Four Malaysian men have been arrested for allegedly using a forged Visa card to withdraw $2,000 from outlets of the Singapore Banking Corporation Ltd in Phnom Penh, Chhay Sinarith, head of the Interior Ministry’s Central Security Department, said on Monday.
Two suspects, Chang Chiang Hock, 35, and Boey Kaiweng, 28, were arrested on Nov 22 in Phnom Penh when they attempted to withdraw $1,000 from the SBC branch on Sihanouk Boulevard using a fake Visa credit card and passport.
The two, along with fellow Malaysian Lak Kok Hon, 46, had visited the SCB branch in O’Russei market earlier that day and had successfully used the counterfeit card to withdraw $1,000, Chhay Sinarith said at a news conference in the Interior Ministry.
Lak Kok Hon was later arrested on Nov 24 while trying to cross into Thailand at the Poipet border crossing, he said.
The fourth man arrested on Nov 22, Kwang Kong Hang, 41, was a friend of Boey Kaiweng and was allegedly party to the visa fraud scam, Chhay Sinarith said.
Kwang Kong Hang denied any involvement in the fraud, he said.
All four had traveled to Cambodia on several previous occasions to do business.
The case has been sent to Phnom Penh Municipal Court and the four will remain detained during their pre-trail detention, he added.
Chin Mao, credit and marketing manager for SBC, said the bank was alerted to the fake card by Standard Chartered in Singapore.
“It’s the first time our bank has dealt with the fake card,” she said.
