CHONBURI — Police say they have arrested two French men who allegedly stole data from foreign tourists' ATM cards in Pattaya.
Police identify the suspects as Bassem, 35, and Hamin, 29. They were reportedly arrested with eight fake ATM cards and one “skimming” device.
According to Pol.Col. Prachaya Prasarnsuk, deputy commander of Chonburi police, the two men preyed on elderly foreign tourists in Pattaya by pretending to assist them when they withdrew cash from ATMs.
Pol.Col. Prachaya said one of the suspects would place a skimming device inside the ATM, while the other would look at the PIN number the victims typed on the machine. The suspects then created fake ATM cards based on the stolen information, which they used to withdraw money from the victims' bank accounts, Pol.Col. Prachaya said.
He added that the police were alerted about the crime by banks in Pattaya. It is unclear how much money has been stolen.
Police have advised the public to look for any possible tampering of ATM machines before they insert their bank cards, such as loose a card reader or keypad.
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