The Police have arrested a 52-year-old man for his suspected involvement in using a credit card belonging to another person to make unauthorised transactions at an entertainment outlet.
On 21 June 2019, the Police received a report from a victim that there were two unauthorised transactions made with her missing credit card.
Through follow up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the man and arrested him on 23 July 2019. Preliminary investigations revealed that the man is believed to have picked up the victim’s credit card which she had left it at an AXS machine along Bedok North Street 1. The man then used the credit card to make the unauthorised transactions at an entertainment outlet amounting to about $300/-.
The man will be charged in court on 24 July 2019. Any person who is convicted for cheating by personation under Section 419 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 5 years, or with fine, or with both. Any person who is convicted for dishonest misappropriation of property under Section 403 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, shall be punished with a jail term which may extend to 2 years or a fine, or with both.
The Police would like to advise all credit/debit card holders to call their card-issuing banks immediately if their credit/debit cards are lost or stolen, and to adopt the following measures to prevent unauthorised use of their 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/debit 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 if they detect anything suspicious.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 July 2019 @ 4:45 PM