A Romanian and a Bulgarian were arrested at the weekend for allegedly installing card-skimming devices at ATMs in Siem Reap, one of which they used to withdraw more than $10,000 in cash in neighbouring Laos.

According to Hok Bunhav, a deputy chief with Siem Reap police, the pair set up their first skimming operation at an Advanced Bank of Asia (ABA) ATM near Monorom restaurant in Siem Reap between January 5 and 6, using one device to record account numbers and another to lift users’ pin codes.

The equipment in place, the pair travelled to Laos and withdrew $10,000 before returning to tamper with another ABA machine near the Art Centre on January 26, where they were caught four days later after a tip-off by the bank, according to Bunhav.

He said they were questioned yesterday at the provincial court but not yet charged.

ABA representative Chap Chandina said the bank and its customers were not impacted as ABA was insured against such scams.

“The money has been refunded in full to the customers via international payment systems … Here, our customers are 100 per cent protected.”