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https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ousell-branded-goods-scam-earning-more-s10000
8 months’ jail for man who ran Carousell ‘branded goods’ scam, earning more than S$10,000
By LOUISA TANG
Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
Jeric Lee Jia Zhen, 28, pictured (right) leaving court on Thursday (Sept 12). His jail term will commence on Oct 25 as he is sitting for his O-Level examinations first. He is also undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
Published12 SEPTEMBER, 2019UPDATED 12 SEPTEMBER, 2019
492 Shares
SINGAPORE — In yet another scam involving online marketplace Carousell, a 28-year-old man passed off replicas as “genuine” branded goods — including sneakers — and cheated 18 people out of S$10,780 in total.
Under the username “vapedope”, Jeric Lee Jia Zhen got away with the scheme for more than a year. He never delivered the promised goods in some instances — once, after accepting payments for a pair of S$1,000 sneakers.
When one of his victims realised that the shoes he received were fake, Lee cooked up numerous lies, claiming for instance that he did not know they were replicas and that he had discarded the receipts from his supplier.
The Singaporean was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Thursday (Sept 12), but will start serving his sentence on Oct 25 as his lawyer said he will be sitting for O-Level examinations as a private candidate.
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His lawyer, Mr Tok Boon Leong, also told District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong that Lee has a “medical issue” and will undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Lee pleaded guilty to four counts of cheating, with another 15 charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
He has made partial restitution of S$5,130 to his victims.
The court heard that the police received several reports about Lee’s scam between July 24, 2016 and Jan 2, 2018.
He either delivered fake goods to his victims, or took their money and gave excuses for not handing over the items.
Court documents showed that the sale items included:
Adidas Ultra Boost shoes
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Pirate Black shoes
Adidas NMD R1 Primeknit Japan Triple black shoes
Nike Tom Sachs Mars Yard 2.0 shoes
Pants from Japanese brand A Bathing Ape
On one occasion, he duped a victim into handing over S$2,350 for four pairs of purportedly genuine Adidas shoes from the United States; they were actually fakes made in China.
The victim transferred the money over three transactions to Lee’s bank account, while the victim’s son also gave him S$750 in cash in person.
When the son took the shoes home, he realised they were fake and immediately contacted Lee. Lee lied that he would try to get a refund from his supplier, but ultimately did not do so and made several excuses.
Another victim paid S$2,000 for one pair of Adidas and one pair of Nike sneakers but they were never delivered.
Deputy Public Prosecutor R Arvindren sought at least nine months’ jail, noting that Lee had engaged “in a pattern of conduct… to cheat many victims over a prolonged period”.
“Given that online platforms have become a substantial source of shopping for many people in Singapore, it is regrettable that the accused has abused the platform, in this case Carousell, to cheat so many innocent victims,” he added.
While passing sentence, the judge said that Lee’s offences were premeditated, but noted that he had pleaded guilty and made partial restitution.
Lee could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each cheating charge.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ousell-branded-goods-scam-earning-more-s10000
8 months’ jail for man who ran Carousell ‘branded goods’ scam, earning more than S$10,000
By LOUISA TANG
Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
Jeric Lee Jia Zhen, 28, pictured (right) leaving court on Thursday (Sept 12). His jail term will commence on Oct 25 as he is sitting for his O-Level examinations first. He is also undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
Published12 SEPTEMBER, 2019UPDATED 12 SEPTEMBER, 2019
492 Shares
SINGAPORE — In yet another scam involving online marketplace Carousell, a 28-year-old man passed off replicas as “genuine” branded goods — including sneakers — and cheated 18 people out of S$10,780 in total.
Under the username “vapedope”, Jeric Lee Jia Zhen got away with the scheme for more than a year. He never delivered the promised goods in some instances — once, after accepting payments for a pair of S$1,000 sneakers.
When one of his victims realised that the shoes he received were fake, Lee cooked up numerous lies, claiming for instance that he did not know they were replicas and that he had discarded the receipts from his supplier.
The Singaporean was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Thursday (Sept 12), but will start serving his sentence on Oct 25 as his lawyer said he will be sitting for O-Level examinations as a private candidate.
ADVERTISEMENT
His lawyer, Mr Tok Boon Leong, also told District Judge Ow Yong Tuck Leong that Lee has a “medical issue” and will undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Lee pleaded guilty to four counts of cheating, with another 15 charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
He has made partial restitution of S$5,130 to his victims.
The court heard that the police received several reports about Lee’s scam between July 24, 2016 and Jan 2, 2018.
He either delivered fake goods to his victims, or took their money and gave excuses for not handing over the items.
Court documents showed that the sale items included:
Adidas Ultra Boost shoes
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Pirate Black shoes
Adidas NMD R1 Primeknit Japan Triple black shoes
Nike Tom Sachs Mars Yard 2.0 shoes
Pants from Japanese brand A Bathing Ape
On one occasion, he duped a victim into handing over S$2,350 for four pairs of purportedly genuine Adidas shoes from the United States; they were actually fakes made in China.
The victim transferred the money over three transactions to Lee’s bank account, while the victim’s son also gave him S$750 in cash in person.
When the son took the shoes home, he realised they were fake and immediately contacted Lee. Lee lied that he would try to get a refund from his supplier, but ultimately did not do so and made several excuses.
Another victim paid S$2,000 for one pair of Adidas and one pair of Nike sneakers but they were never delivered.
Deputy Public Prosecutor R Arvindren sought at least nine months’ jail, noting that Lee had engaged “in a pattern of conduct… to cheat many victims over a prolonged period”.
“Given that online platforms have become a substantial source of shopping for many people in Singapore, it is regrettable that the accused has abused the platform, in this case Carousell, to cheat so many innocent victims,” he added.
While passing sentence, the judge said that Lee’s offences were premeditated, but noted that he had pleaded guilty and made partial restitution.
Lee could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each cheating charge.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapo...ousell-branded-goods-scam-earning-more-s10000
