Cops arrest ATM card skimmers

Police arrested two Thais and two Chinese nationals over the weekend in Bangkok for alleged complicity in ATM card skimming, believed to have caused more than 23 million baht in damage.

The bust came after police were alerted by Kasikornbank on Friday that someone was suspected of using counterfeit electronic cards with Electronic Data Capture (EDC) devices at a condominium on Ratchadaphisek Road in Huai Khwang district.

Officers on Saturday managed to apprehend two Thai women, Surangkana Boonreap, 36, and Ratchaneewan Thonawan, 41, who are believed to be associated with the network, at Ratchada Orchid condominium in the district.

A data recording device, 11 blank electronic cards, 64 bank accounts in other people’s names, 47 ATM cards in other people’s names, 15 EDC devices and 125 card slips were seized from them, according to officers.

The pair allegedly confessed to acquiring the EDC devices that were to be swiped by the Chinese suspects.

Slips coming from the card readers were handed to the Thai suspects, who then withdrew money from the charging accounts and gave the money to the Chinese, according to officers.

According to police, the pair said they were told they would receive 1% of the amount they withdrew each time.

Police on Sunday apprehended two Chinese suspects at Ratchada 17 condominium in Inthamara Soi 47 in Din Daeng district.

They were identified as Sun Zhideng, 32, and Yu Peng, 36.

Confiscated from them were 150 counterfeit electronic cards, 20 legitimate electronic cards owned by other people, a data recording device as well as bank accounts and card slips.

Police said the network began skimming in 2014 and is believed to have caused more than 23 million baht in damage, based on slips from the recovered EDC devices.

The Chinese admitted to acquiring data from electronic cards and putting it in blank cards, before withdrawing and sending the money to China from a money exchange shop in Huai Khwang, police said.

Police are currently working to track down other accomplices in the fraud.