SINGAPORE: A 28-year-old man will be charged on Thursday (May 29) for allegedly making purchases using illegally obtained KrisFlyer miles, police said.
According to preliminary investigations, the Indonesian man, while overseas, accessed the KrisFlyer accounts of other individuals after buying them illegally online, the police said in a news release on Wednesday.
He then flew to Singapore last June, where he purportedly used the stolen KrisFlyer miles to buy a Samsung phone and phone cover from a shop in Changi Airport, as well as some pastries from a store in Bugis.
The items amounted to more than S$1,600, police said.
The suspected fraudulent transactions were detected by local merchants, and Singapore Airlines lodged a police report on Oct 11, 2024. Though police officers established the man’s identity, he had already left the country in September.
He was later detained at Changi Airport on Jan 11 this year when he returned to Singapore.
The man will be charged with two counts of unauthorised access to computer material under Section 3(1)(a) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993. Such an offence carries a fine not exceeding S$5,000, up to two years’ jail, or both.
He also faces two charges of unauthorised modification of computer material under the same Act. This offence carries a fine of up to S$10,000, up to three years’ jail, or both.
The police reminded the public to safeguard online accounts by enabling multi-factor authentication or two-factor authentication, where possible, to enhance security.
“If you notice any suspicious or unauthorised transactions, please report the incident to your service provider or bank immediately,” the police added.
