3 Ukrainians arrested for fake ATM card use

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Three Ukrainian men were arrested for allegedly using fake electronic cards to steal money from ATMs in Pattaya.

Ievgenii Salogub, 24; Andrii Balaiev, 25; and Vitalii Stryhun, 25, were apprehended in separate arrests March 30 following a tip from a Siam Commercial Bank fraud expert that a foreigner had used a counterfeit bank card to steal more than 10 million baht from the bank’s ATMs.

Investigators found their suspect, Salogub, in a room at a Second Road hotel with 11 fake bank cards. After three hours of interrogation, police said, the Ukrainian gave up his friend, Balaiev.

(L to R) Ukrainians Andrii Balaiev, Ievgenii Salogub, and Vitalii Stryhun have been arrested and charged with counterfeiting electronic cards to use in theft. (L to R) Ukrainians Andrii Balaiev, Ievgenii Salogub, and Vitalii Stryhun have been arrested and charged with counterfeiting electronic cards to use in theft.

Police found Balaiev drinking at a bar on Walking Street with 20,000 baht and 12 fake ATM cards in his bag. He, too, was taken to the Transnational Crime Coordination Center where he underwent another three hours of interrogation.

At that point, police said, the suspect said a third man, Stryhun, was working with them. Police arrested him at the LK Metropole Hotel and seized seven fake cards.

All three were charged with counterfeiting electronic cards to use in theft.