Crackdown on foreign criminals hiding in Thailand to improve country's image
By Jon Fernquest
Two
German nationals were arrested in Bangkok yesterday for electronic
banking fraud.
At the press conference following their arrest the two played up the mystique surrounding computer "hackers" and behaved more like rock stars, quite different from hiding their face in shame as many typically do (See Photo on right).
Thailand's openness to foreigners has made it a popular destination for criminals trying to escape "the long arm of the law."
Thailand's police force has launched a new program to identify, track down and arrest foreign criminal suspects so that Thailand can "shed its image as ... a haven for those seeking to evade the law."
Several recent articles in the Bangkok Post have followed the progress of this recent crackdown:
1. Details of some foreign criminal cases (07-08-10, read article).
2. Taiwanese phone scam gang (08-08-10, read article and see photo below on right).
3.
Thailand as base for producing and exporting illegal body-building steroids (09-08-10, read article).
4. Pattaya's new "Transnational Crime Data Centre" for tracking down "criminal migrants" by Peter Jansen, DPA (05-08-10, read article)
Today's article begins after the vocabulary.
hacker - a computer
programmer who figures out how to get around computer security
technology and breaks into computer networks "either for profit or
motivated by the challenge" (See Wikipedia)
fraud - the crime of getting money from people by lieing and tricking them
electronic banking fraud - using the internet to trick people into providing their secret bank account passwords and then using them to withdraw money from accounts (See Wikipedia on "Phishing" or identity theft)
press conference - news conference, a meeting in which an announcement is made and information is given to journalists and their questions are answered (See Wikipedia)
play up - when children behave in a bad way which they think is funny
mystique - when something seems very attractive, mysterious and exciting (perhaps even if it is not this way at all)
shame - the feelings of embarassment and guilty after you have done something bad
openness - allowing things to happen freely, with few restrictions
popular destination - a place that many tourists like to go
the long arm of the law - the far-reaching power of government authorities (Source)
track down - look for and find
image - what people in general think about you, the picture they have of you in their heads
shed its image - get rid of a bad or negative image that people have of you
haven - a safe place, free from danger
evade - avoid
progress - the movement towards final successful completion of a project
crackdown - a period of time when the police choose to enforce laws strictly and arrest a lot of people who break the law (note: many feel that ir would be better if laws were enforced all the time)
steroids - "anabolic steroids," bannedchemicals used to improve performance in sports (See Wikipedia)
trans - beyond
transnational - beyond one nation (state, country)
migrants - people who move from one place to another to find work or to live
fraud - the crime of getting money from people by lieing and tricking them
electronic banking fraud - using the internet to trick people into providing their secret bank account passwords and then using them to withdraw money from accounts (See Wikipedia on "Phishing" or identity theft)
press conference - news conference, a meeting in which an announcement is made and information is given to journalists and their questions are answered (See Wikipedia)
play up - when children behave in a bad way which they think is funny
mystique - when something seems very attractive, mysterious and exciting (perhaps even if it is not this way at all)
shame - the feelings of embarassment and guilty after you have done something bad
openness - allowing things to happen freely, with few restrictions
popular destination - a place that many tourists like to go
the long arm of the law - the far-reaching power of government authorities (Source)
track down - look for and find
image - what people in general think about you, the picture they have of you in their heads
shed its image - get rid of a bad or negative image that people have of you
haven - a safe place, free from danger
evade - avoid
progress - the movement towards final successful completion of a project
crackdown - a period of time when the police choose to enforce laws strictly and arrest a lot of people who break the law (note: many feel that ir would be better if laws were enforced all the time)
steroids - "anabolic steroids," bannedchemicals used to improve performance in sports (See Wikipedia)
trans - beyond
transnational - beyond one nation (state, country)
migrants - people who move from one place to another to find work or to live
Local News
Police arrest German hacker suspects
Detectives say gang plunders net accounts10/08/2010
Two German nationals have been arrested and charged with involvement in a gang that has allegedly stolen 100 million baht by hacking into online banking systems in Europe, the US and Thailand.
Dominik Iacono, 22, and Dave Ackermann, 23, were arrested at the weekend in Watthana district, Crime Suppression Division (CSD) officers said.
suspects
- people that the police think might be guilty of a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
plunder - take valuable objects from a place using force (here: breaking into a computer network)
account - bank account, the place identified by a number where people keep their money in a bank
net accounts - bank accounts that people use through the internet
German nationals - citizens of Germmany (people who belong legally to the country of Germany)
allegedly (adverb) - claimed but not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
hacking - breaking into a computer system in order to get secret information การแฮ็คข้อมูล (การโจรกรรมข้อมูลทางคอมพิวเตอร์)
online - connected to the internet
suppression - stop an activity (such as a crime, by using laws and police authority)
officers - police officers
plunder - take valuable objects from a place using force (here: breaking into a computer network)
account - bank account, the place identified by a number where people keep their money in a bank
net accounts - bank accounts that people use through the internet
German nationals - citizens of Germmany (people who belong legally to the country of Germany)
allegedly (adverb) - claimed but not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
hacking - breaking into a computer system in order to get secret information การแฮ็คข้อมูล (การโจรกรรมข้อมูลทางคอมพิวเตอร์)
online - connected to the internet
suppression - stop an activity (such as a crime, by using laws and police authority)
officers - police officers
Pol Col Supisarn alleged the CSD's investigation found the two were working with a Russia-based group of hackers who steal the login information and passwords of people who use online banking.
The group targets victims in Europe, the US and Thailand, he said, and has robbed victims of the equivalent of about 100 million baht this year, he said.
alleged
(adjective) - claimed to be true although not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
investigation - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง, การสอบสวน
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.
targets victims - attempts or tries to harm a victim ("potential victim" before being harmed)
equivalent - the same as เท่าเทียมกันกับ
investigation - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง, การสอบสวน
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc.
targets victims - attempts or tries to harm a victim ("potential victim" before being harmed)
equivalent - the same as เท่าเทียมกันกับ
The gang would gain access to a victim's computer through a trojan - a virus that could possibly come from an email attachment, or a program downloaded from an unknown source - Pol Col Supisarn said.
Once the trojan was active on a victim's computer, the hackers could monitor a user's online use, including banking transactions. The hackers would then be able to access the victim's online banking account and add an additional account - one they had opened - for third-party transfers, said Siripong Timula, deputy chief of the Technological Crime Suppression Division.
After the hackers had transferred money to the third account, they would have other gang members standing by to withdraw the money from an ATM immediately before the transaction could be suspended, Pol Col Siripong said.
access
- the ability to enter a place การเข้าสู่
trojan - a harmful computer program that people are tricked into accepting onto their computer (See Wikipedia)
virus - computer virus, a bad computer that copies itselfs in order to harm a computer (See Wikipedia)
email attachment - some item such as a report (.doc, .pdf file), music or video that comes with an email and can be downloaded separately if the person it was sent to wishes
source - the place or person something comes from or starts at, or the cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
active - working, operating, doing its job
monitor - keep track of ตรวจ, ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
monitor - to regularly check something or watch someone in order to find out what is happening ตรวจสอบ ตรวจตรา เฝ้าจับตาดู ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
monitor a user's online use - watch what a person is doing when they use the internet
banking transactions -
online banking account
party - one of the people or groups of people involved in an official argument, arrangement or similar situation คู่กรณี
transfer - money transsfer, moving money from one bank account to another bank account (for example: to pay for something you bought)
third-party
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
withdraw - to take money out of a bank account ถอนเงินจากธนาคาร
immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
transaction - a business dealing การติดต่อทางธุรกิจ
suspended - stopped for a period of time (temporarily)
transaction suspended - stop some item of business from being completed for a period of time (in order to check to see if it is legal or not)
trojan - a harmful computer program that people are tricked into accepting onto their computer (See Wikipedia)
virus - computer virus, a bad computer that copies itselfs in order to harm a computer (See Wikipedia)
email attachment - some item such as a report (.doc, .pdf file), music or video that comes with an email and can be downloaded separately if the person it was sent to wishes
source - the place or person something comes from or starts at, or the cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
active - working, operating, doing its job
monitor - keep track of ตรวจ, ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
monitor - to regularly check something or watch someone in order to find out what is happening ตรวจสอบ ตรวจตรา เฝ้าจับตาดู ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
monitor a user's online use - watch what a person is doing when they use the internet
banking transactions -
online banking account
party - one of the people or groups of people involved in an official argument, arrangement or similar situation คู่กรณี
transfer - money transsfer, moving money from one bank account to another bank account (for example: to pay for something you bought)
third-party
deputy - a person who is given the power to do something instead of another person, or the person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง, ตัวแทน,ผู้รักษาการแทน
withdraw - to take money out of a bank account ถอนเงินจากธนาคาร
immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
transaction - a business dealing การติดต่อทางธุรกิจ
suspended - stopped for a period of time (temporarily)
transaction suspended - stop some item of business from being completed for a period of time (in order to check to see if it is legal or not)
(Source: Bangkok Post, Police arrest German hacker suspects, Detectives say gang plunders net accounts, 10/08/2010, link)
