Nicholas Tan Zhi Hao, 25, pretends to be woman on app, lures 3 men to home, extorts S$6,302 from them

[Flibbertigibbet]

S'porean man, 25, pretends to be woman on app, lures 3 men to home, extorts S$6,302 from them​

He extorted them by claiming he was the woman's brother and the men were engaging a minor.



Belmont Lay

March 25, 2026, 12:45 PM​

A 25-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced on Mar. 24 to two years' jail and two strokes of the cane for posing as a woman and extorting a number of men.
Nicholas Tan Zhi Hao, a polytechnic engineering student, befriended and flirted with the men on an app.

He subsequently extorted S$6,302 from three victims after they showed up at a residential unit in hopes of meeting a woman named "Sydney Tan".

Tan, who lived in Bukit Batok and posed as Sydney Tan, claimed to be the woman's brother and accused the victims of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with his fictitious sister, who he said was a minor.

The three victims were aged between 26 and 39 years old.

Tan had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of extortion.

Another charge under the Computer Misuse Act was taken into consideration during sentencing, according to 8world.

What happened​

In November 2024, Tan created an account named "Sydney Tan" on the messaging app Kik and posed as a woman to chat with men, Shin Min Daily News reported.

He would discuss sexual matters with the men and even swap explicit photos before arranging to invite the men over to have sexual relations.

When the victims showed up, Tan would appear and claim to be Sydney Tan's brother.

He threatened to call the police by claiming that his sister was only a minor and that the men were engaged in grooming an underage person.

Agreed to settle matter privately​

Fearing they would be exposed, the victims agreed to settle the matter privately and paid Tan sums of money that he demanded.

The first victim showed up at Tan's apartment on Nov. 19, 2024.

He transferred S$2,802.21 to Tan.

The second victim arrived on Nov. 23 and gave S$3,000 and recorded an "apology" video.

The third victim was asked to pay S$1,500 on Dec. 6.

But he said he was unable to pay the full amount and transferred S$500, and recorded an apology video.

After leaving the apartment, he reported the incident to the police.

Tan was arrested by police on Dec. 11 that year and released on bail.

He subsequently made restitution to the victims.

Sentencing​

In reaching his sentence, the judge said there was more than one victim and an element of premeditation involved in Tan's crimes.

The judge added that even though Tan did not distribute the victims' videos, there was still a risk of damaging their reputation.

It was also noted that Tan had expressed remorse and fully compensated the victim, while also cooperating with investigations.

However, the judge said Tan's lack of a prior offence and the fact that he was only 24 years old at the time the crimes were committed were not an excuse for breaking the law.

 

[rocket]

S'porean man, 25, pretends to be woman on app, lures 3 men to home, extorts S$6,302 from them​

He extorted them by claiming he was the woman's brother and the men were engaging a minor.


Belmont Lay

March 25, 2026, 12:45 PM​

A 25-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced on Mar. 24 to two years' jail and two strokes of the cane for posing as a woman and extorting a number of men.
Nicholas Tan Zhi Hao, a polytechnic engineering student, befriended and flirted with the men on an app.

He subsequently extorted S$6,302 from three victims after they showed up at a residential unit in hopes of meeting a woman named "Sydney Tan".

Tan, who lived in Bukit Batok and posed as Sydney Tan, claimed to be the woman's brother and accused the victims of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with his fictitious sister, who he said was a minor.

The three victims were aged between 26 and 39 years old.

Tan had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of extortion.

Another charge under the Computer Misuse Act was taken into consideration during sentencing, according to 8world.

What happened​

In November 2024, Tan created an account named "Sydney Tan" on the messaging app Kik and posed as a woman to chat with men, Shin Min Daily News reported.

He would discuss sexual matters with the men and even swap explicit photos before arranging to invite the men over to have sexual relations.

When the victims showed up, Tan would appear and claim to be Sydney Tan's brother.

He threatened to call the police by claiming that his sister was only a minor and that the men were engaged in grooming an underage person.

Agreed to settle matter privately​

Fearing they would be exposed, the victims agreed to settle the matter privately and paid Tan sums of money that he demanded.

The first victim showed up at Tan's apartment on Nov. 19, 2024.

He transferred S$2,802.21 to Tan.

The second victim arrived on Nov. 23 and gave S$3,000 and recorded an "apology" video.

The third victim was asked to pay S$1,500 on Dec. 6.

But he said he was unable to pay the full amount and transferred S$500, and recorded an apology video.

After leaving the apartment, he reported the incident to the police.

Tan was arrested by police on Dec. 11 that year and released on bail.

He subsequently made restitution to the victims.

Sentencing​

In reaching his sentence, the judge said there was more than one victim and an element of premeditation involved in Tan's crimes.

The judge added that even though Tan did not distribute the victims' videos, there was still a risk of damaging their reputation.

It was also noted that Tan had expressed remorse and fully compensated the victim, while also cooperating with investigations.

However, the judge said Tan's lack of a prior offence and the fact that he was only 24 years old at the time the crimes were committed were not an excuse for breaking the law.

What is Nicholas 's moniker in sbf?