The theft of face masks, believe it or not, is no longer a rare phenomenon.
Some people steal money, some steal identities, but others wake up in the morning thinking: Hmm, it’s a beautiful day to steal some face masks.
But going up to someone and snatching their face mask isn’t the best way to steal masks, as it’d probably tear and expose you to COVID-19.
That’s why some people are using a craftier method: collecting other people’s face masks from vending machines.
5 People, Including a Man Who Collected 257 Face Masks From a Vending Machine, To Be Charged
The authorities will charge five people for allegedly collecting face masks from Temasek Foundation vending machines using illegally obtained personal information.
One suspect – a 59-year-old man – was the most prolific of them all, allegedly redeeming 257 face masks from the machines through illegal means.
The man is believed to have fraudulently obtained the NRIC and FIN numbers of other residents in the course of his work.
Trouble started when he was believed to have “dishonestly induced Temasek Foundation to deliver 13 mask packs through the mask vending machines”.
He falsely represented that he was authorised to collect these masks on behalf of their intended recipients, but of course, this wasn’t true.
After launching investigations, the police discovered that he had another 244 face masks that were also believed to be illegally obtained.
Either this guy really doesn’t want to get or spread COVID-19, or he was planning on reselling them.
The man is now facing two charges – one for cheating and another for fraudulent possession of property.
Woman Used Clients’ NRICs to Redeem Masks
Another of the five suspects, a 43-year-old woman, allegedly used the NRIC numbers of her clients to redeem 10 face masks without their authorisation.
It was not stated what line of work the woman was in.
She will be charged with two counts of cheating and two counts of illegally obtaining personal information.
Another suspect, a 47-year-old woman, allegedly redeemed eight face masks using the FIN and NRIC numbers she had obtained in the course of her work.
She, too, faces two charges – one of cheating and another of illegally obtaining personal information.
The remaining two suspects – two men aged 34 and 58 – are accused of fraudulently redeeming 14 and 11 face masks each from the vending machines.
Both face charges of cheating, with the 34-year-old also facing one count of fraudulent possession of property. Some of the numbers he obtained were reportedly sent to him by mistake, while others he obtained through his work.
What the heck are these people working as?
Those guilty of cheating can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined.
Retaining illegally obtained personal information carries a jail term of up to three years, a maximum fine of S$10,000, or both.
Woman Took 460 Reusable Masks with Stolen Information Last Year
While the 59-year-old man’s haul was impressive, no one can beat one 47-year-old woman, who took mask stealing to a whole new level last year.
The woman was accused of illegally obtaining personal information to redeem over 460 reusable face masks from a vending machine at Yio Chu Kang Community Centre.
The police identified her through footage from CCTV and police cameras. Read the full story here.
We hope that all these arrests will deter people from illegally redeeming face masks from now on, but as history will tell you, that’s not going to happen.
Watch this video to the end to understand why so many people are stealing face masks:
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Featured Image: Facebook (Compassvale Helm Residents’ Network)