The suspects reportedly skimmed UnionPay credit card data at souvenir shops and fruit stalls in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The four suspects, 42-year-old Chinese man, Chao Ji, and three Thai nationals - Salinee, 33, Jittra, 32, and Theerapat, 32, were arrested following raids across Chiang Mai, Bangkok, and Chonburi, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on Monday.
The group is being investigated for jointly possessing devices used to illegally obtain electronic payment card data for the purpose of forging or altering card information, as reported by The Pattaya News.
According to the CIB, the network operated fruit stalls in popular tourist areas, offering Chinese tourists "exclusive discounts" if they paid with UnionPay cards. The stalls were equipped with skimming devices designed to capture customers' card information for later theft.
The bureau explained that employees were instructed to swipe customers' UnionPay cards twice. The first swipe went through a keyboard fitted with a skimming device, and the second went through a legitimate electronic data capture terminal.
