ATM debit card fraud - skimming - Thailand

[sebulba]

Hi,

I have been traveling in Thailand in June, July and August 2015.

During that time my debit card was copied ( skimming ). My PIN was obtained as well.

There were countless withdrawals made in Thailand beginning September while I was already back to my home country.

Lots of money is gone.

My destinations were Bangkok, Hua Hin and particularly Koh Samui area (Bo Phut, Chaweng, Lamai) as well as

Koh Phangan and Koh Tao where the potential skimming happened.

The Thai police is informed. Not sure how effective the investigation goes but fingers crossed.

My question is if anybody was affected by recent ATM / debit card fraud within Thailand or has heard about it.

cheers,

sebulb

[ryanhull]

Sorry to hear that,

I had it happen once and they managed to take near enough a grand out (pounds)

Luckily natwest my bank gave me it right back... have you contacted your bank to report it to the fraud team?

My bank natwest needed no police report number etc they just took my word for it... from now on I always cover my pin with my hand and check the card port for anything dodgy (try to pull it off)

Good luck

[ryanhull]

Wrong - your not on your own, your bank will cover this as with any fraud against your account.

[roamer]

You're on your own sport. Thailand doesn't care about the foreigners who travel here. My suggestion would be to leave the copers out of it, or you'll be cheated again!

Wrong - your not on your own, your bank will cover this as with any fraud against your account.

You can't say that. You don't know his home country and banking rules differ. Never take these rules as "given", there are numerous examples of banks trying to evade responsibility.

" your bank will cover this as with any fraud against your account."

You obviously have a different bank to mine.

[sebulba]

Hi ryanhull,

thanks for your reply.

My card and account is from Bank of China - Shanghai.
Unfortunately the bank denies any liability or reimbursement.

So my only chance to eventually get my money back is through (successful) police investigation.

sebulba

[NOC]

My comment was not about the banks. Some banks are understanding and have measures in place for this kind of situation.

As far as getting any help here, to help out wherever home is, he's on his own!

[kbelyeu]

Unfortunately it is highly unlikely you will get any response from the police in this matter. You would be best checking the policies of your bank and trying to sort redress with them. I had my debit card with HSBC skimmed and used in Hua Hin but was cleared in about 6 months dealing with the bank.

Kurt

[richard_smith237]

UK Banks protect you - this has happened before. NatWest in the UK refunded my money after I signed an Affidavit.

I have two Thai Bank Accounts - one with a small amount of money in it which I use at ATM's. I also try to be covert as possible when entering my pin, I also am quite selective of the ATM's I use and check for foreign appearing objects.

[fey]

Have been using ATM's in Thailand and surrounding countries for years and never had that problem.

[KMartinHandyman]

Reduce my U.S. debit card usage to bank location ATMs only and credit cards at hotels and online transactions. Cash for everything else. So far no problems in Thailand but have had all plastic card accounts compromised in U.S. No less than 4 times.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jessi]

I have not had this problem YET !!

I always use an ATM located inside a bank.

Do Thai banks cover if it does happen? Bangkok bank??

[Pib]

Card fraud such as the OP experienced happens all over the world....some countries are worst than others since law enforcement is weak/selective. OP needs to deal with his card-issuing bank in hopefully getting the money credited back to his account. Don't worry about a Thai police report...they really can't help you and this type of white collar crime gets little of their attention until they happen to bust a gain of card scammers every once in a while which they well publicize. Deal with your card-issuing bank on the issue.

[hrjay]

Bangkok Bank offers an ATM card with a chip in it. I don't think it can be skimmed. The downside is that it only works at Bangkok Bank ATM's.

[Asiantravel]

I have not had this problem YET !!

I always use an ATM located inside a bank.

Do Thai banks cover if it does happen? Bangkok bank??

I have stopped using ATMs altogether whether they are inside or outside.

I would rather invest the extra time getting counter service than battle the anxiety of trying to keep up with the continually evolving strategies and devices used by these criminals

[ryanhull]

Hi ryanhull,

thanks for your reply.

My card and account is from Bank of China - Shanghai.

Unfortunately the bank denies any liability or reimbursement.

So my only chance to eventually get my money back is through (successful) police investigation.

sebulba

Fair enough I stand corrected apologies, I would hate to be with a bank that did not cover me incase of fraud, be a constant worry and I was very thankful to natwest... to be honest I would rather keep my cash in cash under my bed if that was the case, using my dogs as protection, what use is a bank if they cannot cover you against fraud in this day and age.

Did you cover your pin when you took the money out?

[Heng]

Had this happen twice now. Got reimbursed by my bank the 2nd time around but not the first.

Have been tightening security.... first time way back way (3 years ago) I still used those 7-11 open air ATM's.... got hit and lesson learned, so I thought. After that I only used ATMs inside department stores. Well the 2nd case (this year) happened because they had a scanner on the SCB atm INSIDE the Lotus at Pattaya Tai. Must have been some kind of keypad mold on job because I have always covered my PIN.

Lost $400 US the first time and $1100 US this time. Going old school now and will only use 1 single card... Kasikorn Bank, the only local bank (as far as I know) that allows you to reduce the withdrawal/transfer/purchase limits to zero by phone. Whenever I use it, I put the limit I want in.... and then right after I use it, I put the limit back to zero. All other bank accounts are now old school passbook only. Bye bye (cancelled) all other local atm cards. As for my foreign accounts, I have those cards in my safe and am sticking to online banking only now.

Edited September 27, 2015 by Heng

[HampiK]

Had this happen twice now. Got reimbursed by my bank the 2nd time around but not the first.

Have been tightening security.... first time way back way (3 years ago) I still used those 7-11 open air ATM's.... got hit and lesson learned, so I thought. After that I only used ATMs inside department stores. Well the 2nd case (this year) happened because they had a scanner on the SCB atm INSIDE the Lotus at Pattaya Tai. Must have been some kind of keypad mold on job because I have always covered my PIN.

Lost $400 US the first time and $1100 US this time. Going old school now and will only use 1 single card... Kasikorn Bank, the only local bank (as far as I know) that allows you to reduce the withdrawal/transfer/purchase limits to zero by phone. Whenever I use it, I put the limit I want in.... and then right after I use it, I put the limit back to zero. All other bank accounts are now old school passbook only. Bye bye (cancelled) all other local atm cards. As for my foreign accounts, I have those cards in my safe and am sticking to online banking only now.

I use something similar. I have 2 accounts

• ATM account with almost no money on it (2-3'000 emergency money)
• saving account with more money

When i need money i can transfer money from the saving account to my ATM account by online banking and then withdrawl it.

If my ATM card is scammed, then they only can take the money which is on my ATM account. And because i not go to the ATM every day this works fine for me. Most of the time I know in advanced when i have to take money so i can transfer it. And in a real emergency i still have the posibility by mobile (online banking) to transfer more money.

and I also would think of an SMS alert. Then at least you know after the first misuse and can call the bank to cancel this card.

[Thongkorn]

Wrong - your not on your own, your bank will cover this as with any fraud against your account.

Correct but some wrong, If the Bank finds that you have not protected your pin number enough they will/may not reimburse you.

[chrisinth]

I have not had this problem YET !!

I always use an ATM located inside a bank.

Do Thai banks cover if it does happen? Bangkok bank??

Quick story reference Bangkok bank against fraud, albeit slightly different to the OP's position.

Just last week i received a phone call from my bank branch to tell me that the investigation was now complete; my account had had 67,000 baht deposited into it and that i could now dispose of my ATM card as the branch had cancelled it for me. The ATM card had not been used since the incident but was kept active until the investigation was complete, i had been issued with a new card.

I was caught up in an on-line fraud where i was 'redirected' while making a legitimate on-line transaction with a reliable source. The transaction went through, but in the meanwhile my card was being debited amounts between 40 & 80 baht in a continuous loop. I had no knowledge of this happening until i next tried to use the ATM (6 days later) only to find the machine telling me 'insufficient funds'. I do have several bank accounts here and i normally only have about 200,000 baht in the account used with the ATM card (for such an eventuality as happened). When reporting to the bank, i was informed that 162,000 baht had been removed from the account through this 'loop withdrawal'. (This was the amount in the account at the time before the fraud minus the 30 baht that was left).

It took the bank 6 months to close this particular investigation. On the initial report to my local branch they credited me about 100,000 baht.

The reason i wanted to share this was to make people aware about what can happen if you lose the ball for a second. I hadn't setup with the bank any SMS messaging alert, SMS sent every time the account is accessed, simply because i didn't know that this was a service. Needless to say, it is setup now!

I still haven't received the official report from the investigation branch of the Bangkok bank in Bangkok, and will probably start a thread when i do get it. Still not sure if it was my computer that was compromised or the website that i made the transaction to or another factor altogether.

[ThaiBob]

Several years ago, a friend had his BB ATM card skimmed for 20k baht. The card was always in his possession and BB never compensated him and he was SOL. A few years ago some friends and myself had our ATM cards skimmed here in Jomtien(Pattaya) by Russian mafia as debits were made in the Ukraine and Moscow. Schwab reimbursed my account within 48 hours and others got reimbursement from their US banks too. I now go online and change my PIN regularly.

[thai006]

choose an atm inside the mall or at the bank ; not an atm from 7 11 or on a street

[NCC1701A]

i would like to ask the op of this thread a question. did you cover the keypad with your other hand as you typed your pin number?

so it was impossible to see the numbers entered by anyone or anything including yourself?

your answer will be very helpful. thank you.

[sebulba]

i would like to ask the op of this thread a question. did you cover the keypad with your other hand as you typed your pin number?

so it was impossible to see the numbers entered by anyone or anything including yourself?

your answer will be very helpful. thank you.

Hi,

as it was now asked even twice...

Yes, I always cover my hand while putting in my PIN when using an ATM.

Through my reasearch on this whole topic I found the information that sometimes the skimmers mount a second keyboard

in order to obtain the PIN or even use some fingerprint reveal techniqe later.

sebulb

[Jessi]

I have not had this problem YET !!

I always use an ATM located inside a bank.

Do Thai banks cover if it does happen? Bangkok bank??

Quick story reference Bangkok bank against fraud, albeit slightly different to the OP's position.

Just last week i received a phone call from my bank branch to tell me that the investigation was now complete; my account had had 67,000 baht deposited into it and that i could now dispose of my ATM card as the branch had cancelled it for me. The ATM card had not been used since the incident but was kept active until the investigation was complete, i had been issued with a new card.

I was caught up in an on-line fraud where i was 'redirected' while making a legitimate on-line transaction with a reliable source. The transaction went through, but in the meanwhile my card was being debited amounts between 40 & 80 baht in a continuous loop. I had no knowledge of this happening until i next tried to use the ATM (6 days later) only to find the machine telling me 'insufficient funds'. I do have several bank accounts here and i normally only have about 200,000 baht in the account used with the ATM card (for such an eventuality as happened). When reporting to the bank, i was informed that 162,000 baht had been removed from the account through this 'loop withdrawal'. (This was the amount in the account at the time before the fraud minus the 30 baht that was left).

It took the bank 6 months to close this particular investigation. On the initial report to my local branch they credited me about 100,000 baht.

The reason i wanted to share this was to make people aware about what can happen if you lose the ball for a second. I hadn't setup with the bank any SMS messaging alert, SMS sent every time the account is accessed, simply because i didn't know that this was a service. Needless to say, it is setup now!

I still haven't received the official report from the investigation branch of the Bangkok bank in Bangkok, and will probably start a thread when i do get it. Still not sure if it was my computer that was compromised or the website that i made the transaction to or another factor altogether.

Was this Bangkok bank?

Edited September 27, 2015 by Jessi

[chrisinth]

I have not had this problem YET !!

I always use an ATM located inside a bank.

Do Thai banks cover if it does happen? Bangkok bank??

Quick story reference Bangkok bank against fraud, albeit slightly different to the OP's position.

Just last week i received a phone call from my bank branch to tell me that the investigation was now complete; my account had had 67,000 baht deposited into it and that i could now dispose of my ATM card as the branch had cancelled it for me. The ATM card had not been used since the incident but was kept active until the investigation was complete, i had been issued with a new card.

I was caught up in an on-line fraud where i was 'redirected' while making a legitimate on-line transaction with a reliable source. The transaction went through, but in the meanwhile my card was being debited amounts between 40 & 80 baht in a continuous loop. I had no knowledge of this happening until i next tried to use the ATM (6 days later) only to find the machine telling me 'insufficient funds'. I do have several bank accounts here and i normally only have about 200,000 baht in the account used with the ATM card (for such an eventuality as happened). When reporting to the bank, i was informed that 162,000 baht had been removed from the account through this 'loop withdrawal'. (This was the amount in the account at the time before the fraud minus the 30 baht that was left).

It took the bank 6 months to close this particular investigation. On the initial report to my local branch they credited me about 100,000 baht.

The reason i wanted to share this was to make people aware about what can happen if you lose the ball for a second. I hadn't setup with the bank any SMS messaging alert, SMS sent every time the account is accessed, simply because i didn't know that this was a service. Needless to say, it is setup now!

I still haven't received the official report from the investigation branch of the Bangkok bank in Bangkok, and will probably start a thread when i do get it. Still not sure if it was my computer that was compromised or the website that i made the transaction to or another factor altogether.

Was this Bangkok bank?

Yes it was. My local branch is in Phitsanulok who conducted the initial investigation, but everything was sent to Bkk to their special investigation unit for conclusion.

[Jessi]

Thank you for your reply.

[HampiK]

I hope sooner or later that the thai bank also will pay for fraud similar to many foreign countries.

Of course you also can do something against fraud.. but you never can be 100% sure that it not will happen to yourself...

[hutchings1963]

THE POLICE HERE WILL DO NOTHING UNLESS YOU GREASE THERE PALM,AND I THINK WHAT YOU LOST WILL NOT COVER IT.

[hutchings1963]

YOU HAVE ONE BIG PROBLEM HERE IN THAILAND IT WAS PROBALY A COPPER WHICH SCAMMED YOU.

[craigt3365]

Have been using ATM's in Thailand and surrounding countries for years and never had that problem.

It happens all the time. Reported on the news just about every week. You really need to be careful here.