SINGAPORE – A man, 53, was charged on Tuesday over allegedly deceiving a foreigner and making him pay $36,000 to buy a car and ship it to him in South Africa.

Chong Chew Lim, a Singaporean, was charged with one count of cheating and one count of taking part in the management of a company while being an undischarged bankrupt.

The accused allegedly deceived the victim on five occasions, between August and September 2020, into believing that he had arranged for a Chevrolet Trailblazer sports utility vehicle (SUV) to be shipped to Durban, South Africa.

The police said the victim allegedly paid US$27,000 (S$36,000) to a freight company managed by Chong to buy and ship the vehicle overseas.

The nationality of the victim was not mentioned in the charge sheets.

Chong allegedly had no intention of delivering the vehicle and repeatedly deceived the victim into believing that the SUV was being shipped.

Investigations revealed that Chong was an undischarged bankrupt who took part in the management of the company, Champ Freight, between January 2018 and September 2020 without permission from the court, said the police.

If found guilty of cheating, an offender can be jailed for up to three years, fined or both.

An undischarged bankrupt who is convicted of managing a corporation without permission from the court can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $10,000, or both.