A 50-year-old Chinese national based in Thailand has been sentenced to five years and four months’ jail after carrying out more than S$102,000 worth of fraudulent luxury purchases in Singapore using tampered credit cards.
The man, identified as Liu Hesheng, pleaded guilty to three cheating charges linked to a sophisticated credit card fraud scheme involving stolen banking information and modified payment cards.
Court documents revealed that Liu committed the offences over just four days between Jan. 18 and Jan. 21, 2025, purchasing high-end luxury items including Rolex watches, Chanel and Prada handbags, Hermès jewellery and a Cartier bracelet from multiple retail stores across Singapore.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Yeo Kee Hwan said Liu had travelled from Pattaya, Thailand, to Singapore after being instructed by an associate known only as “Boss Huang”.
Luxury Goods Bought Using Modified Cards
According to court proceedings, Liu operated a massage parlour in Pattaya and became acquainted with Boss Huang through regular visits.
Boss Huang allegedly handed Liu three Japanese bank cards and instructed him to use them to purchase luxury goods in Singapore. Liu was also given fake identity documents and names to sign on payment receipts in case retail staff requested verification.
Although Liu claimed he did not know who the cards belonged to, prosecutors said he strongly suspected the cards were stolen but proceeded anyway because he expected financial gains from the arrangement.
Investigations later uncovered that the cards had been tampered with using embedded EMV chips taken from stolen American Express cards. The original cards had reportedly been stolen from visitors at Yunomori Onsen in Pattaya between Jan. 13 and Jan. 17, 2025.
Authorities said the stolen chips were swapped into different cards before being used in Singapore.
Arrested At Changi Airport During Return Trip
Liu allegedly carried out seven fraudulent transactions across four retail stores in Singapore, accumulating purchases worth S$102,227.68 before leaving the country through Changi Airport on Jan. 21, 2025.
Court documents stated that he kept many of the luxury items for himself, including a Rolex Daytona watch that he reportedly began wearing because he liked it.
The fraud was discovered after one retailer received notice from American Express that a transaction had been flagged as suspicious. Additional reports from other affected stores soon followed, prompting police investigations and an arrest alert.
On Feb. 10, 2025, Liu was arrested at Changi Airport after attempting to re-enter Singapore.
Police seized five payment cards from him, three of which showed visible signs of tampering linked to chip-swapping activities. Officers also recovered the Rolex Daytona watch.
Multiple Contradictory Statements Given
During investigations, Liu allegedly provided several conflicting versions of events to police and prosecutors.
At one stage, he claimed he acted alone in an attempt to avoid syndicate-related allegations that could result in harsher penalties. However, he later changed his account and implicated Boss Huang during court proceedings.
Prosecutors also noted that Liu denied having the technical skills needed to tamper with cards, despite earlier providing investigators with highly detailed technical explanations about how the scheme worked.
The prosecution said the contradictory statements caused authorities to spend significant resources verifying the facts of the case.
All luxury items purchased during the fraudulent shopping spree were eventually recovered by investigators.
The case highlights growing concerns over international payment card fraud syndicates targeting luxury retail stores in Singapore and other major shopping destinations in Asia.