Criminals are getting smarter with their mode of operation, and online scams are a prime example of this.
But don’t let that make you think you’ll only have to watch out for dubious online scams. Sometimes, they’re very crafty with the way they commit their crimes. Using a sleight-of-hand tactic, they might rob you of hundreds of thousands.
How the Crime Was Committed
Two men were arrested for theft of about US$75,000 ($100,000) from a money changer along Colemen Street on 21 April.
The suspects, 45 and 54 years old, had made four legitimate exchanges of Singapore dollars for US dollars before executing the crime.
After establishing trust with the money exchanger, the two men scheduled an exchange of US$75,000 for Singapore dollars on 20 April.
Instead of the planned date, the men came down and requested the US$75,000 in the afternoon of April 21st. They wanted the notes to be in US$100, under the pretence of easy checking.
At this moment, the men had not prepared the Singapore dollars they initially agreed on for the exchange. Instead, they had wanted to “check” the US money beforehand.
According to the police, the older man then arranged the bundles of cash into plastic bags and put them into a large briefcase.
The briefcase, however, was unable to pass through the gap at the counter to be returned to the money charger, according to the police.
This was when the two men allegedly pretended to remove the plastic bags containing the cash from the briefcase and placed them into a smaller black leather bag, which could fit through the gap.
The black leather bag was left at the money changer after the two guys said they would return with their passports and Singapore dollar.
When they had yet to return after an hour, the money changer opened the leather bag, only to realise that the mean had allegedly swapped the US$75,000 with a mixture of US dollars and fake Euro notes.
The men were subsequently arrested at Changi Airport eight hours after the police report had been made.
At the time of the arrest, the men were initially onboard an aircraft that was bound for Frankfurt, Germany.
Just imagine their walk of shame, having to be escorted out of the aircraft in handcuffs by the police.
The two men were identified as foreign nationals, and a total of US$74,600 was seized.
For the offence of theft in dwelling, criminals may face an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.
Remember, folks, if you don’t want to do the time, don’t commit the crime.