https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/identity-thief-forged-nric-and-tried-to-secure-2-9m-loan-using-victims-landed-property-as-leverage
Identity thief forged NRIC and tried to get $2.9m loan using victim’s landed property as collateral
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The victim, Mr Elgar Kwek, and his partner, Ms Brenda Chow, at the landed property in Katong that Mr Kwek owns
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
SINGAPORE – It was the day after April Fool’s, and Mr Elgar Kwek thought the pranks and cruel jokes were behind him.
He opened a letter he had received from the Singapore Land Authority (SLA).
It showed a caveat – a legal document obtained by a potential buyer who wants to exercise an option to buy a property – had been lodged by a credit company against a landed property in Katong he owns with his mother.
Mr Kwek, 49, and his partner, Ms Brenda Chow, were surprised. He was not planning to sell the home bought in 2008, whose mortgage he had paid off in 2019.
Mr Kwek, a freelance violinist, called the credit company and learnt that someone had submitted what was supposed to be his NRIC to obtain a loan.
The imposter also submitted a notice of assessment, which may have been forged, stating that he had earned an income of $170,000 in 2025 from two companies registered in his name.
Mr Kwek said he has no links to the companies, one registered in 2023 and the other in 2025.
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The credit company told him the identity thief had engaged a law firm to lodge the caveat, and further investigations found that the thief had engaged another law firm to secure from SLA a replacement deed for Mr Kwek’s home.
The credit company said the imposter had tried to use the property as collateral to get a $2.9 million loan from the credit company.
“They were just one small step away from getting the $2.9 million loan and I’m very sure they would have run away with that money,” said Mr Kwek.
Checks by The Straits Times revealed that he may not be the only victim.
A woman, whose name appears in relation to the same two companies, said someone had stolen her identity as well, using a similar modus operandi, including a forged NRIC.
Alice (not her real name) said the identity thief also tried to use her details to secure a loan of more than $2 million from a foreign bank.
In her case, the identity thief listed her address in the forged NRIC as a landed property in Swanage Road, near Mr Kwek’s home. His forged NRIC had listed the same address – a house belonging to his mother.
The victims, who do not know each other, made separate police reports when they learnt that their identities had been stolen.
Both incidents are now being investigated by the police.
SLA and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA), the business registry, are also conducting a probe. An SLA spokesperson said it is looking into a suspected impersonation case.
“We are unable to comment on the specific case in the ongoing investigation. We have been in contact with the affected parties, and there continues to be close monitoring of filings with SLA,” said the spokesperson.
For now, the caveat has been cancelled and Mr Kwek gets to keep his home.
“How can the law firms not do their due diligence – the NRIC is obviously fake? The photo in the NRIC is of a totally different man.
“I’m also shocked at how someone could impersonate me to register companies in Singapore without me finding out,” he said.
Strange visit
The first hint of trouble was when a group booked his home for a three-hour photo shoot on April 1.
Mr Kwek rents out his property for photo shoots and filming. His home is filled with antiques that he had collected over 15 years that reflect a bygone era in Singapore.
Mr Elgar Kwek rents out his property for photo shoots and filming. His home is filled with antiques he had collected over 15 years that reflect a bygone era in Singapore.
ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Mr Kwek said he had a performance at a company event on April 1, so Ms Chow stayed home to keep an eye on the shoot.
She told ST that during the shoot, she noticed a woman away from the others.
“I was told she was the film producer and that I should not speak to her so as not to interrupt her artistic process,” she added.
But when she noticed the woman was taking measurements of the property and writing them down, she decided to approach the woman.
“She appeared shocked when I asked if she was a producer. She told me that she was a property valuer.
“She said she had been hired to take the measurements. I immediately asked her to stop and leave,” said Ms Chow, adding that she then alerted Mr Kwek.
A man who gave his name as “Andy” had rented the place. Mr Kwek showed ST the chat logs with the man that he had kept.
In it, “Andy” claimed he had no idea the woman was a property valuer.
ST contacted “Andy” on May 21. He confirmed that he had rented Mr Kwek’s place for a photo shoot, but declined to provide further information, citing ongoing investigations.
Verify claims
Mr Kwek said representatives from the credit company met him at his home on April 3 to verify his claims.
During the meeting, they said someone claiming to be him had provided a copy of an NRIC and a notice of assessment.
They gave Mr Kwek a copy of the NRIC. The photo, Chinese name and date of birth were not his.
The man in the forged NRIC was bespectacled. Mr Kwek, who does not use glasses, said he does not recognise the man.
He added that the address in the forged NRIC was where he had lived previously.
Alice said that one of the companies, which lists Mr Kwek as shareholder and director, was registered by her.
She said she was not notified when Mr Kwek’s details were added to her business.
Alice said she was interviewed by police in April after Mr Kwek reported the incident. That was when she learnt she was a victim as well.
The imposter used her photo in the forged NRIC, but Mr Kwek’s mother’s name and address.
Copies of the forged NRICs were shown to ST.
Caveat withdrawn
ACRA told ST that those looking to incorporate companies in Singapore will need to do it through its platform Bizfile.
Individuals will need to access their Singpass with facial verification to authenticate the process.
Registered corporate service providers (CSP) can also help individuals register companies, but without the need for Singpass and facial recognition.
“If an incorporation is carried out by a CSP, the CSP must ensure that the transaction is authorised and perform customer due diligence, which includes establishing the identities of all proposed directors and obtaining written consent from the proposed director,” a spokesperson for ACRA told ST, adding that the organisation could not comment on the case as it is under investigation.
After establishing that someone had stolen his identity, Mr Kwek told the credit company to withdraw the caveat, which it complied with.
ST reached out to the law firm which had acted for the credit company to check on due diligence steps that it took to verify Mr Kwek’s identity. The firm declined to comment, citing ongoing investigations.
A second law firm, which had secured the replacement deed, confirmed it is cooperating with the relevant authorities. It declined further comment.
Mr Kwek said the firm was not helpful when he tried to learn who ordered the replacement deed.
“I called up the law firm to try to have some closure and to find out what actually happened but they (the staff) were very rude to me.
“They did a disservice to me but they said they will not meet me even after this whole saga ends,” he added.
A spokesperson for SLA said applications such as replacement certificate of titles and caveats are lodged by law firms acting on behalf of clients in the lodgment of the instruments with SLA.
“SLA requires applications to be supported by documents, including statutory declarations and certificates of correctness,” the spokesperson added.
Under the Land Titles Act, the certificate of correctness is a legal declaration that all information submitted for land or property registration is accurate.
Mr Kwek said while he was “inconvenienced”, he noted that the credit company would have suffered significant losses.
“I am very amused and amazed by what the scammers have done, especially as it involves very important government agencies and law firms,” he added.
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