Woman arrested after allegedly going on $12k shopping spree with man's lost credit card

A 24-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly using a credit card belonging to another person to make unauthorised retail purchases amounting to more than $12,000.

The victim lodged a police report on Dec 13 and alleged that his credit card was misused for multiple transactions.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim had lost his credit card.

Later, he discovered that more than 200 unauthorised transactions were made using the card between October and December 2018.

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department established the identity of the woman through follow-up investigations and arrested her along Lakepoint Drive yesterday (Jan 3).

Items which are believed to have been purchased using the victim's credit card were seized as case exhibits.

They include facial care products, crafting supplies and clothes.

The woman will be charged in court today (Jan 4).

Anyone convicted for dishonest misappropriation of property can be jailed for up to two years and/or fined.

Anyone convicted for unauthorised access to computer material under Section (3)1 of the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act, Chapter 50A can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed up to two years, or both.

The police advise all credit/debit card holders to adopt the following measures to prevent unauthorised use of their cards:

• Opt for SMS OTP verification for purchases or charges to your credit/debit cards
• Opt for an SMS to be sent to your handphone for any charges incurred on your credit/debit card
• Check bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or fraudulent charges
• Do not give out your credit/debit card details to strangers

The police would also like to remind merchants and sales staff to exercise vigilance and adopt correct card acceptance procedures when processing credit card transactions.

They should look out for the name and security features on the card face and should contact their processing bank immediately for advice regarding if they detect anything suspicious.