MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian will be extradited by Thai police to the United States where he is wanted in connection with credit card fraud amounting to US$150 million (RM505 million).

Gooi Kok Seng, aka Delpiero, 44, is wanted by US authorities to face charges of illegal possession of a data access device, illegal dealing in a data access device and hacking into a computer.

A source from the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department said they were waiting for a report from their Thai counterparts.

It is understood that Malaysian police were aware of Gooi's arrest in January.

"Gooi was a prominent member of a credit card fraud gang which had been operating in the US for the past three years," the source disclosed.

"The group is alleged to have stolen credit card information from victims patronising restaurants and major department stores in the US.

They then sold the data to organised crime syndicates in Asia who produced counterfeit credit cards."

Gooi was believed to have been on the run for almost a year after an arrest warrant was issued by the US government.

He fled to Thailand and settled down in a remote area in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, where he married a Thai woman.

However, intensive intelligence gathering by US authorities led to his whereabouts.

A team of US Secret Service agents and the Thai police raided his house in January.

Last week, the Criminal Court in Thailand ordered Gooi's extradition following a request by the US.

After concluding from evidence the suspect was the man wanted by the Americans, the court ordered him to be detained for 30 days before his extradition to the US.

In a statement issued by the US State Department in August 2008, it was revealed that the Secret Service uncovered what was believed to be the largest hacking and identity theft case ever in the country involving 11 individuals.

The three-year probe uncovered the theft and sale of more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from nine major US retailers.

The 11 were charged in Boston and San Diego with three identified as US citizens, three from Ukraine, two from China, one each from Estonia, Belarus and Malaysia.

They were charged with numerous crimes including conspiracy, computer intrusion, fraud and identity theft.