After 21 years on the run, man convicted of forgery to obtain credit cards

SINGAPORE — A Singaporean man, who jumped bail in 1996 after being charged with forgery to fraudulently obtain credit cards, turned himself in after 21 years on the run.

On Wednesday (Jan 10), Tan Say Wee, now 46, was convicted of four counts of committing forgery for the purpose of cheating, and another four counts of taking part in a conspiracy to commit such crimes.

Another 10 counts of similar offences were taken into account during sentencing.

He racked up S$34,000 in expenses using the credit cards he obtained through forgery.

The court heard that, in February 1996, Tan had in his possession a sales agreement for the purchase of a flat jointly owned by one Mr Teo Choon Huat and one Ms Teng Kin Leng. He also had a tenancy agreement between his mother and one Ms Ang Swee Lian. The documents contained the personal particulars — including NRIC numbers and signatures — of the four people. It is not known how he got the documents.

Following a suggestion from his friend, William Chiah Wee Ming, Tan used Mr Teo’s name and personal particulars to apply for credit cards from Hong Kong Bank. The bank subsequently delivered two credit cards — bearing Mr Teo’s name — to Chiah.

Chiah spent close to S$22,000 with the cards. It was not known what he spent it on.

In March, the duo did the same with the personal particulars of Ms Teng and Ms Ang and received more Hong Kong Bank credit cards, and racked up a bill of more than S$12,000.

The court was told Chiah paid Tan S$600 for his help.

Subsequently, Tan also used the particulars of his uncle, Mr Tan Beng Hui, to obtain a credit card from Overseas Union Bank for his own use.

The ruse was uncovered in August that year, when Diners Club called Mr Teo to ask if he had applied for a credit card from the company. Mr Teo then informed the company that someone had been using his particulars without his consent.

Tan was arrested when he was collecting the credit card from Diners Club. While out on bail, he fled to Malaysia in a private taxi before a court appearance on Nov 8. The court was also told that Chiah remains at large.

Defence lawyer Choo Si Sen, who asked for a two-year sentence, said Tan returned to Singapore after 21 years as he heard his father has lung cancer.

Seeking a stiffer punishment, Deputy Public Prosecutor David Koh charged that Tan ran a “sophisticated scheme” and no restitution has been made.

Tan returns to court on Jan 17 for sentencing. The maximum penalty for his offences is a jail term of up to 10 years, and a fine.