The Police have arrested two men and one woman, aged between 25 and 50, for their suspected involvement in two separate cases of using other persons’ credit cards to make unauthorised retail purchases.
In the first case, on 3 November 2018, the Police were alerted to a case of theft at a swimming pool located along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh. The victim reported that his wallet which contained his identification documents and several credit cards were stolen. One of the victim’s credit cards was then allegedly used to make unauthorised retail purchases amounting to more than $6,500. Through extensive ground enquiries and with the aid of CCTV footages, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department arrested a 50-year-old man on 14 November 2018 at about 9.20 pm. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to be involved in at least two other similar cases.
In the second case, on 10 November 2018, the Police received a report from a victim who found her wallet missing along Choa Chu Kang Central. She later discovered several unauthorised transactions amounting to more than $2,800 were made with her missing credit cards. Through extensive follow up investigations, a 25-year-old woman and a 30-year-old man, were arrested on 15 November 2018 at about 1.10 am. Two mobile phones were seized as case exhibits.
The 50-year-old man will be charged in court on 16 November 2018 with theft and cheating under Section 379 and Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, respectively. If convicted of theft, he shall be punished with a jail term which may extend to 3 years or a fine, or with both. If convicted of cheating, he shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall be liable to a fine.
The 25-year-old woman and 30-year-old man will also be charged in court on 16 November 2018 with cheating with common intention under Section 420 read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 and dishonest misappropriation of property under Section 403 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. Any person who is convicted for dishonest misappropriation of property shall be punished with a jail term which may extend to 2 years or a fine, or with both.
The Police would like to remind members of the public to be vigilant of their surroundings and to safeguard their belongings in public and crowded places. Merchants and sales staff are advised to exercise vigilance and adopt correct card acceptance procedures when processing credit card transactions. They should look out for the name and security features on the card and contact the processing bank immediately for advice if suspicious activities are detected.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
15 November 2018 @ 7:25 PM