Police nab 16 for "forgery"
Posted: 04 May 2012 1029 hrs
SINGAPORE: Police have arrested 16 people for allegedly using forged documents to apply for credit facilities from a local bank.
The suspects -- 11 men and five women -- are aged between 23 and 46.
Investigations showed they withdrew the full amount from the bank's credit facilities once applications were approved.
Some of the money was said to be given to unknown parties who had assisted them in forging the documents.
Police said the bank filed several police reports between March and April to inform authorities that a number of individuals had used fictitious documents, such as forged CPF statements, to apply for credit facilities.
The forgeries were discovered after the bank carried out checks on credit accounts that were in arrears.
Police said anyone convicted of forgery for the purpose of cheating could be jailed up to 10 years and fined.
They advised banks to be more vigilant by verifying documents with relevant authorities before approving credit facilities.
- CNA/wk
