SINGAPORE: A customer service agent with vehicle rental firm BlueSG used his friend’s account to rent vehicles on 150 occasions and drove them even though he did not have a driving licence.
On eight occasions, he also misused his access to BlueSg’s internal database and adjusted the rental durations to zero minutes, such that he could drive for free.
Muhammad Fadhli Anuar, 24, was sentenced on Wednesday (Aug 13) to jail for seven months and six weeks, and banned from getting any driving licence for three years.
Fadhli pleaded guilty to four charges of dishonestly procuring services from BlueSg, driving without a licence and insurance coverage, and obstructing justice by telling his friend to lie to the police. Another two charges were taken into consideration.
The court heard that Fadhli had access to BlueSG’s internal databases in his role as a customer service agent.
This allowed him to adjust rental durations and trip timings, as well as issue goodwill vouchers to customers.
Sometime around Aug 20, 2023, Fadhli suggested to his friend that she create a BlueSG account and rent a vehicle to drive when they met.
He created an account on her behalf, using her driving licence and identity card, and submitted her documents to his colleague to authenticate her BlueSG subscription.
Fadhli then downloaded the BlueSG application on his phone, linked his credit card to his friend’s BlueSG account and used it to rent vehicles.
His friend knew that Fadhli had created an account in her name, but did not know that he was using it to rent vehicles for himself.
Between Aug 20, 2023, and Jun 1, 2024, Fadhli rented vehicles on 150 occasions using his friend’s account, despite having no valid driving licence or insurance coverage.
On eight occasions between January 2024 and June 2024, Fadhli accessed BlueSG’s internal database and adjusted the rental durations of his rental vehicles to zero minutes.
“This effectively allowed the accused to rent vehicles for free,” said the prosecutor.
Fadhli did not intend to make payment in full. As a result, BlueSG incurred a loss of about S$650, which the company later deducted from his salary after discovering his offences.
On May 28, 2024, a human resource officer from BlueSG lodged a police report stating that two staff members had made unauthorised adjustments to rental trips, allowing customers to avoid paying for the use of the company’s vehicles.
These staff members were identified as Fadhli and a second person, Nabila Nurayla Putri Saifudin.
On Jun 4, 2024, Fadhli texted the friend whose account he had used, asking her to tell the police that the account belonged to her, and that she had access to it.
He also asked her say she was unaware that adjustments had been made to the rental durations of the vehicles rented using her BlueSG account.
The friend did not comply and did not provide a false statement to the police.
HIGHLY RECALCITRANT: PROSECUTOR
The prosecutor sought eight to 10 months’ jail, a fine of S$1,000 and a driving ban of three to four years for Fadhli.
She called him a “highly recalcitrant offender” who took steps to evade detection by the authorities.
While the amount cheated was about S$650, there could be reputational damage to BlueSG, as Fadhli had exploited the company’s internal processes for personal gain, said the prosecutor.
She added that there was a significant abuse of trust on his part, as he was entrusted with access to BlueSG’s internal systems to assist customers, but exploited this access for his own gain.
On top of this, Fadhli had also deceived a colleague into using her system access to amend rental durations, on the pretext that she was helping Fadhli’s friend save on rental fees.
“In reality, the accused’s colleague was helping him save on rental fees,” said the prosecutor.
Fadhli was unrepresented. He asked for leniency, saying he had “complied with everything” while the court case was ongoing.
He also asked for a deferment as he had an elderly person at home whose needs he had to take care of.
In sentencing, the judge said Fadhli had shown a “blatant disregard for the law” by driving on 150 occasions without a licence.
Such offences are not easy to detect unless he was stopped or got into an accident, he said.
The situation was made worse because he drove without insurance coverage, said the judge.
Fadhli will begin his jail term in September.
