'Dad', 'cop' could be charged too The New Paper | Thu, Nov 24, 2011 THE people behind the scam have broken several laws, said lawyer Foo Cheow Ming of KhattarWong. For threatening the men who contacted the girls, the man claiming to be the father can be charged with criminal intimidation. For telling the men to pay up or he would go to the police, they can be charged with extortion. The men pretending to be the fathers can be charged with cheating by impersonation, for dishonestly inducing the victims to give them money to stay out of trouble. The man who contacted the men on the pretext of being a policeman can be charged for impersonating a public servant. If the pictures in the advertisements are of innocent girls and used without permission, the scammer can be charged with criminal defamation as the ads imply that the girls provide sexual services. Said Mr Foo: "This is applicable if the girls are in Singapore, or if the girls are abroad but come here to file a report." He said the men involved could also get into trouble as they can be charged with abetting sexual grooming. However, actions proving that the person had intended to sexually groom a minor under 16 years old need to have been taken at least twice. Mr Foo said: "For example, if a person had travelled all the way to meet a 15-year-old after expressing an intention to have sexual relations, even if they did not actually have sex, the man can be charged of abetting sexual grooming if they had met twice." Mr Foo said men who have sex with a minor can be charged with underaged sex. But if the scam is proven to be fraudulent from the start, Mr Foo said the police may not press charges of sexual grooming. Those convicted of criminal intimidation can be jailed up to two years and fined. Extortion carries a seven-year jail term and caning. Those cheating by impersonation can be jailed up to 10 years and fined. For criminal defamation and for impersonating a public servant, one can be jailed up to two years and fined. For abetting sexual grooming, one can be jailed up to three years and fined. This article was first published in The New Paper.