The Police have arrested six men, aged between 19 and 32, for their suspected involvement in a series of compromised NTUC FairPrice and Zalora customer accounts.
Between 15 and 24 November 2022, the Police received multiple reports of NTUC FairPrice and Zalora customer accounts being compromised. In total, Police were informed of seven NTUC FairPrice and 53 Zalora customer accounts being compromised, which led to fraudulent purchases amounting to S$12,340.
Through extensive ground enquiries and with the aid of images from Police cameras and CCTVs, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department established the identities of the suspects involved. An island-wide operation was successfully mounted on 10 January 2023 and six identified suspects were arrested at multiple locations. An array of mobile devices, SIM cards, clothing and two cartons of cigarettes were seized as case exhibits.
Five men will be charged in court on 11 January 2023 with the offence of dishonestly receiving stolen property, under Section 411 of the Penal Code 1871. The Police will be seeking to remand them for further investigations. Police investigations into possible offences of unauthorised access to computer materials under section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 are still ongoing.
The offence of dishonestly receiving stolen property under section 411 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term which may extend to five years, or a fine, or both. The offence of unauthorised access to computer materials under section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993 carries a fine not exceeding $5,000, an imprisonment of up to two years, or both.
The Police take a stern view against any activities involving cheating, scams, online fraud and/or the misuse of online accounts. The Police will continue to take tough enforcement action against those who flout the law. Members of the public are also advised to adopt the following crime prevention measures to protect their online accounts from being compromised:
- Do not click on dubious URL links provided in unsolicited text messages or emails;
- If in doubt, always verify the authenticity of the information with the official websites or sources;
- Never disclose your personal login details and one-time passwords (OTPs) to anyone; and
- Report any related fraudulent online transactions to the e-commerce platforms.
If you have any information related to such crimes, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
10 January 2023 @ 10:50 PM