2 siblings held over credit card scam
Print Edition
A BROTHER and sister have been detained on suspicion of operating a credit card fraud that netted 1.5 million yuan (US$244,000), police said yesterday.
The duo, both surnamed Li, purchased personal information about credit card owners from illegal sources online. They had a particular interest in people who had applied for cards but had yet to activate them, police said.
Armed with the data, the couple allegedly contacted the issuing banks — none of which were named — and over a period of time asked for key information contained on the cards to be amended.
Later they called the banks to say they had lost the cards and requested new ones to be issued, police said.
The brother once worked as a bank clerk and knew how to get the card details updated without rousing suspicion, they said.
Once armed with the new cards, the couple went on a spending spree, and between August and October, ran up debts of 1.5 million yuan, police said.
The case came to light after a woman surnamed Liu was contacted by her bank in August and asked to settle an outstanding balance of 24,850 yuan on her card. Liu admitted to owning the card but said she had never activated it.
When she went to an outlet of the bank in Baoshan District she was told that the card had been activated and used to make several purchases. It became evident she was the victim of a fraud and police were informed.
Following an investigation, during which several other victims came forward, police on October 10 identified the Liu siblings as their prime suspects and apprehended them at their home in Changning District.
The pair denied the accusations, though police said they found a number of credit cards and several fake identity cards at the property.
Officers also claim to have retrieved 1,316 pieces of information relating to online banking and Internet shopping accounts that they said the couple used to launder their ill-gotten gains and purchase goods.
Since October police have handled 636 cases of suspected online fraud, involving a combined 31 million yuan, and detained 331 suspects, they said.
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