7 Foreign Nationals Arrested In 20 Million Baht Foreign ATM Card Fraud

[Larry001]

I have to applaud the Thai police on this occasion for a good job. Hope they spend 10 years in a Thhai prison

[lifeincnx]

Sadly this will give Ukrainians a bad name. Oh wait....

[TomTao]

Are all the foreigners Ukrainian or just the leader?  

 

Wonder how they got caught?

Belarus, Iran and Ukrain according to the article which the link takes you to.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[jojodontyouknow]

I would think that criminals would hesitate more just to avoid this photo being taken!

[technologybytes]

How foolish, everybody knows you can only take out 20.000 baht at 1 time and Thai banks are charging 150 baht per transaction. They better had done the job somewhere were you can take out more.

Sorry mate, I took out 40,000 in two transactions one after the other. Kasikorn charge 15 baht, not 150.

No Thai will even look twice if you use your card twice in a row and that soon adds up.

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

The 15 bath you talk about must be from a thai ATM card, any foreign card used in Thailand, has a 150 bath fee. I have also seen a 180 bath fee in fact.

It is only AEON bank (japanese) that does not have a foreign fee, they have no fee since they are not part of the thai banks. But you of course have to pay the fee from your own bank back home.

Ok... I see a lot of confusion here.

Firstly the card issuer sets a daily limit. That cannot be exceeded in any 24 hour period.

Second the ATM has a limit only in how much you can withdraw in one transaction. 20K or 25K depending on the bank.

In this case the daily limits are set by the overseas bank who issued the card, and likely not higher then 25K per day, in most cases a lot less.

So the fraudster will probably only get one withdrawal per day per card using a clone of a overseas card here in Thailand, if the limit is higher than 25K then he must make more than one transaction per day per card.. not difficult.

The reason they choose Thailand is because the ATM machines here use old magnetic stripe technology, in most western countries the card will not work unless a chip is present, but they retain a magnetic stripe so they are backwards compatible with old technology that is used here.

[ESCAPIS]

You too can have an extended stay in Thailand at a very low cost!

I disagree!

Most probably they would serve a short sentence and get handed over to the respective countries they targeted.

They are infor international hospitality!

[tonneke breda]

How foolish, everybody knows you can only take out 20.000 baht at 1 time and Thai banks are charging 150 baht per transaction. They better had done the job somewhere were you can take out more.

Sorry mate, I took out 40,000 in two transactions one after the other. Kasikorn charge 15 baht, not 150.

No Thai will even look twice if you use your card twice in a row and that soon adds up.

So that's twice taking the risk and using foreign bankcards it will cost you 150 baht, while there are countries like malaysia where i can withdrawal double the amount in 1 transaction

[MyFriend You]

They will not spend long in a Thai jail, as there will have been no loss to Thai people or Thai Banks.

They are using overseas accounts to draw money from Thai ATM's, but there is no loss to the Thai banks.

The Banks get the ATM fee upwards of 150 baht each transaction..........The banks always Win

[poooket]

How foolish, everybody knows you can only take out 20.000 baht at 1 time and Thai banks are charging 150 baht per transaction. They better had done the job somewhere were you can take out more.

Sorry mate, I took out 40,000 in two transactions one after the other. Kasikorn charge 15 baht, not 150.

No Thai will even look twice if you use your card twice in a row and that soon adds up.

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

The 15 bath you talk about must be from a thai ATM card, any foreign card used in Thailand, has a 150 bath fee. I have also seen a 180 bath fee in fact.

It is only AEON bank (japanese) that does not have a foreign fee, they have no fee since they are not part of the thai banks. But you of course have to pay the fee from your own bank back home.

Ok... I see a lot of confusion here.

Firstly the card issuer sets a daily limit. That cannot be exceeded in any 24 hour period.

Second the ATM has a limit only in how much you can withdraw in one transaction. 20K or 25K depending on the bank.

In this case the daily limits are set by the overseas bank who issued the card, and likely not higher then 25K per day, in most cases a lot less.

So the fraudster will probably only get one withdrawal per day per card using a clone of a overseas card here in Thailand, if the limit is higher than 25K then he must make more than one transaction per day per card.. not difficult.

The reason they choose Thailand is because the ATM machines here use old magnetic stripe technology, in most western countries the card will not work unless a chip is present, but they retain a magnetic stripe so they are backwards compatible with old technology that is used here.

Some banks you can withdraw 30k/transaction. As being said before each bank have a default limit which can be easily changed, but I do think overseas banks would have a higher limit than 25k.

[Cuban]

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

I think you will find that the limitation is within the ATM itself and is twenty notes per transaction.

So if it's loaded with 1,000 Baht notes x20 = 20,000 Baht.

...but if it's near empty and only has 100 Baht notes x20 = 2,000 Baht (but you still play the 150 Baht fee for overseas cards or 20 Baht for non "home" ATMs for your own Thai Bank etc)

[CPT]

Lot of human rubbish comes from that region.

Maybe but, in Thailand at least, far less 'rubbish' than comes from western europe and the uk inparticular...

Edited July 28, 2013 by CPT

[Emdog]

Maybe cops will let them go make a few more withdrawls for tea money?

[Andre0720]

7 foreign nationals and 2 Thai men arrested, yet there are 10 people sat down hiding their faces.

Please show a bit of generosity here...

Surely just could not locate the calculator...

[mancub]

The report says that he employed 3 Thais ( 2 drivers and a planner) ....it also states that 2 Thais were arrested . Wonder if the lucky one was the" planner" and he'd made arrangements in the event of it all going tits up ??????

[poooket]

Some banks you can withdraw 30k/transaction. As being said before each bank have a default limit which can be easily changed, but I do think overseas banks would have a higher limit than 25k.

-pooket-

We got the message. 6 times

I believe, technical problem.

Yeah must be some technical problem. I hope this post will not be posted 6 times too. Lol

[ableguy]

7 foreign nationals and 2 Thai men arrested, yet there are 10 people sat down hiding their faces.

maybe people employed to actually hit the machines, ie withdraw cash

[Salapoo]

Wow very bad crime----Stealing money from a Bank, I guess there be the usual calls for them to be hung.................

Ok..........hang them.

But seriously, your complacent attitude has no comprehension on what that stolen money may be used for, or where it ends up.

I'm pretty sure I know where a lot of it is going to end up now the Thai police have caught them.

[Salapoo]

Perhaps the unaccounted Thai decided he could make more % off the BIB than off his employers.

[jbrain]

Hope they will be locked away for life and pay back with interest. Only with serious penalties it may stop these criminals.

And why is that.

The victims who lost money are insured, so they get their money back from the credit card company.

The money the banks steal from every one, you never get back.

[ableguy]

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

I think you will find that the limitation is within the ATM itself and is twenty notes per transaction.

So if it's loaded with 1,000 Baht notes x20 = 20,000 Baht.

...but if it's near empty and only has 100 Baht notes x20 = 2,000 Baht (but you still play the 150 Baht fee for overseas cards or 20 Baht for non "home" ATMs for your own Thai Bank etc)

This is not true I had an account with Bangkok bank that I used to purchase products to export with a 50k daily limit and could draw 50 k in one transaction however I should add this bwas several years ago.

[poooket]

Hope they will be locked away for life and pay back with interest. Only with serious penalties it may stop these criminals.

And why is that.

The victims who lost money are insured, so they get their money back from the credit card company.

The money the banks steal from every one, you never get back.

Seams not to be true if you are with a Thai bank.

[Sunisalom]

"using counterfeit bank cards which had been loaded with stolen account information"....

I'm confuse at this. How is a card, counterfeit, loaded with stolen account information?

Sunisa.

[jbrain]

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

I think you will find that the limitation is within the ATM itself and is twenty notes per transaction.

So if it's loaded with 1,000 Baht notes x20 = 20,000 Baht.

...but if it's near empty and only has 100 Baht notes x20 = 2,000 Baht (but you still play the 150 Baht fee for overseas cards or 20 Baht for non "home" ATMs for your own Thai Bank etc)

This is not true I had an account with Bangkok bank that I used to purchase products to export with a 50k daily limit and could draw 50 k in one transaction however I should add this bwas several years ago.

I don't think there is any ATM in Thailand that can provide 50 banknotes in a single withdrawal.

[banned1000]

Wow very bad crime----Stealing money from a Bank, I guess there be the usual calls for them to be hung.................

It`s not the bank they steal from, Sherlock, but customers. These ATM cards have been obtained by using skimming divices in advance.

These now empty bank accounts could be yours or mine, so yes, I would call for the hanging brigade every day of the week in this case.

Btw, try to get your stolen money back from the banks in Thailand.. Good luck with that.

makes one wonder why it is absolutely prescribed that the farang retirees must to hold their THB 800000 in an accessible account . is someone in cahoots here?

[poooket]

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

I think you will find that the limitation is within the ATM itself and is twenty notes per transaction.

So if it's loaded with 1,000 Baht notes x20 = 20,000 Baht.

...but if it's near empty and only has 100 Baht notes x20 = 2,000 Baht (but you still play the 150 Baht fee for overseas cards or 20 Baht for non "home" ATMs for your own Thai Bank etc)

This is not true I had an account with Bangkok bank that I used to purchase products to export with a 50k daily limit and could draw 50 k in one transaction however I should add this bwas several years ago.

Didn't know Bangkok bank had 50k transaction limit,max I have seen was 30k.

[catweazle]

Is it only me, or did these weekly "farang" scams truly start when Russians and others from the surrounding regions (like Ukrania, Latvia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, etc. started to settle in Thailand? I remember back in 1991 to approx 2004 there were sometimes (maybe two, three times per year) bigger scams/crimes involving foreigners reported, but since 2005 the frequency increases by the day. I am really trying to not skid into the racism grudge, but honesltly, these f##kers are damaging the reputation of any "farang" in Thailand who does things by the book like most expats I know. I honor and salute police and officials who are breathing down their necks and weed them out - get these people out of here, please!!!! And make sure they never return!

And if any Thai official is reading this, I hope that he/she understands that those Ukranian crooks do not represent the majority of foreigners here in Thailand.

F#$$, f#$$, f#$$!!!! These "Russian and surrounding areas Crooks" really start to pi$$ me off!!!!

Also, some member here wrote that they were funnelling money off the banks... No, no! Don't be mistaken here my friend - there will be some honest and hard working persons (may it be Thai of foreign) be standing in front of their banks' ATMs wondering where their pay check or retirement money went, because those F#$$ers had no any better business idea but ripping ordinary people off. These people make me sick - may they receive justice tenfold!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No mercy!

[thaibreaker]

How foolish, everybody knows you can only take out 20.000 baht at 1 time and Thai banks are charging 150 baht per transaction. They better had done the job somewhere were you can take out more.

Sorry mate, I took out 40,000 in two transactions one after the other. Kasikorn charge 15 baht, not 150.

No Thai will even look twice if you use your card twice in a row and that soon adds up.

There are limits stated by your bank. 20.000 bath for each withdrawel, usually 50.000 a day for thai ATM cards. Can be changed by yourself to 200.000 if wanted.

The 15 bath you talk about must be from a thai ATM card, any foreign card used in Thailand, has a 150 bath fee. I have also seen a 180 bath fee in fact.

It is only AEON bank (japanese) that does not have a foreign fee, they have no fee since they are not part of the thai banks. But you of course have to pay the fee from your own bank back home.

Ok... I see a lot of confusion here.

Firstly the card issuer sets a daily limit. That cannot be exceeded in any 24 hour period.

Second the ATM has a limit only in how much you can withdraw in one transaction. 20K or 25K depending on the bank.

In this case the daily limits are set by the overseas bank who issued the card, and likely not higher then 25K per day, in most cases a lot less.

So the fraudster will probably only get one withdrawal per day per card using a clone of a overseas card here in Thailand, if the limit is higher than 25K then he must make more than one transaction per day per card.. not difficult.

The reason they choose Thailand is because the ATM machines here use old magnetic stripe technology, in most western countries the card will not work unless a chip is present, but they retain a magnetic stripe so they are backwards compatible with old technology that is used here.

Some confusion here, but there is no doubt that you yourself can change your daily limit of your thai ATM card, at the ATM itself. I have done so myself, to 200.000 bath total pr. day, because I needed it there and then.

Dont remember excactly how, but was guided through it. No biggie.

Secondly, limits can vary a little bit from bank to bank, and withdrawel of overseas cards of 50.000 bath is not unusual, but in most places the transaction can not exceed 20000 bath (some places 25000 bath) but can be made again.

That was my point.

Edited July 28, 2013 by thaibreaker

[geriatrickid]

Interesting coincidence that this follows shortly after the massive dismantling of two US schemes that had ATMs breached and financial details of clients of several large retailers sold to criminal gangs;

The first big arrest occurred in March 2013; Investigators in the US and several other countries, including Britain, have cracked open a vast cash machine scam which yielded $45m (£29m) for its perpetrators scattered around the globe, making it one of the largest and most brazen bank heists ever seen.

The second occurred a few days ago; U.S. prosecutors charged six foreign nationals with hacking crimes, including credit and debit card thefts that authorities say cost U.S. and European companies more than $300-million (U.S.) in losses, and charged one of them with breaching Nasdaq computers. It is described as the biggest cyber fraud case filed in U.S. history.

The long list of victims include financial firms Citigroup Inc., Nasdaq OMX Group Inc., PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and a Visa Inc. licensee, Visa Jordan. Others include retailers Carrefour SA and J.C. Penney Co. Inc., along with JetBlue Airways Corp.

Prosecutors said they conservatively estimate that a group of five men stole at least 160 million credit card numbers, resulting in losses in excess of $300-million. Authorities charged Russian and Ukrainian nationals. They allegedly hid their activities using anonymous web-hosting services in the Ukraine. One is accused of selling the stolen data and distributing the profits. Prosecutors said he charged $10 for U.S. cards, $15 for ones from Canada and $50 for European cards, which are more expensive because they have computer chips that make them more secure.

I wouldn't be surprised if the people arrested in Thailand were using information purchased from the group that were operating out of the USA.

[k9guy62]

7 foreign nationals and 2 Thai men arrested, yet there are 10 people sat down hiding their faces.

The guy on the far left side of the screen is asking the chick for a date. He's the one that get caught shaking his winky on walking street.

[oldsailor35]

Are all the foreigners Ukrainian or just the leader?

Wonder how they got caught?

Read the Pattaya link, it will tell you their nationalities