Chinese Fraud Ring Busted Operating Hidden Card-Skimming Stores
Thai police dismantled a fraud ring operating disguised as dried fruit shops in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, where staff used hidden card readers to skim data from 1,200 Chinese tourists' UnionPay cards, causing losses of nearly 29 million baht.
On July 27, 2025, Thai police announced the successful takedown of Operation Card Shield, a major credit card fraud network targeting Chinese tourists. The gang operated three dried fruit shops in Chiang Mai and Bangkok as fronts while skimming customer card data through hidden readers installed at checkout counters. Over 1,200 Chinese visitors fell victim to the scheme, suffering combined losses of around 29 million baht (6 million yuan).
Police identified four key suspects: Chao Ji (42, Chinese national), Salini (33, Thai), Chittra (32, Thai), and Theeraphut (32, Thai), who jointly registered and operated the businesses. Investigators discovered that shop staff were instructed to swipe UnionPay cards twice—first through hidden card readers at the point of sale to capture data, then through standard payment terminals. Staff deceived customers by claiming the first swipe activated a 32% promotional discount. During raids on six locations on July 22, authorities seized 11 magnetic card readers, 3 EDC machines, 5 computers, 18 IP cameras with servers, and numerous other pieces of evidence.
