Man to be charged for stealing Krisflyer miles and using them for purchases, Singapore News
An Indonesian man will be charged in court on Thursday (May 29) for allegedly buying KrisFlyer accounts illegally and using their miles to purchase items.
On Wednesday, the police said they received a report from Singapore Airlines on Oct 11, 2024 regarding suspected fraudulent transactions using KrisFlyer miles, which had been detected by local merchants earlier in June.
KrisFlyer is a rewards programme by Singapore Airlines that allows members to earn and redeem miles through transactions.
Through ground enquiries and using CCTV footage, officers from the Airport Police Division (APD) identified the 28-year-old man, but he had left the country in September — before the report was lodged.
When the man returned to Singapore on Jan 11, 2025, he was detained by APD officers at Changi Airport.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had illegally bought and accessed some KrisFlyer accounts belonging to other people while he was overseas.
Upon arriving in Singapore in June last year, he allegedly used the miles in these accounts to buy a Samsung phone and phone cover from a shop in Changi Airport as well as some pastries from a shop in Bugis.
These purchases amounted to more than $1,600, said the police.
He was later detained at Changi Airport when he returned to Singapore on Jan 11 this year.
The man is set to be charged with two counts of unauthorised access to computer material under Section 3(1)(a) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993, which carries a fine of up to $5,000, two years of jail, or both.
He also faces two counts of unauthorised modification of computer material under the same Act, which carries a fine of up to $10,000, three years of jail, or both.
The police urged members of the public to protect their online accounts by enabling multi-factor authentication or two-factor authentication.
"If you notice any suspicious or unauthorised transactions, please report the incident to your service provider or bank immediately," they added.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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