They say you should try and try again until you succeed — well, that’s not exactly how it works with identify theft.
Two millennials from Malaysia, best friends Tan Jiunn Hou, 23, and Kong Chek Hoe, 24, were in Singapore last year expressly to buy mobile phones using credit cards that did not belong to them. They were issued by two women believed to be a part of a syndicate in their hometown. The duo were also provided with fake Hong Kong identity cards that they were to use to enter Singapore from Johor Bahru.
At Westgate Mall in September last year, the two stooges spotted a Samsung store and tried to purchase seven units with a total cost of $8,536. Kong tried to pay for the purchase using one of the six fake credit cards on him, but the transaction was declined. So he tried again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Since all six attempts were unsuccessful, Tan’s best friend tried to pay for it using his own set of fake plastic money, but all three tries also failed.
Sensing something was amiss — or perhaps he just got tired of swiping — the shop person complained to the police.
The two were promptly arrested, and detained at the mall. They were each sentenced to a four-year jail term, according to Channel NewsAsia.
