SINGAPORE - A woman who went to two clinics for dental treatments refused to pay the bills for their services totalling more than $8,000.

When they contacted her, Ng Hui Yi threatened to leave negative online reviews about the clinics.

Ng, 27, was on Monday sentenced to nine months and six weeks’ jail after she pleaded guilty to several charges, including two counts each of harassment and cheating. She had received treatments from two different clinics in Orchard Road on Dec 23, 2021.

At around 9am, she went to Orchard Scotts Dental at Liat Towers, where she underwent procedures that included teeth whitening.

The bill came up to around $3,200, and she presented a credit card to a clinic employee.

When it was rejected, Ng claimed that she had brought the wrong card with her and said she would return home to get the correct one.

But she failed to return to the clinic that day and instead went to TP Dental Surgeons at the nearby Ngee Ann City at around 3pm.

This time, she had teeth scaling and cavity filling among the procedures done. The bill came up to $5,103, and she presented a debit card to pay for it.

Again, she claimed to have brought the wrong card when it was rejected and asked to make the payment the following day.

Ng did not settle her bills with both clinics, and when contacted, she threatened to leave negative reviews about them online.

The staff of both facilities alerted the police on Dec 24, 2021.

In an unrelated incident, Ng phoned Illumia Medical at Wheelock Place in Orchard Road on Sept 15, 2021, and asked an employee who answered the call if the company’s director would donate $500 to her.

Ng also asked the customer service officer to pass all messages to the director before hanging up.

She then repeatedly rang the company, but the officer did not pick up the calls.

Ng later visited Illumia Medical, where another staff member advised her to seek financial assistance from a social worker.

The police were alerted after Ng replied: “You’re not scared that I use a bomb to bomb your clinic?”

She walked away and soon after, she harassed the company on more than 23,000 occasions.

Ng used nine different mobile phone numbers to repeatedly call the firm’s landline from Sept 16 to Oct 3, 2021, threatening to defame the business and its director.

She also sent many messages containing threats and vulgar language to Illumia Medical’s number on communication platform WhatsApp.

Separately, Ng stole more than $5,000 worth of cash and valuables, including a gold chain, from a neighbour on April 1, 2022.

She pawned the gold chain for $2,386. The neighbour alerted the police after he found his belongings missing.

For each count of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.