ATM skimming: Two more Chinese tourists arrested

PHUKET: Two Chinese ATM skimmers were arrested in the act of installing their equipment at an ATM in Thalang yesterday afternoon.

“The suspects, Chaopeng Zhou, 30, and Qihong Zhou, 24, were nabbed in front of a 7/11 in Baan Lipon on Thepkrasattri Road northbound,” says Lt Col Natthaphop Phongsapan of Thalang Police.

Officers seized two pieces of skimming equipment, four mini-cameras and connecting lines at the scene.

“Later, when checking their room in a hotel in Nai Yang, we found and seized more items – four phones, three video mini-cameras, a notebook computer, two hard disks and many other skimming related devices,” said Col Natthaphop.

“The two were charged with skimming and possession of skimming equipment, and taken to Thalang Police station for further investigation,” he added.

The arrest was made after the police received reports from local residents that they had found two Chinese men looking suspicious while ‘doing something’ to an ATM.

“The methods of skimmers are always the same. They attach a mini-camera to the ATM to record the pin code of the user. They also install equipment in the slot of the machine to harvest the unique information stored in the card’s chip. They then return to the machine later to withdraw the money from their victims’ accounts,” he added.

— Winai Sarot