Scam syndicates sending foreigners to Singapore to cheat retailers

An emerging trend of foreigners being sent to Singapore by syndicates to commit credit card fraud has raised alarm bells, with retailers across the island being targeted.

- David Sun Crime Correspondent and Caelyn Tan

The authorities have warned retailers about syndicates that are believed to have stolen the credit card details of victims here through a series of online phishing scams.

These details are then loaded onto a mobile app that can be controlled remotely and used for contactless payments.

The foreigners, who are believed to have been recruited in their home countries via social messaging platforms, are then told to enter Singapore and buy items such as expensive mobile phones, electronic accessories and gold bars via such contactless payments.

They would then sell these items for cash.

There has been a spate of such cases in the past month bearing the same modus operandi, but involving foreigners of different nationalities.

Since Nov 4, at least 10 victims who had fallen for e-commerce scams have reported unauthorised transactions totalling more than $100,000 on their credit cards for purchases such as electronic products, like iPhones and chargers, and jewellery in Singapore.

On Nov 6 and 7, the police arrested three Chinese nationals, aged between 29 and 36, for their suspected involvement in a transnational syndicate.

More than $20,000 in cash, four gold bars and 27 iPhones were recovered and seized in that case.