Singapore man jailed three months for hacking ex-girlfriend’s phone and transferring S$3,700 without consent
A 25-year-old Singapore man was jailed three months for secretly accessing his ex-girlfriend’s phone and transferring money to himself. Douglas Tsang pleaded guilty to two charges under the Computer Misuse Act and was ordered to repay the full amount he misappropriated.
- Tsang accessed his ex-girlfriend’s phone while she slept, using passcode and facial recognition.
- Between May–June 2024, he transferred S$2,700 to himself via DBS PayLah! and Revolut apps.
- He was sentenced to three months’ jail and must return the full amount taken.
SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old man was sentenced to three months in jail after unlawfully accessing his former girlfriend’s mobile phone and transferring money from her bank accounts without her consent.
Douglas Tsang was also ordered to repay the full sum taken.
He pleaded guilty on Jan 5 to two charges under Singapore’s Computer Misuse Act, with a third charge considered during sentencing.
Unauthorised access after relationship ended
Court documents show that Tsang had been given access to the victim’s phone during their relationship, which began in January 2024 and ended five months later.
The victim had shared her device passcode and permitted facial recognition access at the time.
After the couple separated on 9 May, they nevertheless travelled together to South Korea on a previously arranged trip.
Transfers made while victim was asleep
While overseas, Tsang accessed the victim’s phone on two occasions as she slept, used biometric authentication to enter her banking applications, and transferred S$1,000 (US$780.82) to himself, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
Upon returning to Singapore, the victim removed Tsang’s facial recognition access.
Further transactions carried out in Singapore
Despite this, Tsang later regained access using the passcode he already knew, reinstated biometric login for banking services, and continued making unauthorised transfers.
Charge sheets seen by Mothership showed that between 16 May and 5 June 2024, Tsang transferred S$2,300 (US$1,795.89) to himself through the victim’s DBS PayLah! account across five transactions.
He also transferred S$400 (US$312.33) using the Revolut application on 27 May.
Court finds breach of trust
The prosecution told the court that Tsang exploited the victim’s continued trust after the breakup, noting that she travelled and stayed with him during the trip.
Although Tsang later returned some money, the court heard these payments related to earlier loans and did not constitute restitution for the unauthorised transfers.
Sentence and mitigation
Tsang’s lawyer said he was remorseful, had cooperated with investigators, and entered an early guilty plea.
The court imposed a three-month jail term and ordered him to make full restitution.
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