Two from Taiwan jailed in S'pore for syndicate-linked credit card fraud
Two people from Taiwan, a man and a woman who acted as runners for a crime syndicate, were jailed on Oct 31.
They had used stolen credit card information to buy luxury items, including iPhones and designer bags.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the male defendant, Yang Chenyu (transliterated), 25, faced two charges of deception.
The female defendant, Liu Tingyu (transliterated), 30, faced two similar charges and one for obstructing justice.
Yang was sentenced to 25 months' jail, while Liu received 31 months.
Gambling debt led syndicate runner
According to court documents cited by Shin Min, Yang and his friends were gamblers who had borrowed high-interest loans from a man known as "Fang".
Unable to repay the loans, Yang followed Fang's instructions to use stolen credit card information to purchase luxury goods in Singapore as repayment.
Acting on directions from a syndicate member named "Mai Xiang", he flew to Singapore with an accomplice on Feb 19.
They retrieved four phones from Changi Airport's luggage storage, pre-installed with the Tap Pay application.
On Feb 19 and 20, the men visited local stores. Before each purchase, they called Mai Xiang, who activated a virtual bank card on the Tap Pay app, enabling them to make contactless payments with the stolen credit cards.
Shin Min reported that the purchases included three iPhone 16 Pro Max, three iPhone 16 Pro, a pair of Apple AirPods, two power banks, and three Gucci bags, with a total value of $24,085.
Yang and his accomplice later went to Admiralty to sell the phones for $9,050 before being arrested on Feb 21 while attempting to enter the airport departure area.
Female defendant landed with heavier charges
As for the female defendant, Liu, she was introduced to the syndicate by a hairstylist.
Shin Min said that she first flew to Singapore with an accomplice to check local product prices, returning to Taiwan on Feb 16.
Liu later returned on Feb 21, using phones provided by Mai Xiang to carry out 11 fraudulent transactions totaling $50,740, purchasing Apple products and Louis Vuitton bags.
In addition to the deception charges, Liu was found guilty of obstructing justice for discarding two phones used in the crimes.
She attempted to leave Singapore early on Feb 22 but was arrested at Changi Airport.
