SINGAPORE: A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been arrested for stealing credit card details obtained from the Internet and using them to buy products worth more than S$19,000 in order to resell them for a profit, the police said on Friday (Oct 27).
The police received a report from one of the man’s victims – a foreigner living in Singapore – on Oct 16.
She reported that multiple fraudulent purchases had been made on her credit card to an online concierge and delivery service provider.
Following investigations, officers from the Bedok police division then arrested the man at Hougang Avenue 10 on Thursday.
The investigations revealed that the suspect had made more than 50 fraudulent transactions with the online concierge and delivery service provider, using details from more than 15 cards he illegally obtained, said the police.
They added that he had targeted “highly marketable products” such as formula milk powder, diapers, tonic wines and bird’s nests.
Some products the suspect ordered. (Photos: Singapore Police Force)
The man is believed to have been acting alone, the police said, adding that his case was one of the “most egregious” they had seen due to the number of transactions made and the amount of money involved.
He will be charged in court on Friday afternoon with cheating. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
According to figures supplied by the police, there were 91 reports of credit card fraud in the first half of 2017, roughly consistent with the 92 reports in the first half of last year.
There were 173 reports of credit card fraud in total in 2016, down from 245 in 2015 and 187 in 2014.
To avoid such incidents, members of the public are encouraged to check their credit card statements regularly. For more information on scams, members of the public can call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688 or visit scamalert.sg.
