In Singapore, an 84-year-old woman named Hanna is suspected of being linked to at least five fraud cases involving total losses of $149,000.
The location of a alleged fraudster highlighted in a scam documentary was disclosed on Saturday when she appeared before authorities.
Singapore
‘State Courts for allegations of fraud.
The British national Dionne Marie Hanna, aged 84, was detained on March 28, shortly following a documentary titled
Con Mum
was launched on the streaming service Netflix. The series recounts how she supposedly deceived her son, causing him to accumulate debts, following their reunion.
Hanna made her appearance at the State Courts through a video link. Lying on a hospital bed wearing a striped shirt, she was accompanied by an investigating officer since she did not have legal representation.
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She subsequently faced five charges of fraud through misrepresentation, which involved three purported victims.
The authorities claim that Hannah reportedly defrauded her victims by offering them purported investment chances and claims to inheritances.
The victims were requested to move funds for covering legal costs and establishing offshore bank accounts, and were allegedly assured that they would receive reimbursement via Hanna’s inheritance.
It is alleged that two of the offenses took place in France, where Hanna purportedly misled an individual called Paiman Supangat.
From March 3 to March 5, Hanna reportedly informed him that he was required to cover legal expenses to establish a bank account, as well as to raise the sum she intended to contribute to his funds.
She is additionally accused of misleading Paiman into believing that she planned to return the money she was borrowing from him for her own shopping costs. According to the charges, however, she never intended to pay back the funds.
In Singapore, somewhere between February 17 and March 10, Hanna asserted that she belonged to the Brunei royal family, stated that she had an incurable case of cancer, and expressed her desire to pass on her fortune to Paiman and his son.
Apparently, she utilized claims about her medical issue to deceive another individual in Singapore named Mohamed Syafiq Paiman. It is said that she declared her intention to share her riches with him on March 10 of this year.
Hanna is believed to have duped a third victim, Mohamed Ariffin Mohamed Kawaja Kamaludin, who was at the location of the Grand Hyatt hotel in Singapore, specifically at 10 Scotts Road, between February 13 and February 14.
She reportedly carried out fraud by convincing him that she had terminal cancer, and claimed she wanted to donate SGD 3 million (USD 2.2 million) to Masjid Khalid and SGD 2 million to Mawar Community Services, an organization aiding former offenders.
The charge sheets failed to specify the extent of damages incurred by the supposed victims.
The Singapore police stated on Friday that Hanna is suspected of being linked to at least five fraud cases involving losses exceeding S$200,000.
The judge approved the prosecution’s request to keep Hanna in custody for a week after she was released from Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Additionally, they allowed authorities to take her out for further inquiries related to similar offenses.
When asked if she comprehended, Hanna responded faintly with a “yes.”
Her case will come up for discussion again on April 11.
The Singapore police stated that they have received complaints from victims starting from March 28th.
The victims only understood they had been deceived once Hanna was highlighted in the news.
Con Mum
, which was released on Netflix on March 25.
Con Mum
Follows the story of London-based pastry chef Graham Hornigold, whose world was turned upside down when a woman named Hanna, who claims to be his long-lost mother, resurfaced in 2020. In the movie, she goes by the name Dionne.
Portraying herself as the affluent offspring of the Sultan of Brunei, Hanna manages to deceive Hornigold and numerous others, swindling them out of over hundreds of thousands of pounds, as stated in the documentary. These events led to a rift between Hornigold and his associate.
The narrative unfolds via interviews with Hornigigold, his former partner, and other individuals who claim to have been victimized by Hanna.
In the conclusion, it is revealed that Hornigold has a video call with Hanna, who says she is in Malaysia. Nevertheless, various media accounts regarding the movie suggest her location remains unclear since Hanna chose not to take part in the documentary.
The DNA test presented at the conclusion of the documentary confirms that Hanna was actually Hornigold’s birth mother.
If found guilty of fraud through misrepresentation in Singapore, an individual could face imprisonment for as long as 20 years, a fine, or possibly both penalties.
This tale was initially released by
CNA
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