A curious case has emerged from Singapore involving a man who voluntarily surrendered to the police after committing a crime for nearly a year. Jonathan Wee Jianwei, aged 29, was implicated in a scheme that exploited a bug in PayPal to 'steal' laptops.
The Scheme Unfolds
In essence, Jianwei and his accomplices took advantage of a security flaw in the PayPal system to manipulate it for refunds while still keeping the laptops they purchased. This operation was conducted collaboratively and dates back to 2019. Although Jianwei was involved, he was not the mastermind behind the scheme.
Meet the Collaborators
Calvin Fong, 31, was the individual who initially introduced Jianwei to this scheme. Fong revealed a method to earn money by having Jianwei buy laptops through his bank account, which was linked to PayPal. He promised to reimburse his childhood friend for the cost of the laptops after they were delivered.
The Exploitation of the Bug
Fong explained the technical aspects of the scheme, demonstrating how he utilized the bug in PayPal's payment system. This flaw allowed the funds paid to the seller to be automatically refunded to the buyer's PayPal account, even though the laptops were still shipped to the registered address.
- Once the laptops were sent to Alden Low, another participant, Fong would retrieve them and pay a commission of about 40% of the laptop's price.
- This refund process allowed them to keep the laptops without incurring any actual costs.
Recruitment of New Participants
By February 2020, Low approached Jianwei to replicate the same modus operandi. The two had previously served in the military together, which facilitated their collaboration. Low outlined that participants needed to link their bank accounts to PayPal, maintaining only a small balance. He also transferred funds to other participants for laptop purchases.
Fong managed the logistics remotely, placing orders online using his PayPal account. All laptops sent to the participants' addresses were picked up by Fong, ensuring that each participant received a 40% commission from the purchase price.
Conclusion
Under Fong's guidance, Jianwei transferred approximately 6,701 Singapore dollars (around 93 million IDR) to purchase a Lenovo laptop, fully aware of the scheme's nature. Ultimately, the continuous exploitation of the PayPal bug led to his decision to come forward and surrender.
Source: https://tekno.kompas.com/read/2026/07/18/19010077/setahun-eksploitasi-bug-paypal-untuk-curi-laptop-pelaku-akhirnya-serahkan-diri
