[landofsmiles]

Be careful out there. Probably safer to use ATMs outside bank branches where there is likely to be CCTV surveillance and the scammers are less likely to tamper with the machines>>>

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Bankers call for vigilance against fraud

PHUKET: Poonsin Sinthanapat, president of the Phuket Bankers’ Club, yesterday called for people in Phuket to be especially prudent in their financial affairs following a spate of fraud on the island.

At the Governor Meets Press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall on Monday, K. Poonsin called for people to be careful in many kinds of financial transactions, including use of credit cards and ATM cards, and buying or selling cars.

“There are many instances of fraud now around the country, including Phuket,” he said.

K. Poonsin said that banks have been alerted to many fraud tricks so far this year, including theft of a genuine credit card from its owner and replacing it with a fake one so that the real card will not be reported stolen until long after the crime.

“In this case, the banks are not responsible for any purchases that are refused by the credit card holder [before the card is reported stolen], because the card is not canceled before it is used by the thief. So the card holder must be very careful,” said K. Poonsin.

He added that people should be wary when using ATM machines. “Some crooks fit ATMs with electronic devices that can detect account details and PIN codes, and then withdraw money from the victim’s account later,” he said.

“People should also be careful when they get a call from anyone who claims that he or she will give a big cash reward for anything, and be wary of people who try to persuade them to transfer money to their account before they will transfer a large amount to them,” he said.

K. Poonsin added that people renting out their cars are also being targeted. About 30 car owners have been cheated by a gang at a total cost of about 15 million baht.

“The gang says they want to rent the car and offer to rent it at a high rate for the first one or two months. They then take the car out of the country and sell it,” he explained.

“The victims are almost always people with financial problems. Car owners should also be wary of people who ask to buy a car and request to take it after making only a down payment and promising to pay off in installments later. This might be a trick, too,” he added.

Phuket Gazette