KUALA LUMPUR: Two female e-hailing drivers were on Monday (Aug 25) fined RM30,000 each by the Sessions Court here after pleading guilty to three counts of fraudulent payment using Near Field Communication (NFC) via their mobile phones at several shopping centres in June.
Judge Suhaila Haron imposed a fine of RM10,000, in default four months’ imprisonment, for each charge against Chong Yin Hong, 42, and Chong Li Shian, 39, after they changed their plea to guilty at today’s mention. Both settled the fines.
According to the charges read jointly, Yin Hong and Li Shian were accused of acting in concert to commit unauthorised access and fraudulent payments using counterfeit funds at several shopping malls in the capital between June 4 and 11.
They were charged under Section 4(1)(a) of the Computer Crimes Act 1997, which carries a maximum penalty of RM150,000 fine, 10 years’ imprisonment, or both.
Case facts stated that on June 10, a complainant, a manager with Maybank’s Fraud Investigation Division, received multiple reports from customers of suspicious transactions involving individuals using NFC payments linked to foreign credit cards.
The bank conducted an investigation and found that both accused made payments by tapping their mobile phones on Maybank EDC terminals using the authorisation code "VIP111”, causing the payment terminals to malfunction.
The investigation further revealed that Yin Hong’s phone contained multiple apps used by both defendants to execute the fraudulent payments.
CCTV footage also confirmed that the women made purchases at a number of the malls in question, and the seized items matched those listed on the transaction receipts.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nursyuhada Husna Sulaiman urged the court to impose a commensurate sentence as a deterrent.
In mitigation, their counsel, Muhammad Naqib Aiman Mohd Faizal, requested a lighter fine, citing that his clients were first-time offenders and had the responsibility of supporting elderly parents. - Bernama
