Malaysian, 7 others nabbed for credit card fraud

A Malaysian national and seven Filipinos, allegedly members of a fake credit card syndicate, were arrested last Friday by elements of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) during an operation in Makati City.

Police recovered assorted credit cards and P15,000 worth of goods from Toi Kok Soon, 20, a Malaysian national, and currently residing at the City Gardens Hotel in Mabini, Manila; Isabel Alapad, 51; Rolando Conson, 45; Roberto Labra, 41; Marilou de Guzman, 50; Ludy Bondoc, 46; Raffy Briones, 25, and Wilfredo Crudoy, 57.

The arrest of the suspects prompted NCRPO chief Director Ricardo de Leon to warn business establishments in Metro Manila to be on alert for syndicate members who may be using fake credit cards in purchasing goods.

"These people are victimizing traders and consumers," De Leon said.

Reports reaching the Metro police chief showed that the group has links with an international syndicate.

De Leon said the group has victimized card holders and establishments of millions of pesos in the last six months.

Superintendent Rogelio Damazo, NCRPO intelligence chief, said his office started an intensified drive against credit card fraud after being alerted by the Camp Crame-based Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC) and the Credit Card Association last Jan. 20.

PCTC head Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco informed Damazo of the syndicate, believed to be headed by a Chinese-Filipino.

After one week of surveillance operations, Damazo’s team came across the syndicate headed by Soon, who was operating in Makati and Parañaque.

The syndicate has been selling the products they bought in retail stores in Metro Manila, Damazo said.

A team headed by Senior Inspector Orlando Carlos of the Regional Intelligence and Special Operations Office (RISOO) rounded up Soon and his cohorts while in the act of purchasing goods at a mall in Makati City. They gave themselves up peacefully.

Confiscated from the suspects were five credit cards from various banks and their newly-purchased goods.

Charges of credit card fraud are being readied against them before the Makati City prosecutor’s office. The suspects are detained at the RISOO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.