Professional pickpockets linked to international criminal groups could be operating in Taipei, police said, after a woman riding on the MRT received alerts of numerous credit card transactions in Saudi Arabia soon after discovering her wallet was missing.
A woman, surnamed Kao (高), told police that she took a Wenhu (Brown) line train from the Nanjing Fuxing Station on Wednesday last week, and upon arriving at Wanfang Hospital Station, discovered that her wallet — containing IDs, credit cards and NT$13,000 in cash — was not in her bag.
She was about to report it lost when a series of credit card transaction alerts began appearing on her cellphone, police said.
Photo: CNA
After checking with her bank, she learned that all eight of her credit cards had been fraudulently used in rapid succession, totaling about NT$90,000, in Saudi Arabia.
The Wenshan First Precinct, which is leading the investigation, said that the theft could be linked to an international criminal organization.
Bank personnel, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the case could indicate a new method of exploiting stolen credit cards.
In the past, fraudulent transactions typically occurred more randomly, as suspects obtained credit card information through data leaks, possession of a physical card or through hacking, they said.
However, the speed and pattern of the transactions in Kao’s case suggested that organized groups might be targeting victims in crowded locations, such as MRT stations and trains, while accomplices elsewhere immediately use the stolen credit card information, they said.
Several banks have received reports of stolen credit cards being used in a similar pattern, suggesting that such incidents might not be isolated, they said.
The police urged people to remain vigilant when carrying valuables in crowded areas.
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