Singapore Police on the lookout for a man who offers to help and steal from Changi Airport travellers

THE police are on the lookout for a man who offers to help Changi Airport travellers with checking in their luggage, only to steal from them or make off with their bags.

The police are on the lookout for a man who offers to help

Changi Airport travellers with checking in their luggage, only

to steal from them or make off with their bags.

 

The man, believed to have been involved in at least two such instances so far, struck in April, once each in Terminals 1 and 2.

The police, releasing a statement and a photograph of the suspect on Saturday, said the man has been linked to at least two cases of cheating-related offences, in which he would approach unsuspecting victims on the pretext of helping them check in their overweight luggage.

The Straits Times understands that he may be a Filipino who homes in on fellow Filipinos under the guise of helping his countrymen.

In one case, he made off with a pouch containing more than $1,500; in the other case, he took a suitcase with personal items valued at $300.

Investigations were launched after reports were made.

Anyone with information on this man is requested to call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

HDB/Flat Rental Scam–Police are appealing for information to assist with investigations into a series of flat rental scams

Police are looking for the man shown in the picture to assist with investigations into a series of flat rental scams reported at Blk 1 Lor Lew Lian #06-24.

From 31 Mar 2011 , at least 13 cases of flat rental scams have been reported at Blk 1 Lor Lew Lian #06-24. In all the cases, victims had responded to flat rental advertisements placed in the Chinese newspapers between 4 and 29 Mar 2011 . The suspect would arrange with victims to view the unit, and would collect money ($500 - $4800) from them as deposit for the rental of the unit. The victims were told to move into the unit between 3 and 7 Apr 2011. After collecting the money, the suspect would then become evasive and remain uncontactable.

Police believe that this man in the picture may be able to assist in investigations. His name is Chua Thiam Lye and the description of the man is as follows:

a)	Gender	:	Male Chinese in his 40s
b)	Height	:	About 1.7m tall
c)	Hair	:	Short and black
d)	Build	:	Plump
e)	Other	:	A mole below his lips

Anyone with information on this man is requested to call the Police Hotline at 1800-2550000. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Crime Prevention Tips – Flat Rental Scam
a)	Seek service from an established estate agent;
b)	Conduct a check against the agent and the company before signing any agreement;
c)	Observe due diligence and carry out verifications of any documents relating to the property;
d)	Visit the flat you wish to rent and ensure that the person you are dealing with is the rightful flat owner. Request documentary proof of flat ownership that bears the flat owner’s name.
e)	Request the flat owner to show you a copy of the approval letter from HDB if you are renting the whole flat
f)	Be careful if asked for an advance payment and do not pay large sums in cash. As proof of payment, you should pay the rental deposit and rents by cheque; and
g)	Do a check with the company to ensure that the estate agent is indeed with the company. If in doubt, request to sign the documents and hand over the deposit at the office.

Singapore Police busted syndicate distributing pirated games and providing illegal modification services

Police have arrested seven men, aged between 19 and 34, who are believed to be members of a syndicate involved in distributing pirated games and providing illegal modification services which allowed pirated games to be played on modified game consoles.

In a 13-hour long operation which commenced on 13 April 2011 at about 1pm, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raided three retail shops located in Jurong West, Taman Jurong and Boon Keng. During the raid, modified game consoles from Nintendo DS, Wii and Sony PlayStation Portables, pirated games, counterfeit accessories, laptops, hard disks, and memory sticks containing circumvention programs used to modify the game consoles were found in all three retail shops. The estimated street value of the infringing items was close to S$36,000/-.

The successful operation came after several months of intensive intelligence operations, where CID officers established the identities of the suspects who were members of a local syndicate that provided the illegal modification services for game consoles. The syndicate’s retail shops had legitimate shop-fronts with typical counters, racks and shelving to display retail goods. However, behind partitioned walls, illegal modifications to game consoles were carried out and pirated games were downloaded.

Head of the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the CID , Superintendent of Police Loh Kah Wai, said, "Police take a serious view of such intellectual property rights violations, and will continue to clamp down on syndicates involved in the modification of game consoles and the sale of counterfeit games in Singapore. Circumvention of built-in anti-piracy controls carries a heavy fine and imprisonment, and offenders will be prosecuted in Court.”

Persons found guilty of providing counterfeit products shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 for the article or for each article in respect of which the offence was committed or $100,000, whichever is lower, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or to both.

Thief responsible for house break-ins around Punggol Drive nabbed

Police have arrested a 38-year-old man who is believed to be responsible for a series of break-ins at newly-completed units located along Punggol Drive.

This what we usually call “akyat bahay”. 

The term used to refer to notorious criminal gangs who rob houses by scaling through the roof, window, or any part of the house that allows access inside it.

Also refers to the manner of stealing by surreptitiously entering a victim’s house by climbing its walls to gain access to a window or force an opening through the roof or the wall.

Between January 2011 and April 2011, a number of break-ins were reported at newly completed units which were undergoing final renovation works along Punggol Drive. The culprit would usually target units that were secured by combination padlocks, and break in to steal newly purchased electrical appliances such as televisions, media entertainment systems and other household and personal items of value.

Through extensive enquiries and follow up investigation, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the identity of the suspect. On 8 April 2011 at about 1.30pm , the suspect was arrested at the vicinity of Woodlands Ring Road. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect is believed to have broken into at least seven units and had stolen items worth a total of about S$30,000/-.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 9 April 2011 for Housebreaking and Theft by Night under Section 457 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum of 14 years' imprisonment.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun advised home owners to ensure that their units are properly secured with strong locks.

26-year-old pickpocket arrested in Harbourfront Centre

A SERIAL thief who stole from his victims by slitting their pockets with a razor blade, was caught on Monday.

The 26-year-old man struck mostly in the Ang Mo Kio area, targeting those who were napping in void decks or pavilions within the estate. Using a razor blade, he slit open their pockets and made off with the victims' valuables.

Several of such cases had been reported in February and April.

However, the man was arrested at Harbourfront Centre on Monday, and is currently suspected of being responsible for nine more similar cases in Ang Mo Kio.

He will be charged in court on Wednesday.

Singapore jailed three men for using counterfeit money

Three men are jailed for using counterfeit money printed from a home printer.

Three men were jailed for using counterfeit currencies. Narindran Sangara Banoi, 31, who made the Singapore currency notes and passed them to his accomplices, received the highest sentence of eight years. He pleaded guilty to 15 of 55 charges.

Jegathesan Subramaniam, 31, who had 10 charges for conspiring with Narindran in August 2010 on two occasions to use a fake S$50 note to pay for cab fares, was jailed for three years.

A third man, Ramer Rethina Thevar Ramanathan, 42, was sentenced to two years and three months jail after pleading guilty to using fake S$50 notes to pay for a bar of chocolate and a pair of sunglasses.

A fourth accomplice, Segar Ramiah, 37, had his plea rejected earlier. A pre-trial conference date is set for Feb 24.

Local media reported that Narindran used his colour printer to scan and print Singapore currency notes in denominations of S$2, S$10 and S$50, which had a total worth of S$3,970 as he was facing financial difficulties.

He then told Jagethesan, Ramer and his relative, Segar, about the counterfeit notes.

The fake notes were to be used by either himself, or with any one of his accomplices. He also supplied the other three with fake currency for their own use.

They could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined on each charged.

26 year-old man arrrested in a series of online cheating scams.

Police have arrested a 26 year-old man who is believed to be involved in a series of online cheating scams.

On 22 March 2011 , a 34 year-old man lodged a Police report on his encounter with an online scammer. According to the complainant, he had responded to an online advertisement and befriended a girl. Shortly after, the complainant received an SMS from an unknown person claiming that he was the father of the said girl. The unknown person then accused the complainant of ‘sexually grooming’ his daughter who was underaged and threatened to report the matter to the Police unless the complainant paid him a sum of $3200. Sensing that something was amiss, the complainant decided to report the matter to the Police.

Through extensive follow-up investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity and arrested him at Changi Airport on 24 March 2011 at about 11.00 pm  as he was about to leave Singapore. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is believed to be involved in at least 7 other similar cases where victims were cheated of more than $9,000 in total.

The suspect will be charged in the Court on 26 March 2011 for Cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years and shall also be liable to be fine.

Singapore Immigration (ICA) Officer charged with three counts of forging medical certificates

An officer from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) was charged on Tuesday with three counts of forgery.

Mohammad Rahimi Hussain, 24, is believed to have doctored three medical certificates in a flat at Block 750, Woodlands Avenue 4, in August and September last year.

Each of the three documents he allegedly forged originally stated that he had been given a day's leave.

It's believed that Mohammad Rahimi inflated the rest period the doctors had given him to up to four days.

He will be back in court on March 29.

If convicted of forgery, he could be jailed up to four years, fined or both on each charge.

Remaining suspect in conspiracy to cheat Standard Chartered Bank convicted to 18 months

SINGAPORE - A Filipino service engineer was sentenced yesterday to 18 months' jail for being part of a conspiracy to cheat Standard Chartered Bank of S$317,100.

Mark Robert Fajilan Landicho (picture), 28, had worked with a syndicate that illegally helped foreigners obtain unsecured credit facilities from the bank even though they were not eligible.

The group did so by forging its clients' pay slips, inflating the salaries so that their annual pay would appear to meet the bank's minimum income requirement.

According to court documents, Landicho had worked with two former employees from telemarketing company Touch & Tech to cheat the bank between July and October 2009.

One of them, 26-year-old Charon Legaspi Dimpas, a fellow Filipino, who used to be one of the firm's direct sales agents, was sentenced to 45 months' behind bars after admitting last November that she was part of the scam.

Landicho was first referred to Dimpas in June 2009 as he wanted to apply for credit facilities even though his salary did not meet the minimum requirement.

His application was approved after she doctored his pay slips.

Soon after, Landicho started to help the syndicate by advertising its illicit services on PinoySG. Landicho earned S$75 for each successful application

Sim Lim Salesman caught on tape for cursing customer

The salesman was caught on tape using vulgarities when the customer asked for a price breakdown of his friend's purchases, after they suspected that he was overcharged.

A VIDEO of a salesman at Sim Lim Square swearing at a customer has gone viral on the Internet and raised the ire of many Netizens here.

The salesman was caught on tape using vulgarities when the customer asked for a price breakdown of his friend's purchases, after they suspected that he was overcharged.

25-year-old Chinese native Chen Tao and his friend shot the video on the sly in an attempt to expose the salesmen's unethical behaviour. The embarrassing video led to the salesman being sacked for his rudeness.

But in a twist of events, the boss of the shop revealed a picture of Chen behaving inappropriately towards the staff too - even climbing the glass display case in a threatening manner.

Singapore Police advises public on variations of Phone Scams

Scammers are coming up with new and innovative phone scams to convince victims to part with their money. There are many variations to phone scams. The most common ones are the Lottery Scam, Kidnap Scam and Impersonation Scam.

Lottery Scams!
Tricksters may call from overseas, email or SMS the recipients, informing them that they have won prize money in a foreign lottery. The tricksters would request for an advance payment in order to process the claims for prizes.

Kidnap Scams!
Tricksters would claim that the recipient's loved one had been kidnapped and demand that a ransom be transferred to specific bank account. These fake threats are usually accompanied by sounds of cries for help in the background.

Impersonation Scams!
Tricksters would impersonate law enforcement officials, advising victims to remit or transfer money to designated bank accounts in order to exonerate themselves from alleged crimes. These common allegations include failure to appear in court in relation to one's involvement in money laundering and unlicensed money lending cases.

1. The tricksters will impersonate foreign government officials such as the Interpol, Taiwan Police, China Police, etc.
2. The tricksters will ask the victims for their personal information and bank account details for verification purposes. In some occasions, they were able to recite the victim's personal information or bank account number.
3. The tricksters will send pre-recorded voice messages to the victims. The victims will need to press a number before their calls are answered by an operator. To lend credibility to their scams, the number that appeared on the recipient's phone reflects those belonging to local authorities such as:
    
   a. Supreme Court Quality Service Manager/ Enquiry Hotline: 63381034,
   b. CID Hotline: 64350000, or
   c. Police Emergency Hotline: 999
    
   This is commonly known as "Caller ID Spoofing", where advances in technology enable callers to lie about their identity through false numbers.

CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES

Lottery Scam

• Ignore notifications of a win in a lottery or lucky draw when you had not purchased any lottery ticket or participated in any lucky draw.
• Do not make any advance payment to claim any prize money. Winning a lucky draw or lottery does not require you to make any advance payment.
• Do not entertain such SMSes and calls.
• Be wary of get-rich-quick offers. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam.

Kidnap Scam

• If the public receive kidnap scam calls, they should remain calm and try to contact their next-of-kin immediately. Should repeated attempts at contacting their loved-ones fail, they should then contact the police.
• In addition, the public could pose questions to the kidnapper to verify the identity of the purportedly kidnapped victim, for instance, the number of family members staying together or whether there are pets in the house, to help them establish if the call is indeed genuine.

Impersonation Scam

• Ignore any notification calls from unknown persons who claim to be government officials. All notices to attend court hearing would be notified by post or accompanied by an official letter.
• Police or court officials would not ask anyone who is in connection with a criminal case to make any transfer of funds to unknown bank accounts.
• Do not give your personal details such as NRIC and bank account numbers to anyone over telephone or e-mail.

Those who receive such calls may wish to pass on such information to the Police at a Neighbourhood Police Centre.

Filipina Domestic Workers And Singaporean Employers Arrested For Operating Unlicensed Moneylending Business

Acting on information received, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department conducted an operation on 11 January 2011 and busted two separate groups believed to be involved in issuing unlicensed loans to foreign domestic workers. A total of five persons aged between 28 and 69 years old were arrested in the operation.

The first group involved three persons, namely a 69-year-old male Singaporean and two Filipina domestic workers aged 28 and 36 years respectively. This group is suspected to have issued loans to more than 200 other Filipina domestic workers since June 2010.

The second group involved a 47-year-old female Singaporean and a 29-year old Filipina domestic worker. They are believed to have issued loans to about 40 domestic workers since January 2009.

The three Filipina suspects and the female Singaporean will be charged in Court on 13 January 2011 for offences under the Moneylenders Act. Investigations against the remaining suspect are still ongoing.

Under the Moneylenders Act, persons found guilty of operating or assisting in the operating of a loansharking business may be fined not less than $30,000 and up to $300,000 with mandatory imprisonment of up to four years and shall be liable for caning of up to six strokes.

Source: PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE

Beware: Robbers impersonating as Ministry of Manpower Officer

A passer-by aided the Police in the arrest of three suspects who impersonated public servants to steal from a foreign worker.

On 11 Jan 2011 at about 8pm, the victim, a 28-year-old foreign worker was sitting at the void deck of Blk 666A Jurong West St 65 when three unknown men approached him. One of the men flashed a card and identified himself as a MOM officer stating that he wanted to check the victim’s belongings. The victim handed over his belongings but decided to call for the Police as he sensed that something was amiss. However, the man took away his hand phone and walked away. The victim tried to request for the return of his handphone but was stopped by another man.

At this juncture, the victim approached a 22-year-old passer-by for help. Upon seeing the passer-by call the Police on his phone, the three suspects immediately fled from the scene. Together with the victim, the public-spirited passer-by gave chase and managed to detain one of the suspects after a short chase. Police arrived shortly thereafter and took over custody of the suspect.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division managed to establish the identities of the other two suspects. Both suspects were subsequently arrested on 12 Jan 2011 at Jurong West and Woodlands respectively. The victim’s handphone was also successfully recovered. Preliminary investigations revealed that the three suspects are believed to be involved in other similar cases islandwide.

The three suspects, aged 21 to 25, will be charged in the Subordinate Courts on 13 Jan 2011 for offences of Impersonating as a Public Servant under Section 170 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a jail term which may extend to 2 years, or with a fine, or both. In addition, they will also be charged for the offence of Theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a jail term of not more than 3 years and with a fine, or both. A Court Order will be sought to remand the suspects for further investigations.

Commander of Jurong Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Florence Chua, commended the passer-by for his public spiritedness. She added, “The arrest was made possible because of the assistance of the public-spirited individual. This reinforces the importance of a strong Police-community partnership in keeping our neighborhoods safe.”

Members of the public are advised to be wary of such perpetrators and to always verify the identity of persons claiming to be representatives of government agencies by calling the organizations concerned or checking their identification passes. If in doubt, members of the public should contact the Police for assistance immediately.

Singapore Police Arrested a 23-year-old Yishun Taxi Robber

Singapore Police have arrested a 23-year-old man who is believed to be involved in a case of taxi robbery at Yishun Ring Road.

On 6 December 2010 at about 3.20 am, a 48-year-old taxi driver reported that he had been robbed by an unknown man who was armed with a knife. The victim had picked up the suspect as a passenger along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and dropped him off in the vicinity of Blk 414 Yishun Ring Road. Before alighting, the suspect informed the victim that he would return to pay him after withdrawing money from a nearby ATM. However, when the suspect returned, he took out a knife and robbed the victim of cash amounting to S$290/-.

Through extensive follow up investigations and protracted enquiries, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity. On 11 January 2011 at about 8.00 am , the suspect was arrested in the vicinity of Yishun Ring Road.

The suspect will be charged in Court No. 26 on 13 January 2011 for Armed Robbery under Section 392 read with Section 397 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 14 years and shall be liable to a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, commended his officers for their good investigative work. DAC Hsu also advised taxi drivers to be wary of suspicious persons boarding their taxis. When confronted, taxi drivers should remain calm, take note of the physical appearance and distinctive features of the perpetrator(s) and call for the Police as soon as possible.

source: Singapore Police

Two Filipino women jailed for conspiracy to cheat Standard Chartered Bank.

Two Filipino women were jailed in Singapore for being part of a conspiracy to cheat Standard Chartered Bank.

One of them, Charon Legaspi Dimpas, was sentenced to 45 months behind bars for cheating the bank of nearly $760,000.

The 26-year-old former direct sales agent from telemarketing company, Touch & Tech, committed the offence between June and November 2009.

She pleaded guilty on Monday to eight charges while 88 other similar ones were taken into consideration.

The other woman, 39-year-old Maria Theresa Arenas Garcia, was sentenced to six months' jail for being part of the ruse.

Touch & Tech had been engaged by the bank to make calls to prospective applicants to market the unsecured credit facilities it offered.

Dimpas became part of a syndicate that illegally helped foreigners obtain the loans from the bank even though they were not eligible.

She forged her applicants' payslips by inflating their monthly incomes above the stipulated $60,000.

The court heard that their annual income has to be at least that amount to be eligible for the bank's credit facilities.

And because foreigners holding employment passes must have a minimum of one-year validity remaining on their working papers, Dimpas also forged letters of extension for employment to assist her applicants.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Magdalene Huang told the court that Dimpas earned a commission of more than $8,000 from her 96 successful applications using the forged documents.

Ms Huang added that Dimpas was allegedly encouraged to do so by her former boss, Singaporean Abdul Karim Baba, who too was entitled to commissions and bonuses from the submissions to the bank.

It's believed Abdul Karim, 60, also helped check the forged documents and allegedly suggested to his subordinates, who were part of the scam, to darken the font and include some smudges to the forged documents to make them appear authentic.

Most of Dimpas' applicants were believed to be referrals provided by a 28-year-old Filipino technician, Mark Robert Fajilan Landicho. The latter is believed to have attracted applicants by placing an advertisement on a Filipino community online portal.

A post on pinoysg allegedly put up by him stated that he could help them process their applications for loans and credit cards from Standard Chartered Bank even if they did not earn the stipulated income.

It's believed he received $75 for each successful application.

Both Landicho and Abdul Karim have already been charged for allegedly taking part in the scam.

Garcia, one of the many applicants, submitted forged payslips and a bogus letter of extension for employment. In doing so, the administrative operation executive deceived the bank into giving her a loan of $10,500.

For the offences, the women could have been jailed up to 10 years and fined on each charge.

Link from the subordinate court hearing their case.

Singapore Police nab 32-year-old Malaysian believed to be responsible for two cases of armed robbery

Singapore Police have arrested a 32-year-old Malaysian man who is believed to be responsible for two cases of armed robbery with hurt in the Ang Mo Kio estate.

On 29 November 2010 and 1 December 2010 , two cases of robberies were reported in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio. In the first case on 29 November 2010 , a 60-year-old female victim was assaulted and robbed of her handbag containing S$50/- cash and a handphone by an unknown man while she was in the lift of Blk 438 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 at around 11am . In the second case on 1 December 2010 , a 57-year-old taxi driver was robbed of S$180/- at knifepoint by a male passenger in his taxi at Blk 416 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10 at around 10.05am . As a result of a struggle with the suspect, the taxi driver also suffered a 4cm laceration on his neck.

Following the reports, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division worked relentlessly on all possible leads. Through extensive probes and investigative follow-up, the officers managed to establish the identity of the suspect – a Malaysian who had overstayed. With this lead, the officers mounted a series of ambush operations at various locations in Ang Mo Kio and Toa Payoh area in a bid to apprehend him.

On 2 December 2010 at about 5.20 pm , the officers' efforts finally paid off when they located the suspect and arrested him in the vicinity of Lorong 5 Toa Payoh. Upon his arrest, he was found in possession of a bank passbook belonging to the first victim and a penknife, which was believed to have been used in the commission of the offence.

The suspect will be charged in the Court on 4 December 2010 for Armed Robbery with Hurt which carries a maximum punishment of 20 years imprisonment and not less than 24 strokes of the cane. He also faces an additional charge of Overstaying Illegally in Singapore under the Immigration Act. A Court Order will be sought to remand the suspect for further investigation thereafter.

Driving instructor jailed for 9 months for molesting and insulting his teenage student

A 52-year-old Singapore driving instructor was sentenced today to nine months' jail for molesting his student and uttering sexually explicit words in her presence.

Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman was convicted of three counts of molest and one count of insulting the girl's modesty following a three-day trial.

He had committed the offences in a car during the girl's fifth and final driving lesson on December 19 last year.

He did so while the 18-year-old student was driving around the Ubi Estate between 8.30am and 10am that day.

Abdul Aziz had placed his right hand on her inner left thigh and squeezed it several times.

He had also used a finger to brush against her chest.

During the trial, the girl had testified that during her first four lessons with Abdul Aziz, she found that he was "a very nice person who was easy to talk to".

He only started behaving inappropriately towards her after the first 15 minutes of the final lesson.

The student had also testified that she felt violated by Abdul Aziz's behaviour.

In mitigation, the instructor's lawyer, Ismail Hamid urged District Judge Hamidah Ibrahim to consider his client's age before sentencing him.

Mr Ismail added that Abdul Aziz has been suspended from his job since he was charged and was "deprived of his livelihood" for more than six months.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor Edward Ti told the court that Abdul Aziz had betrayed what he referred to as a "sacred" relationship between a student and a teacher.

The crimes had also taken place in a confined space, said Mr Ti.

Abdul Aziz who intends to appeal against his conviction and sentence has been offered a bail of $15,000.

For each molest charge, he could have been jailed up to two years and fined.

And for insulting the teenager's modesty, he could have been jailed up to a year and fined.

Philippine Bureau of Immigration bars 4 OFWs disguised as tourists from leaving

Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport barred from leaving the country four prospective overseas Filipino workers disguised as tourists after they presented bogus documents in an attempt to convince authorities that they were financially capable to go on a foreign holiday.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer-in-charge Ronaldo Ledesma said the suspected “tourist workers” were intercepted at the departure area of the NAIA 2 terminal last Oct. 6 as they were about to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Bangkok. Ledesma said the female passengers were offloaded after they were subjected to secondary inspection by immigration officers who doubted their purpose in traveling abroad.

The BI chief declined to divulge the names of the women, saying “they are victims of illegal recruitment whose identities need not be publicized.”

He added that the incident should serve as a warning to others who want to work abroad that they should not deal with illegal recruiters.

“The law requires that all Filipino migrant workers must secure proper documentation and clearances from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) to ensure that they are protected while working abroad,” Ledesma stressed.

According to Atty. Arvin Santos, BI airport operations chief, the women when interviewed presented counterfeit credit cards and other questionable documents to prove that they are legitimate tourists.

The passengers also had US$300 each in pocket money and hotel bookings in their port of destination.

“They readily admitted that the credit cards are fake and they bought the same in Bacolod City for P200 each,” Santos said.

He added that the women claimed to be sales representatives of a company called Prince Motor Corp. but could not answer when asked to name the products they were supposedly selling.

A quick Google search yielded no result about this company but there is a similarly named company called Prince Motor Company which was a Japanese automobile manufacturer from 1952 until its merger with Nissan in 1966.

Beware: GSIS Issues Warning Against Fake Agents

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) alerted the public that some private individuals have been caught using the agency’s name in securing reinsurance contracts in London and Australia without its authority.

Upon verification, the contracts were revealed to be fraudulent, while the persons involved were also uncovered as fake agents who were not connected in any way to the GSIS.  The following persons were identified as having falsely identified themselves as authorized representatives of the agency:

   1. Efren O. Docena;
   2. Roberto C. Ibasco; and
   3. Arnulfo R. Madriaga.

The GSIS warns that it assumes no responsibility to compensate or indemnify any party for any contract or agreement entered into by persons or entities who have not been authorized by the GSIS to do so.

The public is advised to seek verification from the GSIS prior to entering into any GSIS-related transaction with purported agents.

Man caught in the act of molesting an unsuspecting female commuter in Bugis MRT station

Image via Wikipedia

Police have arrested a 42 year-old man who is believed to have outraged the modesty of a female commuter on board a crowded MRT train.

On 18 Oct 2010 at about 5.20pm, officers from Central Police Division were conducting anti-crime rounds at Bugis MRT station when they spotted a man molesting an unsuspecting female commuter on board a packed train cabin. The officers immediately moved in and arrested the suspect.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect could be involved in other molest cases in MRT trains. Investigations are on-going.

The offence of Outrage of Modesty under Section 354(1) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with caning or with any combination of such punishments.

Commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Tan Hung Hooi commended his officers for their vigilance and quick-action which led to the arrest.

Police would also like remind the public to be vigilant against opportunists who might commit molest in crowded areas and seek to evade detection by blending into the crowd. To minimise the risk of falling prey to such opportunists, one should be alert when approached by strangers in crowded areas. Remain calm should you be confronted, and contact the Police as soon as it is safe to do so. Take note of the description of the offender, such as his appearance, attire, height and distinguishing features like tattoos or dyed hair.