The Police have arrested a 24-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in using a credit card belonging to another person to make unauthorised retail purchases amounting to more than $12,000.
On 13 December 2018, the Police received a report from the victim that his credit card was misused for multiple transactions. Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had lost his credit card. He later discovered that more than 200 unauthorised transactions were made using the card between October and December 2018.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the woman and arrested her along Lakepoint Drive on 3 Jan 2019. Various items, believed to have been purchased using the victim’s credit card, were seized as case exhibits.
The woman will be charged in court on 4 January 2019. 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. Any person who is convicted for unauthorised access to computer material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, Chapter 50A shall be punished to a fine not exceeding $5000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.
The Police would like to advise all credit / debit card holders to adopt the following measures to prevent unauthorised use of their cards:
- Opt for SMS OTP verification for purchases or charges to your credit / debit cards;
- Opt for an SMS to be sent to your handphone for any charges incurred on your credit / debit card;
- Check bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or fraudulent charges; and
- Do not give out your credit / debit card details to strangers.
The Police would also like to take this opportunity to remind merchants and sales staff 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 face and should contact their processing bank immediately for advice regarding if they detect anything suspicious.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
03 January 2019 @ 10:00 PM