Thai man arrested for using foreign tourists' stolen credit cards: Phuket

[webfact]

Thai man arrested for using foreign tourists' stolen credit cards
The Nation

PHUKET: -- Phuket police have arrested a Thai man for having allegedly used stolen credit cards of foreign tourists to buy smartphones and other gadgets worth more than Bt1 million for reselling.

Deputy Phuket police chief Pol Col Pinij Sirichai told a press conference that Pithawat Akkarathitiwirakul was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly used a stolen credit card at the Tesco Lotus Tha Chalong branch.

Police are still hunting for Pithwat's accomplices.

Police alleged that Pithawat had been using credit cards that were stolen from foreign tourists abroad passenger vehicles. Those who supplied stolen credit cards to Pithawat received Bt10,000 for each usable credit card.

Police planned the arrest after they were alerted by banks that some credit cards of foreign tourists had been used to buy expensive items, especially electronic gadgets.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thai-man-arrested-for-using-foreign-tourists-stole-30274084.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-01

[Cloggie]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

[LivinginKata]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

Yes, you miss the idea that there are also corrupt vendors willing to accept cards to make a big sale.

[Cloggie]

Then the selling company is involved in fraud so they should be charges as well, again Wolfgang Muller is NOT a Thai name!

Suppose a white guys buys a mobile telephone and his name is Mohammed Al Buhumadi - does that make any sense?????

[kmj]

Then the selling company is involved in fraud so they should be charges as well, again Wolfgang Muller is NOT a Thai name!

Suppose a white guys buys a mobile telephone and his name is Mohammed Al Buhumadi - does that make any sense?????

It says foreign not, white or European...

[NamKangMan]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

"I buy two phones. One for me and one for you. If, you put the sale through."

Happens a lot here.

[bangon04]

"Pithawat Akkarathitiwirakul was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly used a stolen credit card at the Tesco Lotus Tha Chalong branch."

Note: 1 - the long family name - often signifies social standing / important connections

2 - the use of the word "allegedly" in the article more than once

3 - no police parade and pointing charades

He paid 10k per card to each "accomplice"

Could it be that the police have caught a genuine "mastermind" by mistake?

[masuk]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

I have NEVER yet had anyone at a checkout compare my card signature with the cash receipt.

I have asked a couple of times if I can use "Elvis Presley', but for some reason, I get blank looks.

[Nemesis7]

good at least one less operative in the street.

[bino]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

I have NEVER yet had anyone at a checkout compare my card signature with the cash receipt.

I have asked a couple of times if I can use "Elvis Presley', but for some reason, I get blank looks.

Ditto. I actually forgot to sign my last card, and used it for about three months before I noticed myself. No one ever looked or said anything.

[featography]

How can a Thai men use a Credit Card with the name of - for example - "Wolfgang Muller", do I miss something?

Yes, you miss the idea that there are also corrupt vendors willing to accept cards to make a big sale.

9 yrs here and I have never seen a cashier flip the card over and look at the signature. Also they usually have a woman use the cards and claim to be the owner's wife/gf and that is never questioned.

[ignis]

in over 12 years here I have never seen a cashier even look at the card, they take it and pop it into the machine....... sometimes when the transaction is done they hand you the card back straight away, others get you to sign 1st then open the till drawer and put that into till, then give you the receipt and pull out the card to give you back together. No they do not look at the back, or for that matter the front. or name on cards..

​Maybe all cards should have a picture of you, [using the full side of card] with the card number punched in, instead of choosing what Bank design ? how hard can it be ?

[Cloggie]

To summarize it, if the vendors just would do their work - check that the credit card card belongs to the 'owner' by using common sense - they can reduce the abuse of the credit card, saving us a lot of money!

For me it looks like more and more the problem is the vendors not the credit card owners!

[ignis]

To summarize it, if the vendors just would do their work - check that the credit card card belongs to the 'owner' by using common sense - they can reduce the abuse of the credit card, saving us a lot of money!

For me it looks like more and more the problem is the vendors not the credit card owners!

On the other hand vendors want to sell things, so as long as the card works = the vendors has a sale