Taiwanese man allegedly bought 3 iPhones using stolen credit card details, handed them to 2 S’poreans
Three men, one Taiwanese and two Singaporeans, have been arrested for suspected payment fraud after a victim’s card was charged S$5,700 in unauthorised transactions.
The Taiwanese had allegedly used stolen credit card details to buy various items, including three iPhones, said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a news release last Friday (12 June) sent to MS News.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Taiwanese identified after police report made on 10 June
The victim filed a report with SPF on 10 June, saying that a total of S$5,697 had been charged to his credit card across two unauthorised transactions.
Officers from the Central Police Division investigated the case by conducting extensive ground enquiries and viewing images from CCTV and police cameras.
They eventually identified a 28-year-old Taiwanese man.
Taiwanese allegedly bought 3 iPhones via NFC payments, using stolen credit card details
The Taiwanese allegedly used a mobile app to load stolen credit card details into his phone, according to preliminary investigations.
He then allegedly fraudulently purchased three units of iPhone 17 Pro Max from a store via Near-Field Communication (NFC) payments.
In fact, further investigations revealed that he also allegedly bought more items, such as electronic devices and gold jewellery, using stolen credit card details, acting upon the instructions of an overseas handler.
Source: Singapore Police Force
He would then hand over the items to two Singaporean men, both aged 24. The Singaporeans would subsequently pass on the items to unknown persons within Singapore, SPF said.
Police arrested men, seize items & cash as evidence
The three men were arrested within 48 hours of the victim filing the report, SPF noted.
Police seized phones, digital devices and about S$57,000 in cash from them.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Various items believed to have been fraudulently obtained were also seized as evidence, including phones, a pair of wireless earphones and gold jewellery.
Source: Singapore Police Force
Trio charged with Conspiracy to Commit Cheating
The trio were all involved in the same scheme, according to the investigations.
Last Saturday (13 June), they were charged in court with the offence of Conspiracy to Commit Cheating under Section 420 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871.
If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in prison, and a fine and/or caning.
Using another’s card without authorisation is a serious offence
SPF reminded members of the public that using another person’s credit or debit card without authorisation is a serious offence.
The police takes “a serious view” against those who commit fraud, and will deal with perpetrators in accordance with the law.
Credit and debit cardholders should call their banks immediately if their cards are lost or stolen, SPF noted, advising them to adopt crime prevention measures.
They include opting for SMS phone notifications for any charges incurred, and not clicking on URL links in unsolicited emails and text messages.
Card details and One-Time Passwords should also not be given out, especially to unknown persons.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Police Force.
