The Police have arrested two women, aged 26 and 60, for their suspected involvement in using another person’s credit card to make unauthorised transactions at retail outlets.
On 28 May 2019, the Police received a report from a victim that he had lost his credit card and there were several unauthorised transactions made on his credit card amounting to more than $1,500.
Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identities of the women and arrested them on 12 September 2019. An assortment of apparels, toiletries, handbags, health care products, a pairs of spectacles and two stored value cards, believed to have been purchased using the victim’s credit card, were seized as case exhibits. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 26-year-old woman is believed to have picked up the victim’s credit card and made the unauthorised transactions together with the 60-year-old woman.
The women will be charged in court on 13 September 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 with a fine, or with both. Any person who is convicted for cheating shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to a fine.
The Police would like to remind members of the public to be vigilant of their surroundings and to safeguard their belongings in public. Merchants and sales staff are advised 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 contact their processing bank immediately for advice if they detect anything suspicious.
The Police would also 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 notification to be sent to your mobile phone 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.
Case Exhibits Seized
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
12 September 2019 @ 7:15 PM