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Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Japanese, 2 Pinoys arrested over bogus credit cards
By Garry Cabotaje
CEBU CITY -- Police busted a group they described as an international credit card fraud syndicate and seized high-tech equipment for producing fake cards inside an uptown hotel in Cebu City Tuesday.
The police seized 98 credit cards, many of them ready for use, as well as P280,000 cash, believed withdrawn from the accounts of unsuspecting cardholders.
Investigators have yet to find out how the group managed to get valid card numbers and crack security features, such as personal identification codes, which are required for cash advances drawn from credit cards.
The law protects legitimate cardholders from financial liabilities in case their credit cards are used fraudulently, but only if they immediately report the loss of their cards.
No protection is stated in Republic Act 8484, or the Access Devices Regulation Act, for those whose cards are not lost, but are somehow copied.
Police arrested Yuichi P. Sagino, 38, of Nagano, Japan, and his two alleged counterparts-Filipinos Rachel Niala, 25, of San Roque, Mambaling, Cebu City, and Luis Go, 43, of Sunview, M.H. del Pilar St., Manila.
Their third companion, Annabelle Austria, managed to flee and remains at large, said Mabolo Police Station Chief Leodegario Acebedo.
"This is a big-time, international syndicate that makes fake credit cards. It's our biggest accomplishment," Acebedo told Sun.Star.
Acebedo said that Yuichi arrived in Cebu last Jan. 14 and rented three rooms in an uptown hotel for him and his alleged cohorts.
High tech
One of the hotel rooms contained the high-tech equipment to manufacture credit cards, Acebedo said.
Among other items, lawmen recovered a hologram embosser with arm mechanism, a unit card embosser, a card processor and scheming device, 98 assorted fake credit cards and P280,000 cash.
Some of the cards were still blank, but many had names, including those of businessmen, and were ready to use.
The Mabolo police team also seized drug sniffing paraphernalia, some P130,000 in jewelry, an expensive wristwatch and laptop computers.
Acebedo identified the banks, whose credit cards were allegedly copied illegally by Yuichi's group, as HSBC, Citibank, Equitable and Diners.
The arrest of Yuichi and the two others came after the hotel staff reported to the police their suspicion that the Japanese national was using a fake credit card.
In turn, Acebedo said they immediately coordinated with the banks, resulting in the arrest of the three suspects.
Criminal case
The Mabolo police force is expected to file Wednesday a criminal case against the three suspects for violating RA 8484.
Those convicted of producing or using a fake credit card face 10 to 12 years in jail, along with a fine of P10,000 or twice the value obtained using the card, whichever is greater.
As of Tuesday night, the three suspects were subjected to a drug test in the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Sotero Cabahug, Gorordo Ave., Cebu City.
In 2003, the Mandaue City police made a similar arrest but the cases of estafa and violations of Republic Act 8484 filed against four suspects were dismissed, for lack of witnesses and evidence.
The four suspects, all Metro Manila residents, were caught buying close to P900,000 worth of housing fixtures, using fake credit cards.
But the Mandaue City Regional Trial Court provisionally dismissed all 12 criminal cases filed against them in October last year.
The testimony of a prosecution's lone witness was not enough to convict the suspected members of the credit card fraud ring.
Also, the local banks allegedly failed to cooperate during the prosecution.
(January 19, 2005 issue)
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