Pattaya Police Arrest 2 Frenchmen For Multi Million Baht ATM Fraud

[jimbeam1]

Whenever I use my English ATM card I get an automatic text message on my mobile asking if it was a genuine transaction. It seems a simple and effective system.

That sounds interesting. Do you know if all companies do that?

jb1

[froglegisgood]

on the idea of the french citizenship and weird look...

a guy was visiting France and asked a local if they had a war with North Africa a while back.

the frenchie replied that they had a very fierce war for many years with Algeria...

and the guy then asked:"why did you keep all the prisonners?"

flg

[transam]

on the idea of the french citizenship and weird look...

a guy was visiting France and asked a local if they had a war with North Africa a while back.

the frenchie replied that they had a very fierce war for many years with Algeria...

and the guy then asked:"why did you keep all the prisoners?"

flg

They've escaped now to the UK.

[92302]

This Mastercard and Visa scam wouldn't work well in France as they don't know how to say CHARGE!!!!

[samjaidee]

Hope the scumbags get some serious time.

Scumbags is a bit harsh don't you think?

They stole money, they didn't hurt anyone except the banks. Was Nick Leeson a scumbag because he stole from Barings Bank?

Committing which crimes makes a person a scumbag?

[jadejames]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

They dammage the name of their host country,

so take away their french nationality,they obvious dont deserve it!

Their names are definitively not French. One of them (Ali) is obviously from the Mahgreb (North-Africa), like 70% of the people of the French gails !!!

Yes they dammage the whole France and they deserve really their French nationality !

[transam]

Hope the scumbags get some serious time.

Scumbags is a bit harsh don't you think?

They stole money, they didn't hurt anyone except the banks. Was Nick Leeson a scumbag because he stole from Barings Bank?

Committing which crimes makes a person a scumbag?

You just wait till your hit with an empty bank account and try sorting it out. Most people work for their life, these scum rob from people that they don't know who they are, young or old. With your out look the world would be even sader than it is now (pratt).

[anterian]

Whenever I use my English ATM card I get an automatic text message on my mobile asking if it was a genuine transaction. It seems a simple and effective system.

That sounds interesting. Do you know if all companies do that?

jb1

It may be special for me, You see I travel a lot and everytime I visited a new country, they would stop my card on the second transaction attempt. To cut a long story short I got uptight at having to ring the card security office to unblock the card. So started calling them reverse charge, then said I would cancel my card and move to another bank. So they started doing this, but it is an automated system so perhaps it is a new idea.

Why not just call your card security number and ask? I'm with Natwest if that helps.

[TimTang]

Do the victims get reimbursed or is it bye-bye cash? Who is legally liable: bank or victim of fraud? I think in Australia it's the bank who will indemnify. In Thailand?

Of coarse! The bank will provide you with the equivalent amount that you lost from there color photocopier in the back room, then, thank-you for your business; and could you please deposit your reimbursement in another bank.

[TimTang]

lock em up and throw away the key...

But if they do that, how will they give them their weekly beating and water-boarding?

[TimTang]

Indeed they may be "...both of French nationality..." but they do not look like the French people I know in France.

That's because you haven't gone to any of the muslim no-go zones. I hear they're a huge tourist attraction, so much so that once they enter quite often they never want to leave...or send post cards, letters, make phone calls or attempt any form of communication with the outside world what-so-ever. It's definitely up there on my "places to see" list.

[TimTang]

This is a photo of an ATM machine with a "skimmer": Fake ATM

WOW!!! Thanks for the link. That's a pretty sophisticated setup. The fake card slot must be somehow motorized with a power source to feed the card all the way in and pump it back out again, or the machine wouldn't acknowledge the presence of the card and the person wouldn't even enter their PIN.

If you were perpetrating this kind of scam it would be really stupid to remain in one place for a length of time. I suspect these guys got greedy and kept saying "let's just hang for one more day", rather than fleeing the country on the earliest flight. AHHHH...Greed'll gitcha every time.

[TimTang]

...a few years ago the Koreans were experimenting with fingerprint doorlocks for high end cars; all went well until thieves went after a top of the line Mercedes, and took the owner's finger off to gain access! needless to say, that particular security mechanism went out of favour pretty promptly...

That scenario has been depicted in few movies over the years. Even worse is the "EYE-DENTIFY" security system. Imagine having both your eyes popped out for a 25,000 baht maximum ATM withdrawal.

The banks would be on the lookout for guys wearing glasses like this.

Edited February 17, 2011 by TimTang

[inmysights]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

And your definition of a Frenchman would be ... ? Blond haired/blue eyed/brunette/brown eyed/ginger?

The stupidity of some on this forum never ceases to amaze me!

There are many interracial characteristics from all parts of EUROPE. And the French have a preponderance of those from the latin/abrabic races, given their history/proximity.

AND in any case, what the hell does being of any other race than 'european' have to do with it? I don't remember ONE boiler room guy being anything other than caucasian. (Perhaps some of you might need to look that word up ...)

Edited February 17, 2011 by inmysights

[DumFarang]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

And your definition of a Frenchman would be ... ? Blond haired/blue eyed/brunette/brown eyed/ginger?

The stupidity of some on this forum never ceases to amaze me!

There are many interracial characteristics from all parts of EUROPE. And the French have a preponderance of those from the latin/abrabic races, given their history/proximity.

AND in any case, what the hell does being of any other race than 'european' have to do with it? I don't remember ONE boiler room guy being anything other than caucasian. (Perhaps some of you might need to look that word up ...)

Actually, it does make a difference. Look no further than the country we're talking about that all this originated with. People come here and they think mai pen rai, mai pen rai, sabai sabai etc. The point is, we're not always on our best behavior in a host country, actually often times we're not. If you need another example look at the history of military occupations for a reference on things we get away with outside of home, maybe start with Japan's occupation of S. Korea and China, not to mention loads of examples in Europe as well and elsewhere for things we wouldn't likely do at home.

If these guy's could only live back home in "place-x," they'd likely be better behaved. Instead they're transients, Arabic names, French passports. This is the new multi-culture at its finest. And, hey, I'll be the first to admit. Living here in this wonderful host country, I haven't always been the model human being either. These guys are well past that. I feel sorry for them, but punishment is in order.

[TimTang]

some info about how the crooks get your atm info.

http://www.slideshare.net/worldstuff/how-to-detect-atm-card-skimming-and-pin-capturing-scams

Thanks 1219patrickm. Another great link.

This is probably one of the few times that Thaivisa is actually quite educational and informative. Anyone that has skipped over these links should really consider taking a look. I would probably never have suspected these ATM ad-ons, particularly if you've had a few cleansing brews, and you popped out to the ATM so you can order the last 3 or 4 at last call.

Who ever is manufacturing these devices, certainly know how to make them look professional, but for now on I'm going to keep a keen eye on the machinery that I relinquish my card to.

[TimTang]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

they look Jewish to me and so are their names

What*!*!*!*! one has an ever so slightly Arabic name "Ali" - you've got to be kidding!!!!!! HaHaHa

Yah! but the other one looks a LOT like Jerry Seinfeld!

NOT!

[HerbalEd]

How did they originally get hold of the cards so they could skim them?

Running a restaurant?

They sometimes use a 'false front' which covers the original face of the ATM. This then records card info and PINS and is passed wirelessly onto one of the fraudsters nearby.

It does not record the PIN.

[ukrules]

you guys should stop believing what you see in movies... a finger print scanner will not only check the image of your finger pattern but also measure capacitance produced by a live finger... so a plastic copy or a dead finger would not work

oz

I saw a 'MythBusters' episode which dealt with this.

They defeated all of the fingerprint locks they tested using 'hi tech' materials like latex and ballistic gel then tried a photocopy of the fingerprint. The photocopy also worked. This was a few years ago though.

Check it : http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/22/digital-fingerprint-door-lock-defeated-by-photocopied-print/

[khaowong1]

Multi-Million? scamming for a 100,000 baht is not anywhere close to Multi-Million. Even coming up with a million scammed isn't close to Multi-Million. I would say that these atm scams are getting more and more frequent as more and more crooks are getting educated on how these scams can be applied. The good old internet, you can learn anything off the internet today. Don't you just love this new tech age?

[lee68]

true mate opend my eyes as well.i usualy cover the keyboard anyway when i type my pin,but you never know.

some info about how the crooks get your atm info.

http://www.slideshar...capturing-scams

Thanks 1219patrickm. Another great link.

This is probably one of the few times that Thaivisa is actually quite educational and informative. Anyone that has skipped over these links should really consider taking a look. I would probably never have suspected these ATM ad-ons, particularly if you've had a few cleansing brews, and you popped out to the ATM so you can order the last 3 or 4 at last call.

Who ever is manufacturing these devices, certainly know how to make them look professional, but for now on I'm going to keep a keen eye on the machinery that I relinquish my card to.

[Angelo99]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

Half of France is Arab now so who knows where they're actually from.

[Angelo99]

I had my card skimmed about 4 years ago. They duplicated my card and sold it to someone who used it in Amsterdam to get cash from the ATM and book an airline ticket which was pretty bold if they didn't also have a fake passport. I got the money back from my bank but it took 6 months.

Now I ALWAYS cover the number pad with my hand or wallet as I enter my pin number and haven't had an issue since.

[rammis35]

How did they originally get hold of the cards so they could skim them?

Running a restaurant?

If you click on Full Story then you will get the Full Story. Don't be lazy....

[rammis35]

Whenever I use my English ATM card I get an automatic text message on my mobile asking if it was a genuine transaction. It seems a simple and effective system.

That sounds like a good system, I should check my bank and see if they have something like that.

[makkam]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

You've never been to France before. All French towns cities have sizeable communities of french nationals of arab extraction, just as in the UK there are sizable communities of UK citizens of Indian or Pakistani extraction.

Zinedine Zidane played for France and was born/bred in marseille.

You seem to be spinning a negative inference that their arab extraction in some ways mitigates against any possibility that a 'normal' white caucasian french person would be a crim.

[DumFarang]

french they must from one of the north african parts of the old colonial then , both look distinctly arabian to me not european???????

You've never been to France before. All French towns cities have sizeable communities of french nationals of arab extraction, just as in the UK there are sizable communities of UK citizens of Indian or Pakistani extraction.

Zinedine Zidane played for France and was born/bred in marseille.

You seem to be spinning a negative inference that their arab extraction in some ways mitigates against any possibility that a 'normal' white caucasian french person would be a crim.

Ugly truth: racial profiling works and nobody likes it except the one's whose jobs would be a whole lot easier.

[aurelius]

In the photograph attached to the original press release, it appears the 2 guys are passing the card between themselves with the one at the back carrying a bag doing the skimming. this implies the guy at the ATM on the right, actually gave the card to them or enabled them to take it - whether he realised it or not. Fundamental point here - never engage with anyone else at an ATM, never show anyone your card, body block the atm to prevent shoulder surfing and cover the PIN pad with your hand.

[ryladie99]

How did they originally get hold of the cards so they could skim them?

Running a restaurant?

They sometimes use a 'false front' which covers the original face of the ATM. This then records card info and PINS and is passed wirelessly onto one of the fraudsters nearby.

Thanks for posting and every time when I use my ATM I am so nervous. I make sure the bank opens and everyone is around because, My Bank had 8 times hold up and its has a guard with full weapon standing next to the ATM machine.

[mortenfo]

THERE IS A NEW ONE

Have to tell that some has copied my creditcard out here, and then emtied my account for all what we have - 182.400 Bath in total - so now Lin and I have to find some way to sell bottles and plastics.

But we try to keep smiling. Was in our bank yeasterday, and all the other banks where the burglars have used the card and after that 3 hours at the police. They made reports and they tell it will take some time before they have check out all the CTV on different places. No insurances, no return from Visa only to wait and hope they cats the burglars and then that they still have some of the money.