Police have issued a photo of the man, with a description that he was of Asian appearance and usually wore a white cap and black sneakers, and carried a black shoulder bag.
The man had presented stolen credit cards to buy items, and usually presented a fake American passport as identification.
He had bought five iPhones and gold jewellery worth more than B120,000, police said.
Police believe the man is part of a gang working together.
The man would often arrive at a store just before it is about to close for the day in order to take advantage of staff wanting to rush so they could leave work.
He would present a fake passport with the name and surname corresponding to the stolen credit card, police said.
Police issued a warning for all store owners, and especially department stores, to beware the man entering their store.
The warning came in a notice marked as issued by Phuket Provincial Police on Jan 29, but so far has only been issued publicly by Patong Police, alluding to where the man and his accomplices have been operating.
Police urged store owners to have their staff check the signature on the back of any credit cards presented and to make sure the name in the passport and credit card presented match.
They also suggested having the customer remove their face mask in order to confirm the true appearance of the person presenting the credit card.
Police also suggested having the customer present other identification documents as well, such as a driver’s licence, and for staff to take a photo or a photocopy of the extra identification documents.
Police also asked staff to have the person customer show the SMS sent to their phone confirming the transaction to be conducted.
Police also asked staff to ask the customer where they were staying, so the staff could confirm by calling the accommodation venue.
Pooliekev | 15 February 2023 - 15:48:04