Woman, 48, arrested after credit card linked to scams used to buy gold & jewellery worth over S$262,000

A 48-year-old woman in Singapore allegedly used a credit card not belonging to her and linked to multiple government official impersonation scams to purchase gold bars and jewellery worth more than S$262,000.

She was arrested at a jewellery store on Jun. 14 after police traced the card to her, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a release.

Caught using credit card linked to scam monies

On Jun. 11, police received reports from victims who had been deceived by scammers posing as staff from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Money from the victims were purportedly transferred to a credit card and used to make unauthorised transactions, police said.

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department identified the card's owner and found he was also a victim of a government official impersonation scam.

The man had been instructed to apply for a credit card and hand over its credentials to the scammer.

Police traced the credit card to the woman and arrested her on Jun. 14 as she was trying to make a purchase at a jewellery store.

Bought gold and jewellery worth over S$262,000

Investigations found that she had allegedly added the card credentials to her mobile phone, and used it for fraudulent purchases amounting to more than S$262,000, in order to hand them over to the scammers.

The woman will be charged in court on Jun. 16 with abetting by conspiracy to commit cheating.

In light of the case, police advised merchants and sales staff to exercise vigilance and look out for the name and security features on the card face when processing credit or debit card transactions.

Those who detect anything suspicious should contact their processing bank immediately for advice.

What to do if your card is lost or stolen

Credit or debit card holders should call their banks immediately if their cards are lost or stolen.

They can also adopt the following measures to prevent the unauthorised use of their cards:

- Opt-in for SMS notifications for any charges incurred on their credit or debit card

- Check bank statements and alert the bank immediately if there are discrepancies or fraudulent charges

- Do not give out their credit or debit card details to strangers

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