New credit card scam hits Pattaya | Bangkok Post: news

Pattaya tourists and expats are being warned by police not to give out personal details on the phone after the latest credit card catastrophe hit town. Major credit card companies have acknowledged the widespread fraud being perpetrated and have advised potential victims to terminate the conversation and to hang up the moment they are even remotely suspicious.

British expat John Walters, a retired teacher living in Jomtien, is one of several local expats who lost varying amounts of cash, from 12,000- 150,000 baht after being persuaded to part with seemingly innocuous information. He said, “I received a phone call from a guy Carl Goodman, in Bangkok, claiming to be from the security and fraud department of Mastercard. He explained that my account had been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern and he asked whether I had authorized a payment for 45,000 baht for a replica medieval sword from Gray’s Antique Market in Los Angeles.”

When John  said “Absolutely Not”, the kindly voice continued that he thought as much and promised to restore the cash to his Mastercard account.  The so-called Mr Goodman then stated that he had been watching this company for some time and was now beginning a fraud investigation. He added that, for security purposes, he needed only the last three numbers (not the first seven) on the back of his Mastercard which John gave him after taking his credit card out of his wallet.  The caller then reassuringly promised John that the lost cash would be back in his account within 24 hours.