possession
Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
Jan 28, 2026
A man worked with two accomplices in a scam involving fake gold bars, causing their victims to hand over cash and valuables worth around $40,000 in total.
Separately, Wilderic Chan Weibin was also found to have a knife in his possession after he was caught having sex with his girlfriend in a condominium restroom.
On Jan 28, Chan, 24, who has not made any restitution, was sentenced to a year and 10 months' jail and a fine of $300, and was ordered to receive six strokes of the cane.
He pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating, as well as one count each of misusing a computer system and being in possession of a weapon in a public place.
The two other men who took part in the scam – Daniel Lim Chin Teck and Shah Faeez Shahrom, both 27 – were dealt with in court on Jan 23.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Chye Jer Yuan told the court that Lim and Chan went online to obtain fake gold bars, each weighing 100g.
After that, they posted an advertisement on online marketplace Carousell and claimed to be selling "gold bars" for $10,000 each.
They met a man on Carousell who was selling Rolex watches on the platform. Lim and Chan proposed to him that they trade three "gold bars" and $4,000 in cash for three of his timepieces.
Unaware that the "gold bars" were fake, the man agreed, and they arranged to meet in Montreal Drive, near Sembawang Road, at around 11.20pm on July 11, 2024.
Chan, Lim and Faeez went to Montreal Drive to meet the man and complete the transaction.
APP Chye said: "The following day, Wilderic sold the three Rolex watches at various watch shops located (in) Chinatown and Tampines for a total of $25,500, and the three split the criminal proceeds among themselves."
The man later tried to sell the "gold bars" at a pawnshop and found out they were fake.
By using a similar ruse the same month, the offenders duped a woman into transferring $10,000 to a PayNow account to buy a "gold bar".
Court documents stated that Lim and Faeez went to Bukit Gombak MRT station to meet her for the transaction.
Chan, who did not accompany the pair, was aware of the deal his accomplices had made with the woman.
He later received a portion of the criminal proceeds linked to the transaction. Court documents did not disclose the amount he received.
In an unrelated case, Chan was having sex with his girlfriend in a restroom of an unnamed Stirling Road condominium on July 15, 2024, when a security officer caught them.
The police were alerted, and Chan was arrested as he was wanted for cheating.
He was taken to Police Cantonment Complex, where officers found a knife in his possession.
The authorities analysed his mobile phone and uncovered login credentials of several bank accounts dated between Oct 6 and 9, 2023.
They also found out he had procured a bank account belonging to another person.
APP Chye said: "Wilderic admitted to having relinquished the... account to two unknown persons, one 'Wei Xiong' and one 'Max Ngo', by providing the internet banking login credentials (linked to it). In return, he received $300 as a monetary reward."
The account was later used for a phishing scam in which a victim suffered losses totalling more than $30,000.
See something interesting? Contribute your story to us.
Explore more on these topics
