A 32-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday (Dec. 10), for her suspected involvement in a series of unauthorised transactions using a credit card she picked up.

Bill came up to more than S$5,700

According to the police, the transactions she allegedly used the card for amounted to more than S$5,700.

The retail purchases included an assortment of handbags, apparel and footwear, including what appear to be the following items from Louis Vuitton:

1. Neverfull MM (including pouch), S$1,860

The extra pouch that comes with the bag appears to be pictured in the photo of the case exhibits released by the police.

2. Palm Springs Mini, S$2,650

3. Pocket organiser, S$510

While the texture and colour might be slightly different, the smallest monogrammed item appears to be a small leather good that looks like this pocket organiser from LV.

Together, the items add up to S$5,020

Found the credit card somewhere

Preliminary investigations revealed the woman was believed to have found the credit card before proceeding to use it.

Other than the items believed to have been bought using the victim's credit card, several transaction receipts were seized for case exhibits as well.

Woman arrested two days after report was made

After discovering several unauthorised purchases on his missing credit card, the victim had reported the case on Sunday, Dec. 8.

Following investigations, officers from the Commercial Affairs Department managed to establish the identity of the woman who made the purchases, and arrested her on Tuesday.

The woman will be charged in court on Wednesday (Dec. 11).

Unauthorised use of another person's credit or debit card is a criminal offence punishable by law.

Anyone convicted of cheating can be jailed for up to 10 years and be liable to a fine.

Anyone convicted of dishonest misappropriation of property can be jailed for up to two years, or be slapped with a fine, or both.

Steps to take should your credit card be lost or stolen

In addition to calling your card issuing banks immediately should your credit/debit cards be lost or stolen, the police advise the following steps to prevent unauthorised use of your cards:

• Opt for an SMS notification to be sent to your mobile phone for any charges incurred on your credit or debit card; and
• Check bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or fraudulent charges.

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

Things to look out for include the various security features on the card face.

Should they detect anything suspicious, they should contact their processing bank immediately for advice.

Top image via Singapore Police Force