Computer salesman jailed for credit card fraud
2000-2-8
A computer salesman was jailed for eight months at Tsuen Wan Court today (Tuesday) for assisting a criminal syndicate to capture credit card data for the manufacturing of counterfeit credit cards.
The false credit cards manufactured were subsequently uttered in retail outlets in Hong Kong and the Mainland, causing a loss of $315,488 to various banks in Hong Kong.
Tin Chi-hung, 26, charged by the ICAC, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring with Li Yu-chung and a person nicknamed “Wu So Chai” to possess a skimmer designed for compromising credit card data between January and February 1999.
In sentencing, Magistrate Mr Anthony Yuen said that the defendant had committed a serious offence which warranted an immediate custodial sentence.
Li Yu-chung, 27, a supervisor of Kwan Kin Travel Services Ltd. (Kwan Kin) in Nam Fung Centre, Tsuen Wan, earlier pleaded guilty to a similar conspiracy charge and will be sentenced later this month.
The court heard that between January 16 and February 7, 1999, a total of 24 sets of customers' genuine credit card data were compromised at Kwan Kin.
Tin came to know Li when he worked as a counter sales at Kwan Kin between 1995 and 1996. Tin later left Kwan Kin and worked in a computer shop as a salesperson.
In January 1999, “Wu So Chai” proposed to Tin the capturing of credit card data in return for monetary reward. Tin refused to assist then.
Tin later met Li, who revealed that he was in financial difficulties. Tin then related to Li the proposal of “Wu So Chai” and Li agreed to the deal.
“Wu So Chai” gave Tin a skimmer to be passed on to Li. Tin offered to pay Li $500 for each set of data captured, and told Li that the captured data would be used for manufacturing false credit cards.
Between January 16 and February 7, 1999, Li compromised 24 sets of credit card data and returned the skimmer to Tin.
Tin later gave Li about $10,000 originated from “Wu So Chai”.
The prosecution was today represented by a court prosecutor, assisted by ICAC officer Johnny Yau.
The false credit cards manufactured were subsequently uttered in retail outlets in Hong Kong and the Mainland, causing a loss of $315,488 to various banks in Hong Kong.
Tin Chi-hung, 26, charged by the ICAC, pleaded guilty today to one count of conspiring with Li Yu-chung and a person nicknamed “Wu So Chai” to possess a skimmer designed for compromising credit card data between January and February 1999.
In sentencing, Magistrate Mr Anthony Yuen said that the defendant had committed a serious offence which warranted an immediate custodial sentence.
Li Yu-chung, 27, a supervisor of Kwan Kin Travel Services Ltd. (Kwan Kin) in Nam Fung Centre, Tsuen Wan, earlier pleaded guilty to a similar conspiracy charge and will be sentenced later this month.
The court heard that between January 16 and February 7, 1999, a total of 24 sets of customers' genuine credit card data were compromised at Kwan Kin.
Tin came to know Li when he worked as a counter sales at Kwan Kin between 1995 and 1996. Tin later left Kwan Kin and worked in a computer shop as a salesperson.
In January 1999, “Wu So Chai” proposed to Tin the capturing of credit card data in return for monetary reward. Tin refused to assist then.
Tin later met Li, who revealed that he was in financial difficulties. Tin then related to Li the proposal of “Wu So Chai” and Li agreed to the deal.
“Wu So Chai” gave Tin a skimmer to be passed on to Li. Tin offered to pay Li $500 for each set of data captured, and told Li that the captured data would be used for manufacturing false credit cards.
Between January 16 and February 7, 1999, Li compromised 24 sets of credit card data and returned the skimmer to Tin.
Tin later gave Li about $10,000 originated from “Wu So Chai”.
The prosecution was today represented by a court prosecutor, assisted by ICAC officer Johnny Yau.