Teen siblings steal grandmother's ATM card, spend $28,000 on branded goods

He swiped the ATM card and his sister knew the PIN.

Working together, a pair of teenage siblings withdrew $28,600 from their grandmother's bank account within a week this March, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The 18-year-old boy and his 19-year-old sister then went on a shopping spree, splurging on various items such as clothes, cosmetics, branded goods and smartphones. 

When the police asked them about the purchases, the siblings admitted that they had paid for the items using the money stolen from their 80-year-old grandmother.

The girl was also found to have transferred $1,000 to her mother’s bank account. However, the woman was unaware that the money was obtained illegally. 

At the time of the incident, the pair lived with their grandmother.

When the elderly woman called the police upon discovering that her ATM card had gone missing, she didn't know that the culprit was her own grandson. 

The siblings have been charged in court for the offence. 

Facing a total of five charges, the boy pleaded guilty to two counts of theft and one count of outrage of modesty. 

He will be sentenced at a later date.

annatan@asiaone.com