Trading personal credentials for a monthly stipend landed a 29-year-old man behind bars on Nov 12 as courts cracked down on identity exploitation and illicit drug offenses, The Straits Times reported.
Loh Kai Siang received a sentence of eight months and three weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to three charges in court.
Loh Joined a Telegram Group to Approve Transactions
Loh joined a Telegram group named “fastcash” in 2023, where he met an acquaintance known as “Jay La” who advertised ways to earn quick money.
Jay La promised Loh $500 a month in exchange for scanning QR codes with his Singpass credentials to approve transactions for newly established business entities.
Between December 2023 and January 2024, Jay La registered Loh as the sole proprietor of “Songvie” and as the director of “Ruman”. Court documents showed that Loh exercised no oversight over either company and remained entirely unaware of their daily operations.
Work Passes for Unseen Foreigners
From March 2024, Jay La routinely sent QR codes for Loh to scan using his Singpass account despite Loh having no knowledge of what the underlying transactions involved.
Between March and June 2024, work passes were successfully obtained for 16 foreign nationals in connection with the phantom entities Songvie and Ruman. Loh did not know any of these individuals, according to court proceedings.
Ministry of Manpower prosecutors Melanie Tan and Mohd Fadhli said that Loh played an instrumental role in the scheme. His approval of the transactions enabled Jay La to utilize his Singpass credentials for fraudulent work pass applications.
Drug Trafficking Arrest
Law enforcement authorities arrested Loh on Jan 5, 2026, on suspicion of trafficking Kpods, which are etomidate-laced vapes.
Officers discovered Kpods inside his bedroom during the search, items which Loh admitted he intended for his own personal consumption. He also confessed during questioning that he had previously sold Kpods to other buyers, generating $390 from the illicit sales.
Loh pleaded guilty to two charges for obtaining work passes for businesses that do not exist, alongside a third charge for possessing cash derived from drug dealing. For obtaining a work pass for a nonexistent business, offenders face a jail term ranging from six months to two years, alongside a fine of up to $6,000.
During mitigation, Loh expressed remorse for his actions and requested a lighter sentence from the bench. He also asked for a short deferment of his sentence to settle personal affairs, which the judge granted.
