Two Held For Fake Passport, Credit-card Scams

[george]

Two held for fake passport, credit-card scams

BANGKOK: -- Police yesterday paraded before the media two suspects allegedly behind a fake passport and major credit-card scam.

The police have been cracking down on international financial fraud rings operating out of Thailand.

The two suspects were identified as Lau Seng-ti, 47, a Malaysian national, and Superng Sae-kao, 29. Seized from them were 23 fake passports and more than 1,500 fake credit cards, of which 83 have magnetic strips and were ready to use.

The confiscated materials are estimated to be worth about Bt100 million, Pol Maj-General Panya Mamen, said yesterday.

Panya said the identities of the owners of the credit cards and other relevant information were obtained by the suspects from the United States via the Internet.

Panya said the suspects were also involved in money laundering and smuggling of goods, and have connections with criminal elements in foreign countries.

The two suspects were arrested on Friday during a police sting operation.

Central Investigation Bureau Commissioner Pol Lt-General Worapong Chiewpreecha, said the past three months have been extremely hectic for the police force because of the growing number of similar criminal activities

Security analysts and observers said Thailand has long been a favourite destination for international crime syndicates because of the ease in getting into and out of the country.

Besides fake passports and credit card frauds, the country has become the destination and transit point for victims of human trafficking from neighbouring countries.

Illicit drugs, especially heroin and methamphetamines coming from the northern border areas, have not only flooded Thai cities but also find their way to foreign countries via shipping containers departing from the Eastern Seaboard, a senior intelligence officer said on condition of anonymity.

-- The Nation 2008-10-26

[jamesjdaly]

............Thailand has long been a favourite destination for international crime syndicates because of the ease in getting into and out of the country............

They haven't had to do visa runs, border runs, 90 days reporting or any other hair-brained scheme to discourage people who want to live here!!!

[TJAN]

............Thailand has long been a favourite destination for international crime syndicates because of the ease in getting into and out of the country............

They haven't had to do visa runs, border runs, 90 days reporting or any other hair-brained scheme to discourage people who want to live here!!!

Try any find another country to stay and live as easy as Thailand,they are right to keep an eye on people living here.

[Scott]

The other thing the law enforcement people could do is quit having crackdowns and enforce the law on a regular and routine basis.

[dumball]

Are you infering Thai police are incompetant in their day to day performance of their designated duties , shame on you , what ever gave you that idea .

I would appreciate your report in fullest detail , written in perfect English and fully suported with all scourse locations . It seems the TV police are getting somewhat p###d off with the amount of searches required of them to absolutly enable them to clarify all the mistakes , omittions etc that the average poster is often found guilty of by the Kangaroos . this gives them insufficient spare time to scrutinise ALL posts in the minutest detail so as not to miss any miniscule ommissions .

Thanking you in anticipation of your highest co-operation on behalf of all of us wayward posters , yours in trust , Dumball

[tommyj4]

Apart from writing traffic tickets, what do they do???....serious question as never see them doing anything else.

[jayjayjayjay]

I for one would not mind a much more detailed check, ie including home country police records checks etc, then allowing us to stay permanently for 2-3 years without the hassle. This 90 day thing and the difficulty of starting a business with less than 3 or 4 million capital is just ridiculous.

[skiman1]

Apart from writing traffic tickets, what do they do???....serious question as never see them doing anything else.

they are busy playing pool in bars and picking wax from their ears so little time left to worry about "enforcing the law"