Filipino jailed over bank scam in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Four days after the state visit of President Noynoy Aquino here, a Singaporean court sent a 28-year-old Filipino to jail the other day (March 15).

Engineer Mark Robert Landchico was sentenced to serve 18 months after the court found him guilty of illegally helping foreigners defraud Standard Chartered Bank of more than US$317,000.

Court records showed that Landicho worked with two former employees from a telemarketing company to manipulate transactions with the bank over a period from July to October 2009.

The group forged the entry of their clients’ payslips so it will meet the bank’s minimum income requirement for securing credit. Landicho allegedly got US$75 for every transaction.

Landicho became a participant of the scam after he advertised the illegal operation as a legal transaction through the pinoyssg.com website.

It was known that he was once a client of the syndicate. After the approval of his credit prerequisite despite his annual salary that was way below the qualified amount, he then proceeded to join the group.

According to Today, a leading newspaper here, another Filipino, 26-year-old Charon Dimpas is now serving her 45 months time after admitting last November that she was part of the scam.

Landicho and Dimpas met sometime in July 2009 when the latter applied for a credit line. – THE FREEMAN