Pattaya Daily News

Pattaya, 15th February 2011 [PDN] : At approximately 05.30 pm of Tuesday, Pol. Col. Nanthawut Suwanlaorng (Pattaya Police Superintendent) and his investigation team cooperating with the police officers from Chon Buri Transnational Suppression Unit announced the arrest of two foreign ATM fraudsters, Mr. Ali Ennouri (28) and Mr. Alexandre Giro Zinno (29) both of French nationality. The evidence discovered included an ATM and credit card copy machine called a “skimmer”, a notebook recording several of the victims passwords, two of ATM and credit cards, and 100,000 baht cash.

The superintendent revealed that the police had been informed by Thai Commercial Bank, reporting that customers’ had been relieved of money up to a million baht, taken from their accounts by the foreign gang. The method used was to copy the victim’electronic cards.Subsequently, the police received information from the bank officer (working in a Thai Commercial bank exchange box in South Pattaya) noticing a group of suspicious foreigners who were using the ATM there. The police team were then dispatched to inspect at the scene apprehending the suspects, finding several items of evidence that were in a belt bag. The suspects were detained at the police station where they continue to deny all allegations.

Pol Col.Nanthawut Suwanlaorng stated that it is presumed that are a total of 4-5 members in the gang of foreigners conspiring to offend in different points of Pattaya city. They generally stand behide the victims pretending to queue to use the ATM machine. The targets were mostly old people, both Thais and foreigners. When the victim seemed to have problems using the ATM, the gang members would offer to help and while copying a victim’s electronic cards in order to transfer information to their own cards and use it further to steal money.

However, interrogation of the suspects is continuing ad further arrests are expected soon.

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