A 34-year-old man is accused of using an edited PayNow screenshot to trick staff at a Suntec City electronics store into thinking he had paid for his items before leaving without actually making any payment.
According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), officers were alerted to the case at around 12.40pm on Saturday (Nov 1). The man had allegedly shown staff a doctored screenshot of a PayNow transfer to make it appear as though he had completed the payment.
After showing the fake image, he reportedly walked off with the electronic products, even though no money had been transferred.
Police immediately began investigating and identified the suspect shortly thereafter. Within three hours, officers tracked down and arrested the 34-year-old man.
Preliminary investigations also revealed that he is believed to be linked to five other similar cheating cases involving the same method of using edited payment screenshots.
The man was charged in court on Monday (Nov 3) with one count of cheating.
Under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871, anyone found guilty of cheating can face up to 10 years in jail and a fine.
In their statement, SPF said they take such offences seriously and “will not hesitate to take action” against those caught cheating others.
The public was also advised to stay vigilant when using PayNow and to always verify that payments have been successfully received before handing over goods or providing services.
