Woman Steals $7,000 From Cabby’s Account After He Hands Her His Phone To Make Cashless Payment

Woman Transfers $7,000 From Cabby’s Account, Could Face Jail, Fine Or Both

In the past, customers had just one way to for their taxi rides — cash. Now, however, apps like PayNow and PayLah! have made cashless payment a reality.

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Though this means increased convenience, it might also make taxi drivers more vulnerable to having their accounts accessed by dishonest passengers.

A Singapore cabby was the victim of just such a crime.

$7,000 transferred out of cabby’s savings account

The cabby was probably shocked when he found $7,000 missing from his account after he handed his phone to a passenger for payment purposes.

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According to a statement released by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Monday (16 Mar), the cabby picked up a 20-year-old Singaporean woman on 12 Mar.

As she wanted to pay her fare via PayNow, he trustingly handed his phone to the passenger while it was logged in to his Internet banking account.

The woman instead took the liberty of transferring out $7,000 from his account.

Cabby filed a police report after noticing his money gone

It was only later that day did he realise that the funds had been transferred out of his account. There was also a record of the shady transaction made by the passenger.

When he lodged a report, officers from the Tanglin Police Division swiftly identified and arrested the woman for her “suspected involvement in a case of unauthorised modification to computer material”, the statement said.

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The police are still conducting investigations.

Passenger faces up to 3 years’ jail, fine of up to $10,000

For stealing $7,000 from the cab driver, the woman could be charged under the Computer Misuse Act.

The offence of unauthorised modification to computer material under the Act allows for a prison sentence of up to 3 years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Prevent unauthorised use of banking app

The SPF also advised all Singaporeans to adopt the following measures to prevent their Internet banking being used by unauthorised people:

1. Don’t tell anyone your banking details or one-time password.
2. Don’t let anyone access your Internet banking account.
3. If you’re using a shared computer, always log out and clear the browsing history and cache.
D. Check your bank statements regularly for discrepancies or unauthorised transactions, and alert the bank if you find them.

As such, we hope this incident serves as a reminder to Singaporeans that convenience doesn’t mean one should let their guard down.

Do remain cautious about trusting others with your Internet banking applications and accounts.

Featured image adapted from Unsplash.