SINGAPORE - A scammer cheated multiple victims of nearly $714,000 in total by using several methods, including convincing two people – a neighbour and a friend – to buy “shares” from him.

Dutch national Rafiq Shamoon Omer, 50, pleaded guilty on Thursday to four counts of cheating involving more than $532,000 and was sentenced to three years and nine months’ jail.

Three other charges linked to the remaining amount were considered during sentencing.

Rafiq, who used to be a director and shareholder at software development firm Yumzy, befriended one of the complainants, Mr Matthijs Gerben Van Der Gaag, as their children went to the same pre-school.

In March 2014, Rafiq claimed to be part of an “angel investor network” through which he could purportedly buy shares of companies before they were released via initial public offerings (IPOs).

Rafiq offered to purchase shares of such companies on behalf of Mr Van Der Gaag, who agreed to buy 13,500 shares of home rental firm Airbnb from him for US$155,520 (around S$194,600 at the time).

The men then entered into a written agreement stating that Rafiq was to transfer the shares to Mr Van Der Gaag within 180 days of Airbnb’s IPO.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Jordon Li told the court that according to the arrangement, the monies would be refunded to Mr Van Der Gaag if Airbnb did not launch an IPO.

Mr Van Der Gaag transferred the cash to Rafiq’s bank account on April 15, 2014, without knowing that the scammer was, in fact, not in a position to acquire the shares for him before Airbnb launched an IPO.

Using a similar method, Rafiq cheated Mr Van Der Gaag again later that year by convincing him to purportedly buy 15,000 shares of software company Cloudera from him for US$243,300.

The prosecutor said that Rafiq later used the monies for his personal expenses.

Realising he had been cheated, Mr Van Der Gaag lodged a police report in May 2015. Rafiq has since returned nearly $137,000 to him.

Rafiq struck again in May 2018 when he lied to a neighbour, claiming that he had some shares in US-based company Carbon Black that he was looking to sell.

The neighbour then agreed to buy the shares for US$25,500 and transferred the monies to Rafiq’s bank account.

The scammer used the money for his personal expenses, and the neighbour alerted the police in December 2018.

In early 2020, Rafiq checked into the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach in Beach Road and told staff there that he had lost his credit cards.

One of his former colleagues agreed to help him by allowing the hotel to charge the pre-authorisation amount to her credit card.

The hotel would then release the amount, which was not disclosed in court documents, once Rafiq obtained new credit cards. The charge would then be transferred to these cards.

On March 2, 2020, he used an express checkout to leave the hotel and did not make any payments.

The hotel then charged the amount he incurred, totalling nearly $18,410, to the former colleague’s credit card.

The woman approached the hotel on March 3, 2020, to dispute the charges. The hotel then agreed to process a refund and seek to obtain payment from Rafiq.

On March 5, 2020, he sent a screenshot to a front office manager, purportedly showing a transfer of the monies from his bank account to one belonging to the hotel.

However, the hotel did not receive the payment as stated in the screenshot. In fact, there were insufficient funds in Rafiq’s bank account to satisfy this funds transfer, said DPP Li.

Rafiq eventually made full payment to the hotel some time before November 2020.

On Thursday, defence lawyer Tan Jun Yin said her client has conditions including narcissistic personality disorder that affected his culpability for the offences.

She added that Rafiq, who has shown genuine remorse, knew he had these conditions only while he was in remand.