Duo Arrested For Their Suspected Involvement In Payment Card Fraud Related Activities

The Police have arrested a 28-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman for their suspected involvement in assisting a transnational scam syndicate to use stolen credit card information to commit payment card fraud cases.

In early August 2024, the Police received several reports of non-banking related phishing scam where the scammers had provisioned the stolen credit card information in mobile wallets, and later used the mobile wallets via a dubious Point-of-Sales (POS) machine to make several unauthorised transactions amounting to more than $33,000. Through investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command established the identities of the duo and arrested them on 2 September 2024.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 28-year-old man had allegedly facilitated the 26-year-old woman in receiving a POS machine from an unknown man in July 2024, and later, she committed the unauthorised transactions amounting to more than $33,000 using mobile wallets provided by the transnational scam syndicate. Preliminary investigations also revealed that the 26-year-old woman is believed to be involved in a separate report where she had allegedly withdrawn crime proceeds amounting to more than $10,000 from at least two money mules' bank accounts and later handed the money to the 28-year-old man who deposited part of the money in an unknown bank account in July 2024.

The 28-year-old man and 26-year-old woman will be charged in court on 4 September 2024 with abetment by conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 read with Section 116 of the Penal Code 1871 which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years and a fine.

The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams and frauds, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. The Police would like to remind members of the public that individuals will be held accountable if they allow their personal or company bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer monies found to be criminal proceeds, or if they facilitate such arrangements.