Singapore police arrested a 29-year-old man on Thursday, March 21 for allegedly spending more than $18,000 to purchase retail items using a credit card belonging to another person.
As per a statement, published by Singapore Police Force (SPF), on March 16 they received a report from the victim, who informed the officials about several unauthorised transactions, made with his missing credit card.
During the investigation, the police officers from the Commercial Affairs Department found the alleged criminal and arrested him along Temasek Boulevard on Thursday.
The initial investigation revealed that the unnamed man allegedly picked up the victim's credit card, which he accidentally left behind at an AXS machine along Yishun Ave 2. The accused then used the card to make unauthorised retail purchases of pieces of jewellery, electrical items and watches. Later, police seized the items and recovered cash amounting to $1,000.
On Friday the alleged offender will be taken to the court where he will face charges.
As per the Singapore Penal Code, whoever dishonestly misappropriates or converts to his own use movable property, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both. In the case of cheating, the punishment will be a maximum of 10 years of imprisonment, including a fine.
In the statement, SPF also advised the members of the public, especially the debit and credit cardholders, to call their banks immediately if their cars are lost or stolen. Officials also listed a few measures to prevent unauthorised use of their cards and these are:
- Opt for SMS OTP verification for purchases or charges to your credit/debit cards
- Opt for an SMS to be sent to your handphone for any charges incurred on your credit/debit card
- Check bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or fraudulent charges
- Do not give out your credit/debit card details to strangers
"The Police would also like to take this opportunity to remind merchants and sales staff to exercise vigilance and adopt correct card acceptance procedures when processing credit card transactions. They should look out for the name and security features on the card face and should contact their processing bank immediately for advice if they detect anything suspicious," the statement added.
