British, Australian expats arrested for ATM card fraud

PHUKET: An Australian and a British expat have been arrested for using data from skimmed ATM cards to withdraw cash in Phuket.

British national Jamie Steven McKee, 31, and Australian Darrin John Williams, 48, were arrested near Karon Circle on Wednesday night after police received a tip-off.

“Our officers identified the men from the description given, and approached them at about 11:15pm,” said Phuket Immigration Superintendent Sunchai Chokkajaykij.

“They had just withdrawn 20,000 baht from a Siam Commercial Bank ATM in front of a 7-Eleven store and were walking toward Karon Plaza.”

A search of the men revealed that Mr McKee had 11 blank ATM cards inside a cigarette pack and Mr Williams had five blank ATM cards in his wallet.

“Officers also found an ATM-card encoder, a computer and 29 blank ATM cards in Mr McKee’s rented room in Patong,” noted Col Sunchai.

Officers found no incriminating evidence in Mr Williams’s rented room on Phisit Gorani Road, also in Patong.

“We have learned of a person who has been providing details of bank accounts from skimmed ATM cards to Mr McKee over the internet. We have yet to identify this suspect,” Col Sunchai said.

“However, we have established that Mr McKee organized and bought the blank ATM cards and the encoding machine in Bangkok.”

Both men confessed to electronic card fraud, Col Sunchai said.

“They have been handed over to the Karon Police for further legal processing,” he added.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong