doctormann

Any recommendations for ear syringing - preferably on Pattaya Darkside? My usual clinic (Mithmitree) says 'cannot, go to hospital'. I'm sure that there are clinics that do this very simple procedure - there was one on Khaotalo that I used, several years ago, but I can't find it now so maybe disappeared.

My TTB 'all free' debit card does indeed have lock/unlock options. In fact, it's better than that because not only can you temporarily block the card but you can selectively block it from overseas use and for online purchases. The card that is giving me the current problem had the online shopping option enabled - now turned off and the card temporarily blocked. When I get a replacement card I shall only activate the online shopping option if I actually want to purchase an item online - and then only for as long as it takes to complete the transaction. There have been no further attempts to raid my account since last Friday. Card will be cancelled and a new one obtained just as soon as I can get to the bank.

Pressed 9 for English, as instructed - just got more Thai.

QR code is not always an option. I do pay my utility bills that way - quick and painless.

I don't have a credit card so it's basically debit card, COD, or online banking (bad idea). I seem to recall that we also had PayPal as an option but that option no longer exists for foreigners in Thailand. Not even sure that Lazada is actually the problem anyway - seems likely though.

I don't really use a lot of phone apps - much prefer to do things from the PC. There are only two apps that I use fairly regularly - one is the app from my UK (IoM) account that is only used for handshaking when I do a currency transfer. Not relevant in the current case. The other is the app that is attached to my TTB account, which is used mainly for paying utility bills. It is also occasionally used for online purchases from Lazada - and I suspect that this may have caused the problem. Can't think of anything else - unless some fraudster trying their luck with random numbers, which sounds a bit unlikely as they would not only need the card number but also the security code from the back of the card.

No, not for a very long time.

I think the small initial charge is just a 'tester', as you say. If this goes through then the fraudster knows that the account is operational. They hope that this initial charge will pass unnoticed - and if it does then much larger charges will happen in due course.

I suspect, in my case, that a rogue Lazada trader has sold on my debit card details to whomever. I recently made a couple of online Lazada purchases (not using their app - did it from my PC, as I usually do). Maybe have to revert to COD, which is far less convenient. I think that we are going to see more and more of this type of fraud as we are pushed into a cashless society. It's already getting more difficult to live without a smart phone now.

Yes, I was a bit puzzled. I guess that it's possible to have a Google subscription to TikTok but I certainly don't have one. Definitely a fraud but how they got my info is a mystery. Card has not been skimmed - otherwise the transaction would show as a withdrawal - so it's probably down to an online purchase. Maybe Lazada.

Card is now blocked - trip to the branch is in order but probably not until Monday. I would have thought that TTB would have a hot line to report fraud but I can't find anything other than their general contact number (1498) and that doesn't work.

Just noticed a charge to my TTB account of 0.99 USD, in favor of Google TikTok. This appears to have been transacted via my TTB debit card without any authorization from me. I do have a Google account but have never had any dealings whatsoever with TikTok. I don't have a subscription to TikTok and nothing shows up on my Google account subscription listing so I am assuming that this is a fraudulent charge. I have tried to contact TTB with no success - their English language contact number does not provide an English speaker. So, I have temporarily blocked my card and I guess that I'll need to go into the branch - possibly get a new card. Anyone else had a similar problem?

The office on Khaotalo definitely exists - and shows on their website. My wife paid our cable bill there a couple of weeks ago.

Well, some can apparently afford a red bulb for the front and a blue bulb for the rear. Now that really is stupid!

Especially sideways!

The main difficulty - reported many times on this forum - relates to the seeming inability of Wise to guarantee that international transactions actually show up as such on passbooks and statements. This causes problems with immigration when renewing permissions to stay. Maybe not insurmountable - and may depend on which Thai bank that you use - but just another hassle that I can do without. I don't use Wise so, personally, have no problems with them.

Quite right. At one time, Barclaycard were asking for Council Tax bills to prove residence. This proved unworkable but other proof of residence was required and I strongly suspect that Barclays Bank will not just accept a relative's address, for instance. What irritates me about this is that you can be resident for tax purposes - and paying income tax on pensions - but this is not acceptable. You have to be 'Ordinarily Resident'. All done in the name of money laundering, which is a nonsense for a pensioner, who needs some sort of an account to receive payments. Yes, I know that the State Pension can be paid directly into a foreign account but this is not always the case for occupational pensions. Yes, I know about 'Wise', who at least will provide a UK sort code, but using them is not without its problems. Many reports on this forum of people having difficulties - seems to work OK for some but certainly not all.

Please resubmit after you find out about paragraphs. Unreadable in its present form.

My Kasikorn debit card expired several months ago. Can't say I even noticed as I never use the card. However, trying to renew my VPN subscription, I find that I need a debit card to link to my k-bank account so I need a new card. The K+ app has an option to order a new card but I can't get it to work. I go through the application procedure up to the point where I have to accept the terms and conditions but pressing the 'accept' tick box does nothing. Looks like a trip to the branch is in order - unless someone knows a work-around.

Ha-ha! If I had a lot of money in my international account (>100k GBP) then I would not be paying their 40 GBP per month fee. They really only want well heeled customers and I'm afraid that I don't qualify! I don't know about them taking a holistic view - they seem to be going after any account holder who is not 'normally resident' in the UK. Being resident for tax purposes - and paying UK income tax on pensions - doesn't help at all.

Yes, it's 40 GBP per month and 15 GBP per SWIFT transfer. Clearing the accounts and cancelling direct debits etc is a precursor to closure. If I didn't do this then they would close the accounts anyway but this would create problems for anyone trying to deposit or get paid from a closed account.

I'm not sure how easy it would be to open an international account with a different bank when I don't have a UK address. It would need to be an account that has a UK sort code as my occupational pension provider insists on that. My Barclays account in the IoM works OK for that so i will probably stick with them, for now at least. I don't think that they will close the international account - at least, there is no indication that they plan to do this, but never say never! I am far from happy with Barclays but they are not the only bank that is closing ex-pat accounts. All done in the name of money laundering and KYC - and they really should know me quite well after 60 years!

Yes, but they do have a misguided sense of Thailand's importance on the global stage. Sorry about the poor quality graphic.

Most of the planet couldn't find Thailand on a world map, much less actually give a sh*t!

Nothing on the Dark Side, where I am at least. I have noticed that rainfall here can be very localized though. Forecast for today, on my weather app, is sunny - but it's pretty cloudy out there so maybe we'll get some rain later.