Woman arrested for making more than $41,000 of unauthorised credit and debit card transactions

SINGAPORE - A woman was arrested on Friday (Jan 4) for making unauthorised transactions amounting to more than $41,000, said the police in a statement.

On Dec 11, 2018, the police received a report from a bank that multiple reports had been made by their clients for unauthorised credit and debit card transactions via the EZ-Link app.

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the 28-year-old woman and arrested her in Upper Changi Road on Friday.

The woman is believed to have made more than 1,000 unauthorised ez-link top ups between August and November 2018 by using the details of more than 30 credit and debit cards belonging to other people.

The woman will be charged on Saturday.

Any person who is convicted of unauthorised access to computer material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, Chapter 50A, faces a fine of up to $5,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both.

To prevent unauthorised use of their cards, the police advised people to opt for SMS OTP verification for card purchases or charges and to opt for an SMS to be sent when card charges are incurred.

They also suggested that people check their bank statements and alert the bank immediately if there are discrepancies or fraudulent charges, and not to give out card details to strangers.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.