Phuket Immigration Police, tipped off to skimming activity, swooped on Jamie Steven McKee, 31, from the UK and Darrin John Williams, 48, at the ATM.
They searched them and seized three cloned ATM cards with handwritten numbers, along with the B20,000 that the duo had just withdrawn, two mobile phones, a wallet and two pairs of gloves.
Police then checked McKee’s room in Soi Kon Yang, and Williams’s apartment in Pisitkoranee Rd, Patong, where they found a machine used for programming cloned electronic cards, another 37 cards with handwritten numbers, a laptop computer, and a packet of marijuana.
The two confessed, adding that this was the first time they had used the phony cards. Police, however, noted that McKee has been in Thailand since March 14 and Williams had been to Thailand several times before.
They told the police that a person from Bangkok whose name they did not know sent the information for skimming to McKee and McKee later invited Williams to join him. McKee said he bought the card programming machine in Bangkok.
The two were sent to Phuket City Police Station for further questioning. Bank officers will check the details on the cloned cards to see which banks in which countries issued the original cards and how great the losses have been.