Chinese nationals Zhang Tianyu, Xu Zhaochen and Li Xueqi, suspects in a fraud case, were taken back to retail stores for investigations. SINGAPORE – A number of cases involving foreigners coming to Singapore to commit credit card fraud has led to at least $300,000 getting lost so far. And while the police were able to arrest nine suspects, they are looking for another 11 who managed to leave the country.
The police said on Nov 22 that there have been at least 178 reports since Oct 1 regarding fraudulent bank card transactions involving the purchasing of electronic products, luxury goods and attraction tickets. The syndicates behind this kind of fraud are believed to have stolen credit card details of victims through a series of e-commerce phishing scams. These details were then loaded onto a mobile app that can be controlled remotely and used for contactless payments.
The foreigners, who were recruited in their home countries via social messaging platforms, were told to enter Singapore and buy items such as expensive mobile phones, electronic accessories and gold bars via such contactless payments. In a release on Nov 22, the police said they managed to identify at least 20 people believed to be involved in at least 94 of the reported cases. Nine of them have been arrested and charged with cheating and forgery offences.
More than $30,000 in cash, four gold bars, a foreign-registered car and more than 30 iPhones and other mobile accessories were seized. It was previously rep.
