3 Thais arrested for stealing credit cards from foreigners in Bangkok (video)

The Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (IDMB) arrested three Thai nationals for stealing credit cards from foreigners at several tourist spots in Bangkok, causing a loss of more than 8 million baht. The Thai mastermind had close ties to a Chinese call centre scam gang leader.

IDMB officers received numerous reports of credit card theft at popular Bangkok attractions such as Khao San Road, a shopping mall and market in the Rama 9 area, Wat Phra Kaew and several spots along Sukhumvit Road.

Officers managed to arrest the thieves, most of whom were Vietnamese and Chinese nationals. They were found to be working in gangs and planning their crimes very well.

Three Chinese nationals were arrested for stealing credit cards from foreign victims at Wat Phra Kaew on January 6, and their arrest led to the discovery of a 46 year old Thai man Warongrit Rattanakitpisarn, who was behind the operation.

Officers found that Warongrit instructed each foreign thief to steal credit cards from the victims and prepared the electronic data capture (EDC) devices to transform the financial credit on the credit cards into cash. Warongrit obtained the EDC devices by setting up a fake company or making a deal with shops, hotels, and other businesses to share the money with them.

After further investigation, officers found that the criminal operation was based in a hotel in Soi Suea Yai in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok and raided the room on January 19. Officers discovered Warongrit present in the room with two Thai women involved in the crime, 39 year old Jirapha Saejiw and 44 year old Manassanan Naiphongsri.

Scam leader

Warongrit tried to evade arrest by hiding in the bathroom. He quickly tried to delete data on his mobile phone to conceal his involvement in the crime but could not do so in time as officers broke down the bathroom door to arrest him.

IDMB police seized evidence of the crime, including four EDC machines, 30 credit card usage receipts, three mobile phones, two notebooks with lists of names of other criminals, and also 4.6 grammes of crystal methamphetamine.

Warongrit confessed to the crime saying he used to run a hotel in the Ratchathewi district of Bangkok but later closed it due to the effects of the pandemic.

Then, in November last year, he met with a Chinese man named Wei, who was running a call centre scam. Wei invited him to run the credit card theft operation in Thailand and offered him 25 to 30% of the proceeds.

IDMB officials urged anyone who noticed thefts committed by foreign criminals to report the matter to the department, as they may be members of this credit card gang.