Two Thai women and two Chinese men were arrested over the weekend for allegedly making counterfeit credit cards based on data largely stolen from Chinese citizens, causing damages worth about THB23million (US$700,000).
At a press conference this morning, Immigration Bureau Commissioner Surachet Hakpal detailed specifics about the gang, which has allegedly been operating since 2014, according to Workpoint.
The two Thai women, identified as Surangkana Boonreap, 36, and Ratchaneewan Tonawan, 41, were the first to be detained, when police grabbed them on Saturday at Ratchada Orchid tower, a condominium in the capital’s Hua Khang district.
The two Chinese men, Sun Zhideng, 32, and Yu Peng, 36, were arrested yesterday at another Bangkok condominium in Din Dang district.
Sine their arrest, all four gang members have reportedly confessed to their crime and walked police through their scheme, according to a written statement posted on the Immigration Bureau’s Facebook page.
The Chinese men were allegedly responsible for obtaining the victims’ information and creating the fraudulent cards. They then hired the Thai women to register fake shops in other people’s names and bank accounts in order to make the cards usable in ATM machines.
The Thai women were also responsible for obtaining and sending them EDC machines (card-swiping machines used to facilitate payments] to make false purchases with the fake cards.
The Chinese men would then send the women credit card slips to withdraw cash for them.
Police say that the women got a one percent cut for every purchase, which clearly acted as an incentive to do volume business.
During the raid of the two apartments, officials found plenty of incriminating evidence including: 64 bank books, 67 stolen credit or debit cards, 15 EDC machines, 150 newly created fake credit cards, and 125 credit card sales slips.
Surachet stated that the Chinese government has expressed much gratitude for Thailand’s part in taking down the gang, which had largely affected citizens of that country.
Ah, modest as ever, Surachet.
