Foreigners Caught Using Stolen Credit Card Details in S’pore to Buy Products from Retailers Like Apple Store

By
Champa Ha
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Here’s a new variation of a scam that’s emerging in Singapore: credit card fraud, committed by foreigners that get sent to Singapore via syndicates.

How? Well, victims get their credit card details stolen via a series of e-commerce scams, which then get loaded on to a mobile app controlled remotely and used for contactless payments.

(By the way, when we said we wanted a Smart Nation, this was probably not the direction we were going for.)

How It Works

Then, foreign tourists, supposedly recruited in their home countries via social media platforms looking for cash, get sent into Singapore to then go to stores and buy items such as expensive mobile phones, electronic accessories and gold bars by contactless payments.

The items would later get sold for cash.

A spate of cases in the month of November has shared a very similar mode of operation, all involving foreign tourists of various different nationalities.

At least 10 victims have reported falling for e-commerce scams and unauthorised transactions amounting to more than S$100,000 on their credit cards. The transactions feature purchases such as electronic products, like iPhones and chargers, and jewellery, all purchased in Singapore.

On the 6 and 7 Nov, the police arrested three Chinese nationals, between the ages of 29 and 36, for their suspected involvement in a transnational syndication. The police recovered more than S$20,000 in cash from that arrest, along with four gold bars and 27 iPhones.

The men, Zhang Tianyu, 29, Xu Zhaochen, 36, and Li Xueqi, 36, were each charged with one count of cheating the day after (8 Nov).

Zhang, Xu and Li had allegedly committed credit card fraud by buying iPhones from the Apple Store in Orchard Road, with the police taking the men back in restraints to the Apple reseller iStudio at Bugis Junction on 14 Nov as part of ongoing investigations.

A fourth person, named in court documents as Zhao Yongzhi, is still being investigated.

In a different case, but with a similar MO, a Malaysian man and woman responded to a fast cash advertisement on social media, and were then tasked to buy mobile phones at a retail store, using a mobile wallet.

However, after several failed attempts at payment, the police were called in and the duo were arrested on 8 Nov within seven hours. The police seized three mobile phones, a bank receipt and S$7,600 in cash.

The couple, Quek Jian Qing, 21, and Yong Huo Ying, 24, were each charged with one count of cheating on 9 Nov. They had allegedly been poised to commit credit card fraud by purchasing iPhones at the Best Denki outlet at Parkway Parade.

Both suspects were taken to the store by the police for investigations on 14 Nov.

While the two cases have the same way of operation, the suspects in the two cases were believed to be from two different crime syndicates.

In both cases, all five suspects are expected to be tried in court on 15 Nov.

Damn, Here Are Some Stats

Scams like the ones mentioned have hit record highs in the first half of 2024. In 26,587 reported cases, more than S$385.6 million have been lost.

The police, in an advisory released to retailers of high-value electronics and luxury goods, has warned that crimes to defraud retailers are serious offences, with the police taking a serious view against those involved.

Anyone who has been convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

Retailers should look out for customers who attempt contactless payments several times, with some transactions failing, but then trying a different mobile phone or card.

Suspects will also be making contactless payments without presenting a physical card. Typically, suspects in these crimes do not request for tax refunds, and transactions often involve purchases of high-value goods in a single receipt. They might also try and conceal or disguise their appearance using caps and masks, and accents may not match their supposed nationalities presented in identification.

Retailers who suspect and/or sense multiple red flags should halt the transaction discreetly and then contact the police for further assistance.

“Your role in identifyng and reporting suspicious activities is vital in preventing these crimes and protecting your business,” the police conclude in the advisory. “If you notice any suspisious activities, please contact the police promptly for immediate assistance.”

And oh, there’s going to be a new law that’ll stop victims from losing too much money. Watch this and you’d know what it is:

Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:

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Champa Ha