Five Frenchmen arrested for Phuket ATM skimming fraud 'in the millions'

[webfact]

Five Frenchmen arrested for Phuket ATM skimming fraud 'in the millions'
Eakkapop Thongtub


Five Frenchmen arrested for Phuket ATM skimming fraud 'in the millions'

PHUKET: -- Five Frenchmen are in police custody while another suspect is at large, wanted for ATM skimming fraud in Phuket amounting to losses “in the millions”, police said.

The men, who have denied all allegations, were paraded to the media this morning (February 3)at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Police Station, headed by Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Maj Gen Pachara Boonyasit.

The suspects – identified as Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito 29, the alleged leader of the group, Mel Duval Poaty, 29, Accel Jonathan Poaty Pambou, 26, Samir Maruof 29 and Jessy Bianvenu Vincence, 33 – were presented to the press along with seized evidence, including 15 fake electronic cards, a notebook computer, flash drive and five passports.

Two of the men were arrested at a Fresh Mart store in Kamala, while the other three were nabbed at a rented home in Chalong on February 28, police said.

Police said the men were believed to be part of an international skimming gang.

Their arrest came after Phuket police Superintentent Lt Col Prawi Angchuwn received information from the money laundering crime and security department of Siam Commercial Bank that on February 22, a group of dark skinned men used skimming cards on multiple occasions to withdrawal cash from one of their ATMs in front of the Fresh Mart convenience store in Kamala and other locations in Chalong.

Investigators and undercover agents staked out the scenes where the men had worked.

Police said that the gang divided themselves into two groups to commit the crimes – one group was based at the rented house on Soi Prattana in Chalong and the other at the rented house on Soi Huakwan in Kamala.

According to police, at 1am on Feb 28, Kevin and Mel left the house in Kamala and came to the Fresh Mart.

Kevin took an undisclosed amount of cash out of the machine while Mel was one the lookout for his partner, police said.

When police approached them, both men attempted to flee into a nearby soi but police were able to apprehend them, with skimmer cards on their possession.

Police later raided the house in Chalong and arrested the other three suspects, Jonathan,Samir and Jessy, while a fourth man managed to flee the scene.

Police seized the rest of the evidence, and said they have notified immigration police to be on the lookout for the other man at large and arrest him upon positive identification.

Police clarified that they had photographic evidence of the sixth suspect, but could not obtain a name from any of the other suspects.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/five-frenchmen-arrested-for-phuket-atm-skimming-fraud-in-the-millions-51238.php


-- Phuket News 2015-03-03

[uptheos]

" a group of dark skinned men used skimming cards on multiple occasions"

What, now it's not pc to say black?

[nzexpat]

French ?

Really ?

[angsta]

Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito doesn't sound typically French to me.

[Costas2008]

French ?

Really ?

Yes they are French.

Haven't you heard that with the global warming the sun is very strong in France so the people started going black?

In the UK the sun is not so severe so people started going less dark.......let's say they look like Indians or Pakistanis.

A big problem it is this global warming........

[tingtongfarang]

French ?

Really ?

What do you expect...onions hanging around the neck?

[clockman]

African French colonys

[lazygourmet]

They don't look a bit like Napoleon...............

Napoleon was Corsican...

Still more than halfway from were the culprits are originating from.

[NativeSon360]

"Police clarified that they had photographic evidence of the sixth suspect, but could not obtain a name from any of the other suspects." Ditt Take the bust, and then keep your mouth shut.

[LivinginKata]

Enough of the racial comments. Obviously they are from one of the old French African colonies.

Try to concentrate on the crime of card skimming/fraud. I hope these guys get locked up in Thailand for a very long time. .

[hanno]

Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito doesn't sound typically French to me.

This is getting so old. Not all French are called Charles Henri Duval, just like not all Brits are called Jim Smith and just like not all Germans are called Fritz Mueller. If they have French passports, then that is what they are; regardless of names or skin color.

[dean008]

Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito 29, the alleged leader of the group, Mel Duval Poaty, 29, Accel Jonathan Poaty Pambou, 26, Samir Maruof 29 and Jessy Bianvenu Vincence

Bonjour Tahiango, Poaty, Poaty Samir and Jesy, All typical frenchmen. And people wonder why the European Union is a joke

[dean008]

Maybe it is old, but when a Country allows all sorts in its worth a comment

Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito doesn't sound typically French to me.

This is getting so old. Not all French are called Charles Henri Duval, just like not all Brits are called Jim Smith and just like not all Germans are called Fritz Mueller. If they have French passports, then that is what they are; regardless of names or skin color.

[dean008]

I hope so too. Is it racist to question how these people can be considered french when the are as french as Big Ben

Enough of the racial comments. Obviously they are from one of the old French African colonies.

Try to concentrate on the crime of card skimming/fraud. I hope these guys get locked up in Thailand for a very long time. .

[Somtamnication]

Well, now they are going to wag their tails like Pepe Le Pew at Phuket Prison.

[Enoon]

Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito doesn't sound typically French to me.

This is getting so old. Not all French are called Charles Henri Duval, just like not all Brits are called Jim Smith and just like not all Germans are called Fritz Mueller. If they have French passports, then that is what they are; regardless of names or skin color.

Perhaps the "name" issue is actually an oblique way of asking this question:

"Why is it that North African/African minority groups make up about 13.5% of the population of France, but they seem to account for (according to the media) 90+% of the crime committed by French citizens in Thailand?"

Does it mean that "whitey" French crooks, with traditional Gallic names, prefer to thieve at home, or are the ex-colonised just easier to catch?

[Lite Beer]

Phuket:- Five French nationals of African origin have been arrested in Phuket for allegedly using skimmer devices to steal ATM cards’ identities and stealing from accounts of their victims.

The arrest was announced at a press conference by Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Wut Liptapanlop at the Phuket Police head office at 10:30 am Tuesday.

The five were identified as Kevin Tahiango Theodore Okito, 29, Mel Duval Poaty, 29, Accel Jonathan Poaty Pambou, 26, Samir Maruo, 29, and Jessy Bianvenu Vincence, 33.

Police seized 13 fake ATM cards, a notebook computer and three USB Flash drives with information of ATM cards they have allegedly stolen with skimmer devices.

Police investigated and staked out at certain ATM machines in Tambon Kamala in Krathu district and Tambon Chalong in Muang district after they were alerted by the Siam Commercial Bank that some black foreigners have been using fake ATM cards to withdraw money from SCB ATM machines in the two tambon since February 22.

At about 1:10am on February 28, police spotted Okito and Poaty turning up at the SCB ATM booth in front of the Freshmart shop in Tambon Kamala.

While Okito was withdrawing the money, police made the arrest. Initially, the two tried to escape by running into a soi but police managed to arrest them.

Following the two’s interrogations, police raided a house in Tambon Kamala and another in Tambon Chalong and arrested the three other suspects.

Wut said during the raids, some black French nationals managed to flee. The Phuket immigration police have been alerted to watch out for the suspects.

Wut said Okito was wanted by an arrest warrant issued in France.

Source: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/805420-five-french-nationals-arrested-in-phuket/

-- © thaivisa.com

[tif]

Napoleon was Corsican...

Still more than halfway from were the culprits are originating from.

Nigeria?

Edited March 3, 2015 by tif

[tif]

Perhaps the "name" issue is actually an oblique way of asking this question:

"Why is it that North African/African minority groups make up about 13.5% of the population of France, but they seem to account for (according to the media) 90+% of the crime committed by French citizens in Thailand?"

Does it mean that "whitey" French crooks, with traditional Gallic names, prefer to thieve at home, or are the ex-colonised just easier to catch?

No, they're simply more likely to be thieves. Enough with this PC BS.

[MRDave]

Five man who happened to be lucky enough to have gained French citizenship decide to blacken the name, no pun intended of that said country by engaging in criminal activity in Thailand.

They should be stripped of their citizenship and not be allowed a transfer back to France to serve their time in a cushy western prison.

Edited March 3, 2015 by MRDave

[NeilSA1]

They don't look a bit like Napoleon...............

No. I think he was much shorter...

[Howitzer]

in before someone makes a comment that those black guys can be called frenchmen but yet a farang can live a long time in thailand and speak thai and marry a thai person but yet not be considered thai.

[balo]

There are many blacks living in France , many of the best football players in France are black .

So this is not about race but some group of people that are lucky enough to get a French passport and take advantage of it to do crime . We can only hope they will get punished hard enough.

[Howitzer]

There are many blacks living in France , many of the best football players in France are black .

So this is not about race but some group of people that are lucky enough to get a French passport and take advantage of it to do crime . We can only hope they will get punished hard enough.

Hopefully it doesn't degrade into a type of all nationalities in the world can live in our farangistan countries but yet it isn't the same for non farang countries type of argument despite the fact that you can find people of all nationalities in say the top 30 richest countries for example and they include asian countries as well.

[Thorgal]

I am sorry that these fools look nothing like the FRENCHMEN I have met in my life. They resemble the Muslims and Terrorists who inhabit France. Now they are coming here to disrupt Thailand. I hope the Thai Government and Law deal with these creatures severely. Not like they would be babied in France.

Muslim and Terrorists ? Can you elaborate this ?

[Bogan Koori]

They lookmore like cocaine dealersthan card skimmers

[chooka]

They look Nigerian.

[hanno]

in before someone makes a comment that those black guys can be called frenchmen but yet a farang can live a long time in thailand and speak thai and marry a thai person but yet not be considered thai.

Maybe because Thailand doers not have a history as a colonial power? And where is it written that Thailand needs to apply French law; each country makes its own choices.

[webfact]

Five French nationals arrested in Phuket

Phuket:- Five French nationals of African origin have been arrested in Phuket for allegedly using skimmer devices to steal ATM cards’ identities and stealing from accounts of their victims.

The arrest was announced at a press conference by Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol Gen Wut Liptapanlop at the Phuket Police head office at 10:30 am Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/805420-five-french-nationals-arrested-in-phuket/

[harrycallahan]

No more cheese for these Pierre's where they're going!