Woman allegedly uses fellow Taiwanese tourist’s lost credit card in South Korea
A Taiwanese tourist’s holiday in South Korea took an unexpected turn after she accidentally lost her credit card while travelling in Hongdae.
The card was allegedly picked up by another Taiwanese woman, who then used it to make unauthorised purchases.
The suspect also reportedly used her own passport to apply for a tax refund after the purchase, leaving behind a record that could help identify her.
However, South Korean police allegedly refused to open a case or issue any documentation, reportedly saying that the matter should be handled in Taiwan as both the suspect and credit card were Taiwanese.
Suspect allegedly used card for purchases and tax refund
According to ETtoday, the victim, Ms Zhan, said she accidentally lost her credit card while travelling in South Korea.
The card was allegedly picked up by another Taiwanese woman, who used it to make more than NT$8,000 (S$320) in unauthorised purchases.
The suspect also reportedly used her own passport to apply for a tax refund, leaving behind clearer identifying details, including her passport number.
In a Threads post that appears to have been made by Ms Zhan, she said the suspect was wearing a hat, had a blue scrunchie on her wrist, and was not wearing a mask, making her face clearly visible.
Source: 冬星新聞網 on YouTube
After the alleged unauthorised purchases, the suspect reportedly discarded Ms Zhan’s credit card near a grilled intestine shop.
The card was later found by another Taiwanese person, who posted about it online in an attempt to locate the owner.
Source: @jinans777 on Threads
South Korean police allegedly refused to accept case
Following the incident, Ms Zhan tried to seek help from police in South Korea.
However, she said local police refused to open a case, accept the report, handle the matter, or issue documentation.
Ms Zhan claimed the reason given was that the alleged offender was Taiwanese and the card used was issued in Taiwan.
In her Threads update, she said South Korean police told her to return to Taiwan to file a report, adding that reporting the matter in South Korea had been of no use.
Source: 冬星新聞網 on YouTube
After returning to Taiwan, Ms Zhan said she filed a police report, which was accepted. However, she added that she was unsure whether the case would lead to any outcome.
ETtoday reported that Taiwanese police would face difficulty obtaining the suspect’s personal information because the incident took place in South Korea.
Without documentation from South Korean police or assistance through cross-border legal channels, Taiwanese authorities would be legally constrained in trying to obtain such records.
Ms Zhan also said that while CCTV footage and transaction records existed, she could not personally obtain the suspect’s details due to personal data restrictions.
Store helps victim obtain CCTV footage and transaction records
Although official channels proved challenging, Ms Zhan managed to obtain key evidence with help from the store where the card was allegedly used.
According to ETtoday, the Hongdae EPT store actively assisted her in securing surveillance footage and relevant transaction records.
The footage reportedly captured the suspect’s face and the sequence of events clearly.
Ms Zhan also confirmed to ETtoday that she had obtained the footage and would submit it to the police as evidence.
She said she intended to pursue the case against the fellow Taiwanese woman.
Also read: Man’s wallet stolen at Chinatown MRT station, thief arrested after allegedly using his credit card to buy bak kwa
Man’s wallet stolen at Chinatown MRT station, thief arrested after allegedly using his credit card to buy bak kwa
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Featured image adapted from 冬星新聞網 on YouTube.
Taiwanese woman allegedly uses fellow tourist’s lost credit card in South Korea, claims tax refund with own passport
