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A 20-year-old Malaysian woman working as a clerk in Singapore has been sentenced to four months in prison for embezzling over SGD38,000 (approximately RM126,000) from her workplace — money she later spent on virtual gifts for her favourite TikTok idols
As reported by Singapore-based outlet Lianhe Zaobao, the accused, Zhou Yu En (name transliterated from Mandarin), pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust last Thursday, 10 July.
A second charge of falsifying receipts was also taken into consideration during sentencing.
According to court documents, Zhou was employed by recycling company Xinlixing Hardware and Environment Protection Pte Ltd, earning a monthly salary of SGD2,300 (RM7,600)
Her job involved handling cash at the office's front counter, where customers selling recyclable materials were paid based on weight.
The court heard that between 2 December 2024 and 9 January 2025 — while her boss was overseas — Zhou stole a total of SGD38,315 (RM126,000) by dipping into the company's cash box 42 times.
To cover her tracks, she created fake receipts with false item entries and forged signatures.
On 8 January, the company director noticed inconsistencies in the accounts and confronted Zhou the following day.
She admitted to stealing the money, and the company subsequently lodged a police report.
Image for illustration purposes only.
Image via AFP/New Straits TimesZhou initially told authorities she took the money to help pay off her father's debts
However, she later confessed that the funds were actually used to send virtual gifts to her favourite Chinese idols on TikTok.
