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WOMAN CHARGED FOR UNAUTHORISED ACCESS TO BANK’S CUSTOMER DATABASE AND DISCLOSURE OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION

A 26-year-old woman will be charged in court on 20 August 2021 with the offences of Unauthorised Access to Computer Material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act and Unauthorised Disclosure of Customer Information under Section 47(1) of the Banking Act.

 

Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department conducted investigations after the woman made a police report claiming that she had fallen prey to a China Officials Impersonation Scam.

 

Investigations showed that between 6 and 22 April 2021, while employed at a bank, the woman had allegedly accessed and conducted queries on the bank’s electronic customer database without authorisation, thereby accessing the information of over 3,300 customers. She is also alleged to have disclosed the information of over 1,100 customers to a purported person representing the “Shanghai Police”.

 

The offence of Unauthorised Access to Computer Material under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act, carries a fine not exceeding $5,000, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both. An individual who is convicted of an offence of Unauthorised Disclosure of Customer Information under Section 47(1) of the Banking Act is liable for a punishment of a fine not exceeding S$125,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years, or both.

 

The Police would like to advise the public to take the following precautions when they receive unsolicited calls:

 

Ignore such calls and the caller’s instructions.

 

No local government agency will demand payment through an undocumented medium like a telephone call or other social messaging platforms, demand that you surrender cash to unnamed persons, or ask you for personal banking information such as your internet banking passwords.

 

For foreign residents receiving calls from persons claiming to be Police officers or government officials from your home country, please call your Embassy/High Commission to verify the claims of the caller.

 

Refrain from giving out any personal information and bank details, whether on a website or over the phone to callers. Personal information and bank details such as internet bank account usernames and passwords, and OTP codes, are useful to criminals. Do not make any fund transfers at the behest of such callers.

 

Call a trusted friend or talk to a relative before you act. Do not feel pressured by the caller to act impulsively.

 

If in doubt, call ‘999’ or approach a police officer at a Neighbourhood Police Centre near you.

If you wish to provide any information relating to such scams, please call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness. Please call ‘999’ if you require urgent Police assistance.

 

For scam-related advice, please call the National Crime Prevention Council’s Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688 or visit www.scamalert.sg. Join the ‘Let’s Fight Scams’ campaign at www.scamalert.sg/fight by signing up as an advocate to receive up-to-date messages and share them with your family and friends. Together, we can help stop scams and prevent our loved ones from becoming the next scam victim.

 

Source: Singapore Police Force