Fake credit cards crime in metropolis

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Credit cardholders are advised to use extra caution when settling bills with their cards.

The city police announced on Thursday they had arrested dozens of suspects who allegedly worked with restaurant, hotel and mall employees to obtain personal data from customers' credit cards. This data was then used by the suspects to make fake credit cards.

"Then they printed the names of cardholders on blank cards brought in from Singapore. They sell each card for between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million depending on the validity period of the fake cards," said Adj. Comr. Ade HR, the head of the Jakarta Police's banking crimes unit.

He said the fake cards were usually good for three days, before the magnet strip on the back broke or the cardholders became suspicious.

Ade said the cards could be used in most shopping centers, restaurants and hotel without causing any suspicion.

Since 2004, police tracking credit card fraud have made dozens of arrests and seized hundreds of fake credit cards, he said.

"You cannot tell the difference between the fake and the genuine cards; they look just the same. We have called in people from Bank Indonesia and Citibank to try and tell the difference, and the only thing that distinguishes a fake from a real card is the silver mark on the front of the card," Ade said.

He said if you rubbed the silver mark on a fake card it would flake off, while the mark on a real card does not rub off.

Police recently arrested two people suspected of credit card fraud, identified as Budi Prianto and Armansyah. The pair were detained after purchasing several TV sets using counterfeit Citibank and HSBC credit cards at Electronic City in South Jakarta.

"The cashier was suspicious and alerted us. We arrested them in the parking lot as they tried to escape with their TVs," Ade said.

Police are trying to locate three other suspects in the case.

Ade said the suspects would be charged under Article 263 of the Criminal Code on the production and distribution of counterfeit materials. The article is punishable by a maximum prison sentence of six years.

City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said the police had handled several credit card fraud cases in 2004 and 2005, and the crime seemed to be on the increase.

"We handled at least eight other cases during 2004 and the first three months of this year. We have also arrested several suspects and are ready to submit several cases to prosecutors," he told The Jakarta Post.

Credit card fraud cases, 2004-2005

No. Date Modus Operandi Suspects Banks

1. Jan. 10, 2004 Buying merchandise Phan Khoe Man -

using a fake credit card

under the name Lie

Bin Keng

2. Jan. 14, 2004 Buying merchandise Andy -

using a fake credit card

under the name

Hiroshi Makanie

3. Feb. 28, 2004 Buying six cartons of Noto Suhandoyo BNI

milk using a fake credit

card

4. March 9, 2004 Buying merchandise Danny Eka City Bank

using a fake credit card

5. April 14, 2004 Buying merchandise Hilma, Sugeng BNI

using six fake credit cards

6. July 4, 2004 Buying merchandise Ratih W City Bank

using fake credit cards

7. Aug. 3, 2004 Buying electronics Sahal A HSBC,

using fake credit cards BNI

8. Oct. 11, 2004 Buying electronics

using fake credit cards Kiki Is City Bank

9. March 3, 2005 Buying TVs using

fake credit cards Budi P HSBC

Armansyah City Bank