• Goh Jun Xi worked as a music lounge promoter in 2014
• He helped his boss to use stolen or counterfeit credit cards to earn quick cash
• The other man attempted to complete 67 transactions worth S$260,448 but only one went through
• Goh left Singapore during investigations and returned only in 2018
• He was also arrested for drink-driving last year

SINGAPORE — While working as a promoter for a music lounge in 2014, Goh Jun Xi learned of a credit card swiping scam in which his employer could illicitly earn easy money.

A customer then handed him a stack of credit cards, several of them stolen or counterfeit, to swipe at the lounge’s point-of-sale terminals.

In just half an hour, Goh’s boss used them to attempt to complete more than S$250,000 in unauthorised transactions but only one involving about S$6,400 went through.

Goh subsequently went to Cambodia during investigations and returned to Singapore only in 2018.

That was not the end of his crimes. Last year, he was caught drink-driving.

On Tuesday (April 27), the now 29-year-old man was sentenced to four months’ jail and a fine of S$6,000, as well as disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for three years.

He will begin serving his prison sentence on May 18.

His charges related to attempted transactions totalling S$36,946.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of unauthorised access to computer material and a drink-driving charge.

District Judge Ng Peng Hong considered another eight similar charges in sentencing him.

The court heard that Goh used to work at DOM Entertainment, which was fully owned by Luxe Hospital Pte Ltd.

Its chief operating officer, Damen Chiam, was neither a director nor shareholder but ultimately benefited from any sale or profit that DOM earned.

This was because he had a proxy who was listed as a Luxe Hospital shareholder, which meant any profit earned by DOM would correspondingly improve Luxe Hospital’s financial profit and benefit Chiam through his proxy.

HOW THE SCHEME CAME ABOUT

Around the end of January 2014, Goh met a male customer at DOM and introduced him to Chiam.

A few days later, the customer called Goh and told him he had a stack of credit cards.

The customer also asked for Goh’s help to ask Chiam if he was interested in a card swiping scam, where “DOM could earn just by swiping the cards”, Deputy Public Prosecutor Hon Yi told the court.

The customer added that the cards did not belong to him and were all from abroad.

Goh then told Chiam about the deal, arranging to pull it off at their premises. Both men also briefly discussed their fears about getting caught.

On Feb 4, 2014, Chiam told DOM’s operation manager to tell all staff members to leave the premises and switch off the closed-circuit television.

Chiam then brought two unknown individuals over and contacted the cashier to ask about how to operate the point-of-sale terminal.

Of the multiple credit cards swiped at the terminal, two had been reported stolen earlier. Chiam and the two unknown people used them to complete “purchases” — each for S$6,402.90 — from DOM.

Two weeks later, a fraud analyst with OCBC Bank lodged a police report over suspicious credit card transactions made at DOM.

She had noticed 33 different credit cards being swiped for 67 transactions, amounting to S$260,448. All but one were declined.

Subsequent investigations revealed that 10 of the cards had been reported lost or stolen, or were counterfeit.

The authorities’ attempts to identify the two people with Chiam proved unsuccessful, and the credit cards involved were not seized. Goh also did not receive any benefit.

Chiam was dealt with in court last year.

Goh left Singapore for Cambodia in November 2015 when investigations had commenced, and was detained at Changi Airport when he returned almost three years later in July 2018.

Separately, in August last year, he went out drinking at a restaurant along Aliwal Street and began driving home.

He eventually stopped along Jalan Sultan and fell asleep with his engine running.

A police officer who interviewed him noticed that he reeked strongly of alcohol.

He had 76mg of alcohol in 100ml of breath — more than double the prescribed limit of 35mg per 100ml of breath.

For unauthorised access to computer material, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$5,000, or punished with both.

For drink-driving, he could have been jailed for up to a year or fined up to S$10,000, or both.