Three Chinese arrested in Korea for credit card fraud

SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- Three Chinese were arrested on Thursday after allegedly going on shopping sprees in South Korea with credit cards copied with information stolen from tourists, police said.

The Chinese -- two men and one woman who are staying in Korea illegally -- are
accused of buying at least 300 million won (US$202,293) worth of luxury goods and
precious metals with the cards, officers at Seoul's Songpa Police Station said.
The cards were replicated with card numbers and personal information taken from
tourists' credits cards when they were magnetically swiped at stores in Southeast
Asia, police said.
"The confirmed damage amounts to 300 million won, and it can mount to billions of
won. The situation is so serious that those who have used credit cards in
Southeast Asia better check themselves," a police officer said.
The suspects, identified only by their ages and surnames -- 24-year-old Liu and
his brother, 30, and a 26-year-old female, Hui -- bought gold and brand name
products that are easily converted into cash, police said.
One of the items, a 900-million-won motor bike imported from Japan, was bought
with a card copied from a South Korean tourist who used it in Thailand in July.
Cards were also duplicated from those issued in the United States, Japan and
China, police said.
The suspects were found to possess about 300 such cards, each of which they
bought for 60,000 to 70,000 won in China.
Police cautioned tourists to closely watch when their cards are swiped for
payment in Southeast Asia, and to make sure that clerks do not take the cards
elsewhere for transactions.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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