Jailed for her $74,000 spending spree
Armed with 17 fake credit cards, woman buys gold, jewels... and a pup
By Tan Mae Lynn
December 16, 2007
FOR five years, she ate at fancy restaurants and pampered herself with jewellery and branded wear.
All on credit. Other people's credit.
The mother of three chalked up $74,000 on 17 credit cards that were either stolen or counterfeit.
That included what she spent on an expensive puppy.
Even after she was arrested in 2002, she jumped bail and continued to cheat several banks.
Eva Wong was finally caught again earlier this year and faced 152 charges of cheating and possessing counterfeit credit cards.
The prosecution went ahead with nine charges of cheating and one charge of possessing a counterfeit credit card. The remaining charges were taken into consideration.
Wong, an Indonesian of Taiwanese descent, was convicted in September and sent to jail for seven years.
CAUGHT WHILE SHOPPING 
The dog that Eva Wong bought was a schnauzer, like the one shown here. --File photo
The 40-year-old was first caught in November 2002 when she was on a shopping spree in Takashimaya.
Following a tip-off, police arrested her at the departmental store.
She was found with five credit cards from different banks bearing the name of 'Evelyn W Astono'.
She had also admitted making several purchases that day using credit cards she knew were counterfeit.
But before she could be dealt with in court, Wong jumped bail.
While on the run, she continued to use fake cards. This time, the cards had the name 'Sherina S Ongko'.
Between September 2006 and April this year, Wong splurged on various items, including a puppy.
At a pet shop on Upper Thomson Road in March, she spent more than $2,500 on a schnauzer pup, dog food and accessories.
On 21 Apr, she signed for an assortment of gold and diamond jewellery totalling $5,600 from a shop in Orchard Parade Hotel.
The next day, the police received a tip-off that led to her arrest at Liang Court Shopping Centre.
Investigators found that since 2002, she had used 17 counterfeit credit cards to pay for transactions amounting to $74,189.15.
Wong had two accomplices, both based in Indonesia and both still at large. She claimed she bought some of her cards through one of them at $400 acard.
She did not have to pay for the cards supplied by a second accomplice, but the agreement between them was for her to buy items specified by him.
In mitigation, Wong claimed the cards were given by her ex-husband, who said they were a substitute for alimony.
She said she used the cards to buy things for her family. Her three children are looked after by her parents in Taiwan.
District Judge Liew Thiam Leng noted that there was planning and premeditation involved in Wong's offences.
Judge Liew said: 'If not for her arrests, she would have continued using the counterfeit credit cards. These are aggravating circumstances which would warrant a deterrent sentence.'
He took into consideration Wong's lack of remorse.
'She had in fact... been going on a spending spree using counterfeit cards in total disregard of the law.'
Wong received 30 months' jail for each of the 10 charges.
For possessing a forged counterfeit credit card and wilfully intending to pass it off as genuine, she was given 24months' imprisonment. Some of the sentences are to run concurrently.
Wong's appeal against the sentence was thrown out.
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