CNA Explains: What the law says about sugar dating in Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 23-year-old woman was sentenced to 11 months’ jail on Monday (Sep 15) for cheating a man she met through the controversial sugar dating platform, Sugarbook.

Chang Wai Chain had agreed to meet him for sex in exchange for S$400 (US$312), but did not go through with it and took S$8,100 from him after pretending to be underage.

Earlier this month, another woman admitted to making a false rape report after a dispute with a man she met on the platform. Claris Ling Min Rui, now 20, asked the 43-year-old man to pay her S$1,200, but he refused and offered only S$500. In retaliation, she called the police and lied that she had been raped. 

The cases have once again cast a spotlight on Sugarbook, which describes itself as a platform that facilitates “mutually beneficial” arrangements between sugar daddies and sugar babies.

What is sugar dating and is it legal?

Sugar dating typically involves a younger person offering companionship – with or without intimacy – in exchange for financial support from an older, more well-off individual.

According to Sugarbook’s website, such arrangements are between consenting adults, and may include "companionship, mentorship, financial and emotional support".

Lawyers told CNA that these arrangements are not specifically governed by law but are generally legal. 

“There are basically no rules about it, because at the end of the day, it’s a private, contractual arrangement between two consenting and willing adults,” said lawyer Chooi Jing Yen. 

In the eyes of the law, two private individuals can agree to “anything they want”, unless it is expressly prohibited by law, he added.

“You can have arrangements where you pay somebody for sex. So sugaring arrangements, paying them for their time or to go on dates with you and all that – not illegal.” 

When do such arrangements become illegal? 

Lawyers emphasised that issues arise when minors, fraud or extortion are involved.

Several men have been jailed after paying underage girls they met on Sugarbook for sex. 

In February, 42-year-old Mario Antonio Di Dier was sentenced to one-and-a-half years’ jail for paying a 16-year-old sugar baby for sex. In January last year, Benjamin Huang Junlong, 39, was jailed for sexual penetration of a 15-year-old girl and filming the act without her consent.

The legal age of consent in Singapore is 16, but it is an offence to have commercial sex with anyone under 18. 

Offenders may also face grooming or exploitation charges if there is a significant age gap, if the offender is in a position of authority, or if there is inducement such as payment or material rewards, said managing partner of Lighthouse Law Adrian Wee.

Basically, when minors are involved, the crimes have “nothing to do” with sugar dating, and the arrangements are illegal regardless of the nature of the relationship between the two parties, he said.

For example, sex with a person under 14 is rape. Sex with someone under 16 would be considered sexual penetration of a minor, which is an offence under the Women’s Charter.

Mr Chooi added that not knowing the other party’s true age is also not a defence, unless the person had no reason to disbelieve a false claim.

“If you fall short of actually checking, then that’s not a defence,” he said.

In Huang’s case, the 15-year-old girl’s Sugarbook profile had said she was 19 years old, and he did not verify her age, the court heard.

Sugarbook requires users to confirm that they are at least 18 years old at registration, the platform told CNA in response to queries. 

It said it uses Amazon Web Services’ artificial intelligence for age checks, along with verified phone numbers and facial verification.  

“While our systems are designed to prevent underage access, no system is bulletproof,” the platform said, noting that some users may misrepresent their age, falsify documents or “exploit gaps in automated verification”. 

Such cases are flagged for further checks, and if confirmed, the users’ accounts, credit cards, phone numbers and facial data are immediately banned. 

Sugarbook added that it is “constantly reviewing” ways to strengthen age verification, including working with third-party providers and using more advanced photo ID or passport checks.

“We take cases of underage access very seriously and work to improve safeguards,” said the platform. 

“We also advise our community to use our platform responsibly, and to comply with the laws of their country as we will not hold back in sharing user information to local authorities should the need arise.”

When does sugar dating cross into prostitution?

Sugarbook notes on its website that sugar dating is legal “as long as it doesn’t cross into prostitution-related arrangements”.

Lawyer Gloria James-Civetta said explicit payment for sexual services may amount to illegal prostitution. Public solicitation is also prohibited, and if a third party profits by arranging sexual activity, this could be an offence of living off the earnings of a prostitute. 

If Sugarbook were found to be facilitating prostitution, the platform – not the individuals – would be liable, Mr Wee said.

In 2018, the Ministry of Social and Family Development said in a parliamentary reply that platforms like Sugarbook commoditise relationships and target young people, adding that the police would monitor them closely.

What about cases of fraud and extortion?

Chang's case was treated as cheating, though prosecutors said it could have been extortion had the charge not been amended.

Invictus Law Corporation director Cory Wong said offences include catfishing, lying about age or promising payment without intention to follow through. Extortion may also arise if one party threatens exposure of intimate material.

Cheating and extortion can go both ways – lawyers pointed to cases where customers reneged on promises of payment to sugar babies.

In some instances, this could even invalidate consent and amount to rape, Mr Wong said.

One notable case was that of De Beers Wong Tian Jun, who lured sugar babies by posing as an agent who connected the women with well-off clients. He coerced sexual acts and threatened to circulate their nude photos.

Ms Vanessa Ho of Project X, which advocates for sex workers' rights in Singapore, said the group recorded three cases of individuals deceived or threatened into providing sexual services this year and four last year.

Individuals who are in sugar dating relationships should be clear about their terms and these should be captured in writing, she said. If they are owed money, they should remain calm, collate evidence and report the incident to the police, as well as seek legal advice.

Sugar daddies should also be cautious and do their own checks to determine the other party’s sincerity, she added.

“However, we must stress that the harm inflicted from being deceived into providing sexual services is arguably deeper and more damaging than the financial loss in such cases,” said Ms Ho.

“In speaking with victims, it is clear that the trauma of being scammed of sexual services is comparable to the trauma of being raped. Victims experience flashbacks, heightened anxiety and ongoing psychological distress.”

Mr Chooi, the lawyer, said sugar dating arrangements are fundamentally private contracts. If one party does not pay or deliver as promised, it would be a breach of contract and a civil matter.

But where fraud or cheating is involved, it becomes criminal – especially if the alleged offender never intended to fulfil the arrangement.