Taiwanese man arrested for alleged credit card fraud

SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old Taiwanese man has been arrested for his suspected involvement in credit card fraud, the police said in a statement on Feb 27.

The police said it received a call on Feb 26 regarding a suspicious credit card transaction attempt at a mobile phone store in Far East Plaza.

Officers from the Tanglin Police Division responded to the situation and arrested the man at the scene, with assistance from the store owner and security officers from the mall.

Preliminary investigations found that the man arrived in Singapore earlier on Feb 26 and was allegedly working for an overseas criminal syndicate.

He was believed to have used the contactless payment method – also known as near-field communications technology – linked to stolen credit card details to make fraudulent purchases at various locations in Singapore.

The police believe the man has used this modus operandi to defraud multiple businesses, including the fraudulent purchase of $1,110 worth of Razer Gold eGift cards from several 7-11 stores before his arrest.

The man is expected to be charged on Feb 28 with the offence of conspiracy to cheat. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

“The police would like to remind members of the public that unauthorised use of another person’s credit or debit card is a serious offence and take a serious view against any person who commits fraud,” the statement said.

The police advised members of the public to call their card-issuing banks immediately if their credit or debit cards are lost or stolen.

It also urged people to adopt crime prevention measures such as keeping their credit or debit cards safe with them at all times and opting in to receive SMS notifications for any charges incurred on such cards.

People should also avoid clicking on URL links in unsolicited e-mails and text messages, revealing their one-time password and giving out their card details to unknown people.