Two Bulgarians Arrested In Phuket For Allegedly Stealing A T M Cards' Data

[webfact]

PHUKET

Two Bulgarians arrested for allegedly stealing ATM cards' data

The Nation

PHUKET: -- Police have arrested two Bulgarians for having allegedly attempted to steal electronic data for cloning ATM cards.

Stenkov Anchoha Ritonov, 33, and Tervel Dimitrov, 31, were arrested on Sunday in this island province. Police searched their rented bungalow and found an assortment of equipment for stealing electronic data from victims when they used their ATM cards on cash withdrawal machines installed with the data stealing equipment.

Dimitrov was charged with entering the kingdom without a visa and Ritonov was charged with travelling in Thailand without a passport and visa. The two were charged with collaborating with other Bulgarians on the run of attempting to steal electronic data from ATM cards to clone the cards and to steal money from accounts of victims.

Police were alerted by Kaksikorn Bank's Karon Beach branch that an ATM machine had been illegally modified. Police staked out the bank on Sunday and discovered three foreigners arriving on three motorcycles trying to retrieve the modified equipment from the ATM machine. Two fled the scene during the arrest but Dimitrov was taken into custody. Police arrested Ritonov when he returned to try retrieve a motorcycle left behind.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

[webfact]

Bulgarian ATM hackers arrested in Phuket

Phuket Gazette

Bulgarian nationals Ancho Stankov (seated, left) and Tervel Dimitrov were arrested while removing the ATM card ‘skimmer’ from the KBank ATM on the Karon beachfront. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

A Tourist Police officer holds up photos of the fake front panel that was attached to the ATM, allowing the suspects to allegedly record the details and PIN number of each card inserted into the machine. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket Police last night arrested two Bulgarian men who were caught removing a “skimming device” from an ATM in Karon, on Phuket’s west coast.

Tourist Police moved in and arrested Tervel Kaloyanov Dimitrov, 31, and Ancho Stankov, 33, at about 8pm while they were removing the panel from a Kasikornbank (KBank) ATM machine on Patak Road.

The men used a “skimmer” to scan information from legitimate cards being inserted into the machine and a fake keypad to record the PIN numbers being entered by customers, Tourist Police Capt Somdej Saraban explained at a press conference this morning.

“They were to sell the information they had collected to ‘agents’ located in tourism destinations both here in Thailand, such as in Pattaya, as well as overseas,” he explained.

Tourist Police put the ATM under surveillance after a KBank staffer, doing his routine delivery to top up ATMs with cash, reported the machine as “suspicious”.

“The bank worker reported that the insert slot for the ATM card and the keypad both looked suspicious, as if covered by an ATM scanning device [called a ‘skimmer’],” said Capt Somdej.

While police were watching the machine, three foreigners arrived and started to remove the front panel and skimming devices from the ATM.

Officers moved in to make the arrests, but the third man who was with the two suspects evaded capture, Capt Somdej explained.

“Officers searched the holiday bungalow the men had rented and found more skimming equipment,” he added.

Mr Dimitrov and Mr Stankov were taken to Chalong Police Station, where they are now being held, and charged with possession of electronic equipment with the intent to produce fake electronic cards, and with entering Thailand illegally.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...uket-19344.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-11-05

[upena]

"Dimitrov was charged with entering the kingdom without a visa and Ritonov was charged with travelling in Thailand without a passport and visa."

As bad as the ATM crime is, how did these guys get into Thailand without passport and visas? That is scarier.

[MahaYellow]

"Dimitrov was charged with entering the kingdom without a visa and Ritonov was charged with travelling in Thailand without a passport and visa."

As bad as the ATM crime is, how did these guys get into Thailand without passport and visas? That is scarier.

The border epecially between Myanmar and Thailand at Mae Sai/Tachilek and

Mae Sot/Myawaddy is so porous that anyone can enter and leave Thailand freely

near and around these two points.

I see people doing it all the time I was at Mae Sai.

[nakhonandy]

What a joke, the idiot went back to get the motorbike. Criminal masterminds at work here.

[mithunonthenet]

Good job Thai police!

[bikkalad]

Ah well theyve got tje scumbags now............seems like they may be staying longer than anticipated ............good on the bib

[transam]

Lock 'em up, then send photos of their new hotel to their natives back home. Might deter those with a single brain cell.

[mok199]

...wow ,a lesson learned here for me today,always look at the atm first before attempting to use is..thanks losers.

[frankold]

Good work by the BIB, but perhaps someone should tell the cop in the opening picture that the evidence he's holding infront of the suspect is infact a PlayStation 3 rather than ATM skimming electronics.

[belg]

nice catch !

they are on an island, should not be to complicated to find them, right ?

[fasteddie]

One of the worst things that ever happened was the collapse of the iron curtain, unleashed hordes of thieving racist undesirables on the world.

[NomadJoe]

Good job Thai police!

They staked out the ATM's until the scammers returned and still one got away. Hardly a "good job."

[gaucho]

One of the worst things that ever happened was the collapse of the iron curtain, unleashed hordes of thieving racist undesirables on the world.

100% correct ...world was a lot easier back in those days world was basically split in two and despite occasional chest thumping was a lot safer ....

[noob7]

mmmh, any close look on the devices possible? In the western world, the police is giving out the pictures, so that the people in the road are knowing, what they have to check for.

Or do the specialists need some time, to copy and use it?

[somchai jones]

"Dimitrov was charged with entering the kingdom without a visa and Ritonov was charged with travelling in Thailand without a passport and visa."

As bad as the ATM crime is, how did these guys get into Thailand without passport and visas? That is scarier.

Not difficult. Look at the millions of people that enter UK and US illegally.

[Payboy]

Good work by the BIB, but perhaps someone should tell the cop in the opening picture that the evidence he's holding infront of the suspect is infact a PlayStation 3 rather than ATM skimming electronics.

So they were playing Grand Bulgary ATM?

[stevenl]

LIK, your guys?

[mikebell]

Good job Thai police!

The police staked out the ATM machine and yet two of the three villains escaped!

[radiochaser]

"Dimitrov was charged with entering the kingdom without a visa and Ritonov was charged with travelling in Thailand without a passport and visa."

As bad as the ATM crime is, how did these guys get into Thailand without passport and visas? That is scarier.

I used to know someone that traveled to Southeast Asia in the mid 1980's. When he was denied entry to Thailand from Malaysia, he walked back down the road 1/2 mile, walked into the jungle 1/2 mile and then back up into Thailand. It was easy he said.

He stayed in Thailand for several months, then went up into Burma and then on to India by land. No entry visa's for any country after Malaysia. He did have a passport.

[LivinginKata]

LIK, your guys?

Don't think same guy. Plus different technique. I my case my card was skimmed by palm of hand.

[stevenl]

LIK, your guys?

Don't think same guy. Plus different technique. I my case my card was skimmed by palm of hand.

Yes, as you may recall they tried to do the same to me, but one of them does seem familiar to me. I was thinking they might have changed their operating procedures. On the other hand, I was convinced one of them was speaking with a French accent.

So yes, probably different guys.

[Baerboxer]

One of the worst things that ever happened was the collapse of the iron curtain, unleashed hordes of thieving racist undesirables on the world.

You mean the EU?

[fasteddie]

One of the worst things that ever happened was the collapse of the iron curtain, unleashed hordes of thieving racist undesirables on the world.

You mean the EU?

Yes the E.U. for sure but not just, check out Pattaya,Phuket and Bangkok.

[fasteddie]

...wow ,a lesson learned here for me today,always look at the atm first before attempting to use is..thanks losers.

You didn't do that already?

[redroo]

Must have a factory in Bulgaria or romania for those fronts to put on the atm.

[supaprik]

Good job Thai police!

They staked out the ATM's until the scammers returned and still one got away. Hardly a "good job."

100% agree and also the credit should go to the bank employee and cash filler that noticed the equipment NOT the BIB..