Chinese man steals customer’s credit card information, over 29 million in losses
Police arrested a Chinese man for stealing customers’ credit card information and using it to make purchases, causing losses of more than 29 million baht.
Officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) raided three businesses in Chiang Mai and on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok after receiving complaints from Chinese nationals about suspected credit card data theft.
According to Channel 7, the victims discovered their credit cards had been used in the US despite never travelling there. Police said the reported losses exceeded 29 million baht but did not disclose how many people were affected.
During the operation, officers inspected one of the shops in Chiang Mai, where they found a promotion offering a 32% discount for customers paying by credit card.
Channel 7 reported that investigators considered the promotion unusual because small businesses often limit card payments due to bank processing fees.
According to the report, police believed the discount was intended to encourage customers to use their cards so payment information could be copied.
A Thai employee told investigators she was unaware of any criminal activity. She said the Chinese owner, identified only as Chao, instructed her to process customers’ cards twice.
According to her statement, the first swipe was made using a device connected to the cashier’s keyboard, followed by a second swipe through the standard electronic data capture (EDC) terminal.
The employee said she noticed payment card information was being recorded but believed the process was intended to review previous transactions rather than collect customers’ personal data.
Police later identified the additional device as a credit card data extractor installed by Chao and subsequently arrested him.
According to police, the Chinese man admitted sharing the stolen payment card information with a friend in the US. The friend then used the data to purchase expensive goods or withdraw cash using the victims’ credit cards before sharing the proceeds with Chao.
Authorities have not announced the charges the accused will face or whether they will coordinate with overseas law enforcement to investigate the alleged accomplice in the US.
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