Transnational crime investigators arrested three French men on charges of using counterfeit bank cards to loot ATMs in Pattaya.
Ali Faycal Kasmi, 33; Nabil Beldgilali, 21; and Fares Khayyour, 22, were taken into custody June 10 at a South Pattaya hotel room they shared. Inside, a task force of Pattaya, Chonburi and Transnational Crime Division police found two fake bank cards and the t-shirts the men were wearing when captured on ATM camera video.
Ali Faycal Kasmi, Nabil Beldgilali, and Fares Khayyour have been arrested for ATM fraud.
Police were unclear on how the Frenchmen had come under police surveillance, but investigators said they’d watched the trio’s movements around Pattaya, including their frequent runs to ATM machines and the Middle Eastern-dominated Mixx disco at Bali Hai Pier. Police accuse the men of stealing hundreds of thousands of baht with the fake cards.
All three suspects denied the charges.
The arrest marks the third time since February police have arrested groups of French nationals of Middle Eastern origin allegedly using fake ATM cards or equipment to steal bank card numbers off unsuspecting tourists.
