Worker at Changi Airport fined for taking cash, ATM card from lost wallet
A woman who was working at a lost and found office at Changi Airport Terminal 1 was fined $800 for taking cash and an ATM debit card from a lost wallet.
On Jan 13, Nur Haziera Hassan, 21, pleaded guilty to one charge of criminal breach of trust.
She was employed as a customer service agent for Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA), tasked to assist arriving passengers and to handle lost and found property.
On Aug 2, 2024, a flight attendant handed over a lost wallet to DNATA’s customer service counter at Changi Airport.
Shortly after that, Haziera, who was on duty at DNATA’s lost and found office at the time, saw the wallet sealed inside a polymer bag.
She unsealed the bag, opened the wallet and took out €80 in cash and an ATM debit card from DBS Bank before placing the wallet back into the polymer bag and resealing it.
At a money changer, she converted the money into Singapore currency and received $100, which the prosecutor said she later used for daily expenses. It was not mentioned in court what exactly she purchased.
Haziera subsequently tried to use the debit card to buy a drink, but threw the card away when the transaction failed.
The victim, a German national employed in Singapore, made a police report after receiving an e-mail alert that someone had attempted to use his card.
Haziera’s actions came to light when the victim collected his wallet at the lost and found counter and saw that his cash and bank card were missing.
In his submissions, the prosecutor said Haziera dishonestly misappropriated the items and abused the trust placed on her by her employer, but noted that she has since made restitution to the victim.
When the judge asked Haziera if she wanted to say anything in mitigation, she kept quiet.
Those who commit criminal breach of trust can be jailed for up to seven years, fined, or both.
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