KhunHeineken

Where does it say he was from Sydney, he saved hard, and he salary sacrificed?

Yes, one scammer beat the other scammer to the money.

Why has it gone? Plenty of retired expats living in Thailand on State pensions with a Thai missus. Not the best of lifestyle, but doable.

Not really. It's the public service, after all.

Some members have put forward some possibilities, which I agree with. For all we know, he could have also won the lottery along the way. There could be more to this story than just a get rich quick scheme. If it's true, he very well may face scrutiny from his own police department and own tax department when he returns home, unless he show where every dollar came from.

Same reply to you. This is what makes me suspicious that its even actually happened. Think about it. His life savings turned into untraceable money, which ends up in an untraceable eWallet of an unidentified person.

You can get around 5% in bank interest in Australia now, with managed funds returning on average around 10.5% in the year 2024 to 2025.

That's why I am a little suspicious of the whole thing. Another possibility all of this is a ruse is he may be trying to get out of paying an ex-wife half, or even more, of it.

If Alex actually does exist, as you say, first plane out to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Thailand. https://rednoticelawyers.com/blog/countries-with-no-extradition-treaty-with-thailand

If he truly has lost all his life savings, his country's tax payers now pick up the bill in the form of a social security pension, supplying a government house or rent assistance etc. There's also the possibility this is an elaborate plan for him to play the victim to get that pension, whilst never really losing the 40 million baht. Maybe he's looking to defraud his benefits system. He wouldn't be the first to shift assets, cry poor and put the hand out for a pension, and then have a good lifestyle with the assets supposedly lost. Yes, long bow to draw, but possible, never the less.

I see the pun in your post. No back peddling. He may have been an honest police officer, or he may have been corrupt and needed to "wash" 40 million baht. Unusual for a guy his age to convert his life savings into crypto, don't you think? Unlike yourself, I keep an open mind, and I also don't believe everything I read on the internet.

So, would members agree that the name "Michael Reinecke" is an unusual name? Not Michael, but Reinecke? So, I threw that name into a Google search and up popped this article in The New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/three-auckland-men-arrested-for-scamming-trade-me-car-sellers/KIX6DA56BF7IQBMJQETHGZZI3A "Constable Michael Reinecke of Waitakere's Tactical Crime Unit said the cars were often on sold to new buyers before the victim had realised they had been scammed." Now, could it be possible he is from New Zealand, and not Australia. It could also be possible there is another Michael Reinecke in a police department in a State in Australia, but it is an uncommon name. It could be possible they got his rank wrong. It could be possible he was a police officer in both countries. It could be possible we are talking about NZD not AUD. It could also be possible he worked as a police officer in NZ, but retired in Australia for a short while. It could be possible the average cost of housing is a lot cheaper in NZ than in Australian major cities. The article was published in 2016. So, if he was a Constable in 2016, and Constables are a very low rank, that would indicate not a large salary. Also, New Zealand's superannuation system is different to that of Australia's. There was also a Michael Reinecke in a police department in America, but surely the Thai police and the media couldn't be that inaccurate. The irony in the article, if it is him quoted, is he is giving advice to car owners on how not to be scammed. "Check their money is cleared in your bank account before handing over the keys. Don't get pressured into handing over anything you're selling until you're sure you've received the funds for it. A genuine buyer will usually be happy to wait for you to check," Reinecke said.

Yes, I know this, and considered it. I was just being a little sarcastic.

Dear KhunBones. Ever heard of a mortgage, buying cars, raising kids and putting them through school, losing the house and car in a divorce, paying child support? Please do not once again bombard us with your narrow minded tosh. Thank You.

Sure, I considered that. I was just being a little sarcastic. Well, there goes the kid's inheritance, if he has kids. Many kids lose their inheritance to a Thai women. His kids have lost it to a crypto scammer, and Dad was a policemen. The crypto scammer even beat the Thai women to the money. He must be really good. They'll probably make a movie about him one day.