Credit card fraud gang busted

An international crime syndicate engaged in the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit credit cards in the Asia-Pacific region, was believed busted following the arrest of a Hong Kong-based Chinese trader and five other suspects by agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Office for Businessmen’s Concerns (CIDG-OBC) in Cubao, Quezon City.

Chief Superintendent Nestorio Gualberto, CIDG director identified the suspects as Chung Chan alias Ken and the leader of the group, Renato Uy, 47; Nestor Sanchez, 42; Jake Santos, 25; Jamie Fullante, 43, and Dominador Tiriaga, 30.

The suspects were nabbed by CIDG-OBC agents at the second floor of Ali Mall shopping center in Cubao, shortly after they purchased, using counterfeit Citibank Visa and Mastercards, several 29-inch color television sets at AOWA Electronics Philippines Inc. at about 3 p.m. yesterday.

Seized from the suspects were several fake Visa and Mastercard credit cards, credit card certifications, numerous receipts and sales invoice from various stores and a white L-300 van with license plates TFM-400.

A raid conducted at the group’s Makati City office, led to the arrest of Chan and the recovery of the syndicate’s credit card stamping machines, volumes of blank Visa and Mastercard credit cards and dozens of television sets.

The suspects were presented yesterday at Camp Crame by Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza and American consul David Popo.

Dennis Baltazar of Citibank-Philippines’ fraud management unit said their company has been suffering huge losses due to the syndicate’s illicit business transactions.

Baltazar said Citibank has been monitoring the operations of the syndicate but was only able to uncover the scam, which was formerly based in Malaysia and Thailand, when it transferred operations to the Philippines.

CIDG-OBC investigators said the suspects maintain an international network of contacts. These foreign contacts supplied the group with blank Master and Visa Cards and the access code numbers mostly stolen from Europe-based businessmen, for stamping and use here.

Ocular inspection by representatives from several foreign and local banks, showed that the seized fake credit cards are almost perfect.

One of the seized Visa cards was traced to have been issued to a banker from Holland. Charges of violation of Republic Act No. 8484, otherwise, known as the Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998 will be filed against the suspects .