Patong Police catch 3 Mongolian credit card thieves
Patong Police caught three Mongolian credit card thieves yesterday. This was after a Malaysian man, Choi Mei Choo, and a Singaporean woman, Ho See Ling, filed police reports on February 11. The two said their wallet was stolen at a pier in Patong, and that they later received SMS messages about expensive products being bought with their credit card.
Patong Police said they arrested three Mongolian nationals yesterday. The individuals arrested are: a 33 year old woman named Saruul Baatar, a 30 year old woman named Tsogoo Ariunsaikhan, and a 28 year old man named Dulguun Bayarmunkh.
The suspects all face charges of theft, fraud, and credit card fraud. Patong Police said business operators in Phuket can come to see the suspects if they believe they used stolen cards at their venues.
Once the suspects are sentenced and have completed their sentences, they will be blacklisted and deported to Mongolia, The Phuket Express reported.
The case first started to gain attention last week when it was reported that a group of foreigners were using other foreigners’ stolen credit cards to buy pricey products such as gold jewellery worth about 1.2 million baht and new iPhones.
The scam involved showing fake passports to vendors, which matched the information on the credit cards. The suspects reportedly always wore hats and a mask, saying that the masks were for Covid protection, and hiding their faces.
Patong Police even advised shop owners to probe buyers to find out where they are staying and then ring the accommodation to check they have provided the same phone number. They said that stores should ask customers for another document to verify their identity, such as a driver’s license.
Phuket police have been working to clean up the island province’s crime problem.
In November last year, Phuket Governor Narong launched a new initiative called ‘Phuket Crime-Free.‘ One thing planned for the first phase of the initiative is professional police screenings of tourists arriving in Phuket.
