Murlidharan S/O Muhundan, a 45-year-old man was charged in court on 19 May 2022 for having allegedly cheated more than $1.6 million in a timeshare recovery fraud.
The man was alleged to have deceived two persons into believing that they would obtain payouts in relation to their timeshare agreements if they made payments for various fees, such as “administrative”, “processing” and “legal” fees. These persons did not receive any payouts after paying more than $1.6 million.
The man was charged with 21 counts of cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property under Section 420 of the Penal Code, two counts of abetting cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property under Section 420 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code, and two counts of attempted cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property under Section 420 read with Section 512(2) of the Penal Code in relation to timeshare agreements.
Those convicted of any of these offences face an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.
The Police would like to advise members of the public to be vigilant when receiving unsolicited calls from companies or persons purporting to help them recover monies from their timeshare memberships. They should also adopt the following precautions:
- Be wary when someone calls you regarding your timeshare membership.
- Refrain from providing any personal information or information on your timeshare membership to the caller.
- Conduct background checks on the company’s track record before engaging its services.
- Request for a copy of the documentation on their proposals, representations, contracts and agreements. Be wary if the company is reluctant to provide you with such documentation and only provides verbal promises.
- Check with the timeshare developer if the company had dealt with the former in the recovery of timeshare membership fees.
- Exercise extra caution especially if you are asked to make upfront payments with the promise of assisting you to recover your money from your timeshare memberships.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
19 May 2022 @ 2:45 PM