SINGAPORE: A man leveraged his knowledge of the massage chair industry to cheat victims into investing nearly S$80,000 (US$62,000) in a fake business opportunity.
Mohammad Shahrizan Johari even perpetrated the scheme on his own cousin, who was duped of nearly S$60,000.
Shahrizan, 43, was given one year and two months’ jail on Friday (Jun 13) after he pleaded guilty to two counts of cheating. Another two charges of cheating were taken into consideration for his sentencing.
In 2020, one of the victims, Muhammad Hereyzal Abdul Aziz, befriended Shahrizan. In October 2022, Shahrizan offered Mr Hereyzal an investment opportunity involving OSIM massage chairs.
Shahrizan said he would handle the business operations while Mr Hereyzal could earn a profit of S$12,600 a month by investing his money.
Mr Hereyzal transferred S$13,600 to Shahrizan over four occasions between Oct 28, 2022 and Nov 12, 2022.
As he had previously worked with OSIM, Shahrizan knew how the company operated, and was able to provide Mr Hereyzal with supporting details, including how the chairs would be stored in a Jurong warehouse.
He told Mr Hereyzal that the business involved buying OSIM chairs and delivering them to shops which purchased them.
Mr Hereyzal did not receive any returns and eventually realised that Shahrizan had duped him. He filed a police report on Feb 21, 2023.
By then, Shahrizan was in debt of about S$50,000 as a result of gambling and the loans he had taken.
CHEATED FAMILY MEMBER
Shahrizan pulled the same trick on his cousin Muhammad Aidil Samsuri but with a different brand.
Between Sep 24, 2021 and Jan 11, 2022, Shahrizan asked Mr Aidil to invest in an opportunity involving the delivery of Ogawa chairs in September 2021.
Shahrizan told Mr Aidil that he could earn profits with payouts every 40 days. His cousin made five transfers amounting to S$57,370.
Mr Aidil grew suspicious after some time, as he did not receive any returns on his investment.
“As the accused was Aidil’s cousin, Aidil gave the accused the benefit of the doubt for some time, before eventually reporting the matter to the police in September 2023,” the prosecution said.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Joelle Loy said Shahrizan had conned his cousin as he was desperate to pay off his loans.
The accused claimed that he knew about Ogawa’s operations from his previous employment with the brand.
Shahrizan was arrested on Feb 26, 2024 and has since made partial restitution, comprising the full sum of S$13,600 to Mr Hereyzal, but only S$9,000 to Mr Aidil.
Shahrizan has also repaid the two other victims in full.
Ms Loy argued for the court to jail Shahrizan between 18 and 20 months.
“Out of desperation to repay his debts quickly, the accused selfishly and persistently cheated multiple victims of considerable amounts of their hard-earned money,” she said.
Shahrizan’s lawyer Riko Isaac sought 10 to 12 months’ jail.
Mr Isaac said his client worked as a sub-contractor with OSIM for two years from 2013 to 2014, during which he collected and delivered massage chairs for repairs and returns.
The defence lawyer told the court that his client was desperate for funds to pay the medical bills of his daughter, who is autistic and suffers from Lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease.
The loans he took were not a result of gambling, but were needed to pay the medical bills, the lawyer said.
At this point, District Judge Ng Cheng Thiam interjected to say that given his daughter’s condition, Shahrizan should have tried to save money rather than use it for gambling. Mr Isaac acknowledged this.
“He has been trying his utmost best to make full restitution. He is currently undergoing divorce proceedings and hoped to be able to sell his house and use the sale proceeds to make restitution,” added Mr Isaac.
“He was unfortunately unable to accomplish this due to time constraints and was only able to make partial restitution.
“Ultimately, this is a man who was trying to provide for his family and he allowed his financial desperation to cloud his judgment in these circumstances and unfortunately he committed these offences,” said Mr Isaac.
No order of compensation was made by the court as Shahrizan had no means to pay.
