Commercial Affairs Department

KEY HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN FY 2006

FY 2006 has been an eventful and challenging year for the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD). Officers in CAD have displayed professionalism, great tenacity and excellent teamwork to combat commercial crime in Singapore.

Operational Successes

CAD officers have done well in maintaining a high
level of efficiency in the conduct of investigations. Most of the cases, ranging from the relatively straightforward cases to the more sophisticated ones, were completed within the stringent timelines of three months and six months respectively. In addition, CAD has also achieved a conviction rate of more than 98%. This was a remarkable feat given the challenges faced by officers in handling some of the major cases which involved companies and individuals, such as Accord Customer Care Solution Limited, National Kidney Foundation, Airocean, David Rasif, Mitsui Oil, as well as a number of insider trading and market manipulation cases.

Smashing of Credit Card Syndicates

CAD has successfully smashed several credit card and automated teller machines (ATM) card skimming syndicates. The officers solved a prominent ATM card skimming case, which was the first of its kind in Singapore. The syndicate used high-tech ATM card skimming equipment to tamper with the ATM machines so as to steal ATM card data from bank customers. In 2006, a total of 17 accused persons were convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging between eight months and 12 years for credit card fraud. More than 2,300 counterfeit cards and stolen properties worth over S$300,000 were recovered.

Public Education

In 2006, CAD organised a series of seminars, conferences and symposiums to inform and educate the public on the latest developments in white-collar crimes. An example of such events was the seminar titled ‘Securities Trading – Avoiding Pitfalls’, which was organised by CAD to raise awareness pertaining to the do’s and don’ts in securities trading. In addition, CAD carried out island-wide crime prevention road shows over weekends as well as outreach programmes to educate the public on how to prevent themselves from falling prey to common scams and ploys, and to advise them against treading on the wrong side of the law.

These public education programmes were very well-received by the business community and the general public. CAD also collaborated with the media to educate the public on commercial crime. For example, in 2006, the media featured several cases, including the ATM card skimming case. Through its efforts to publicise these cases, CAD seeks to enhance the public’s awareness of prevalent scams and reduce the number of victims falling prey to such scams.

PLANS FOR FY 2007

The achievements and good work done by CAD are the result of the commitment and collective effort of each and every individual officer in the department. This is the spirit that will continue to see CAD through the new challenges ahead in the coming year.