Standard Chartered Bank manager fined $12k for using colleagues' computers to look up BF's ex-wife

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
Feb 26, 2024

A relationship manager at Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) used her colleagues’ computers to conduct unauthorised searches on her then boyfriend’s former wife, who was one of the bank’s clients.

Camie Low Jia Mei, who is no longer working for the bank, committed the offences on eight separate occasions in 2020 to check the woman’s transaction history during the couple’s divorce proceedings.

Low also wanted to find out if the woman had the means to repay certain debts allegedly owed to Low’s then boyfriend.

Low, 34, was fined $12,000 on Feb 26 after she pleaded guilty to two charges under the Computer Misuse Act.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Maximilian Chew said that there is no evidence of actual harm suffered by the bank or the former wife.

However, he stressed there was high potential for harm, adding: “The... data, which concerned confidential bank information and records, could have easily been misused against (the former wife) by the accused or a third party.

“Such conduct also has the potential to bring serious disrepute to the integrity and security of our financial institutions, which are a cornerstone of Singapore’s economy.”

DPP Chew said the case involved the bank’s computer system, which enables all of its branches and units to support banking services on a single network.

Known as the eEnabled Branch Banking system, the platform allows employees to access client information, including a customer’s address and account transaction history.

Low, who was not the former wife’s relationship manager, was not authorised to access the woman’s information.

Despite this, over five separate instances between June 2 and Nov 11, 2020, Low approached a branch service manager and lied that she wanted to access the data of one of her own clients.

The branch service manager allowed Low to use her computer. Low then used the computer system to access the former wife’s information.

Closed-circuit television camera footage later showed Low writing notes and using her mobile phone to snap pictures of the computer screen.

She also committed similar offences on three other occasions within the same period after she approached a branch operations manager

Court documents did not disclose how the offences came to light, but Low was placed on administrative leave on Nov 30, 2020, following an internal investigation by the bank.

The police were alerted on Jan 15, 2021, and Low was dismissed the following month.