The Police have arrested two male teenagers, aged 17 and 19, for their suspected involvement in using stolen credit card information to make unauthorised transactions.
On 1 December 2020, the Police received a report from a victim who discovered that several unauthorised transactions had been made using her credit card.
Through investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the two teenagers and arrested them on 4 December 2020. Preliminary investigations revealed that the 19-year-old male teenager had allegedly obtained the credit card information of the victim whilst working as a cashier at a restaurant where the victim had been. Both male teenagers then used the information to make unauthorised transactions amounting to about $180.
Police investigations are ongoing. The offence of retaining illegally obtained personal information under Section 416A of the Penal Code carries an imprisonment term of up to three years and a fine. The offence of unauthorized access to computer material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act, Chapter 50A carries a fine of up to $5,000, an imprisonment term of up to two years, or both.
The police would like to remind members of the public to safeguard their credit/debit card information and to always make credit/debit card payment in front of the cashier. 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.
Members of the public are also advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- Opt for an SMS notification to be sent to your mobile phone for any charges incurred on your credit/ debit card
- Check your bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or unauthorised charges; and
- Do not give out your credit/debit card details to strangers
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
05 December 2020 @ 7:30 PM