Landing page banner

The Police have arrested three men, aged between 25 and 36, believed to be members of a transnational scam syndicate, where they had used stolen debit and credit card details to commit payment fraud across Singapore.

On 26 October 2026 at about 7.45pm, the Police received a call for assistance from a retail establishment along Rochor Canal Road. One of the men had earlier successfully purchased two graphics cards valued at over $2,700 from a retail store using a mobile wallet. The 36-year-old man subsequently returned to the store about an hour later and attempted to purchase other IT components valued at over $4,000. Suspicious of his behaviour, the store staff alerted the security officers on duty, who detained the man and called for the Police.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 36-year-old man had received instructions through mobile application to carry out high-end product purchases including graphics cards and other IT components using a mobile wallet.  He had handed over the fraudulently obtained items to his accomplices, who were waiting in a vehicle, before returning to the store for the second time. 

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from CCTVs and Police cameras, officers from the Central Police Division identified the two male accomplices, aged 25 and 27, who had left the location in a rented vehicle. The two men were separately arrested on 27 October 2026 in the transit area of Changi Airport, before they could depart Singapore. Further investigations revealed that the two men were also involved in at least one other case of payment fraud at a separate retail store. 

GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards, an iPhone 18 Pro Max, and several other mobile phones in the men’s possession were seized as case exhibits.

The three men will be charged in court on 28 October 2026 with abetment of conspiracy to cheat under Section 420 read with Section 109 of the Penal Code 1871 which carries an imprisonment term of up to ten years and a fine. 

It is a serious offence to defraud retailers and the Police take a serious view against any person who may be involved in scams and frauds. Perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are also advised to be prudent when making online payments using their card details, to visit only reliable websites for online shopping, to safeguard their card details and not to disclose sensitive banking information with anyone. If credit/debit cards are lost or stolen, to immediately call their card-issuing banks and to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

Do’s

• Keep your credit or debit cards safe with you at all times;
• Opt in for SMS notifications to be sent to your mobile phone for any charges incurred on your credit or debit cards; and
• Check your bank statements and alert the bank immediately should there be any discrepancies or unauthorised charges.

Don’ts

• Do not click on URL links in unsolicited emails and text messages and give out your credit or debit card details to unknown persons;
• Do not reveal your OTPs to anyone; and
• Do not expose your credit or debit cards. Keep them in your purse or wallet until you are ready to make your purchases.

Case exhibits seized