TorquayFan

Rice of course alcohol is a drug. I agree. Have you read the thread ? Alcohol is banned at roadside outlets but cannabis is allowed. It's odd.

Hot and Ban - the 'madness' I invoked is in the incongruity of banning alcohol in these locations but allowing cannabis. However as I'm pushed on a point I didn't make, as it happens I agree with alcohol NOT being sold at the side of the Motorway and would say that cannabis should not be sold either. You surely know well that alcohol and drugs are causal in a high proportion of road accidents. Of course you can't ban these altogether, but to make it easily and casually available on the roadside is plain barmy. I'm a Brit and as I remember, you can't buy alcohol at Motorway services there either. Or hopefully, cannabis either. And Hot, of course this is right, 'Educate and encourage a change in behaviours".

Thailand has a massive problem with road accidents and that's since time immemorial I guess. Alcohol is therefore strictly controlled, banned in fact, at all retail outlets adjacent to Motorways. On the rights and wrongs of the recent Govt actions in freeing up the selling of cannabis, I make no comment. BUT, having observed a large shop proudly selling cannabis at the large services area, travelling south on the H7 Bangkok-Chonburi Expressway, a shop in a prominent location is selling cannabis:- It's 'GREENHEAD MOTORWAY' - 'SHOP BY GREENHEAD - WE SELL THE BEST CANNABIS' !!! I am not arguing the sale of alcohol should be allowed in these locations. However it is madly incongruous to make cannabis available at the motorway roadside instead. I shudder to think what may result from this madness. ALL IMHO

Captor and Myran thanks. Wife has re-registered her online banking and surely that will help. Hidden Apps are a possibility but there is no money in the a/c anyway. I think she'll deal in cash for a while, or put money in and transfer it out immediately. We did ask at an expert computer shop and they would have done factory reset on the phone but they said it wasn't necessary. On the other hand, why would 'VAT' ring up again if they still had access ?? Elkski thanks - that is what I said to her from the start. Thanks to all - on it !!

Speedhump- you are wrong - the first thing Wife did was admit she felt really silly. What she said was true and the Police and the Bank confirmed it's happened before. Theory - to confirm, she received the phone call and was asked to hold on and also asked to touch the icon on the screen while she waited. The phone then went strange for a minute. I guess that was the App uploaded. We have found that App and deleted it. The Bank App for her internet banking has been cancelled and a new one installed. Interestingly, they rang again yesterday and received short shrift !! I'm guessing they did that because they had lost their access. Clever sods . . . . Burma thanks for that link and thanks all !!

Hi. We have deleted the APP then changed the pin number at the Bank. And secured some help at a serious computer repair shop where the Owner Lady speaks enough English so all should be sorted out basically. Wife much relieved and we'll set up further checks asap. Thanks to all for help . . . .

Briantheness please stop posting this sour stuff to me. Your having a sad and inaccurate snigger at our expense whilst we and other Posters here are sincerely trying to sort it out.

To update the Police and Bank can do nothing to help - I feel sorry for those who have lost large sums to this scam. Myran and Dan - your giving me the answers and I'm just getting to the questions LOL Great ! Q1 - will a new SIM card help ? Q2 - is a Factory reset available at one of these expert Phone shops? Q3 - the phone is a 'VIVO' android. Poor Wife seems wiped out by the Police experience, but we will try to delete that APP a bit later

Eisfeld - thanks that's another piece of the jigsaw - she was on 'Line' at the time. Yes the artwork was a blue background and Govt. type 'logo'. She was very upset originally and really thought the VAT were after her ! But with the help from here we have put the pieces together .and she's changing the a/c and PIN today. Yes lesson learned and as I told her, 'you got off lightly'. She won't be listening to similar or clicking any Apps again I'm sure !! BTW the account was empty after the B4,500 was taken. ATB

Warrima - that's unhelpful. Theory - ? SWM thanks.

Last night a Friend told the Wife that she too had lost B7000 to this scam. She recalled then two people chatting at the other end of the phone, (which made it all sound relaxed I suppose), when it happened. Also heard of victims details being used to approach other contacts for a personal loan for some reason - she is going to tell her Friends if that request appears, it won't be her. One more question please - is it advisable for her to close the existing Bank a/c and reopen a new one - the thought being that the Scammer already has her details? As I say, lesson learned ! ATB

Calmer this morning, the Wife now remembers being asked to click an Icon and her phone then went 'wrong' for a while. So that explains it - that was the App downloaded ! She's off to the Police Station this morning to register the event, then the Bank, (Govt Savings Bank), will trace it from there. Lesson learned here on that one. Thanks again Guys for all helpful comments, (I'm not high tech myself). ATB

Yes I know M8 and I'll find out more tomorrow. ATM she's chatting to a market friend who has also been 'done'. ATB

Spam they had the VAT artwork and said they were the VAT thus the questions . . . FF will ask about the OTP and FF about an 'App' too. She's asleep now. Thanks Guys. ATB

Neer thanks and yes you can block - OR CUT THE CALL! Myran - yes I wonder and asked her several times, but she was quite traumatised by the event and maybe we'll learn more later. What shocked me was the Bank report that this was happening often! Thanks Guys

Thanks everybody. Helpful answers and it's a shame. I try to tell her, 'look on the brightside, it wasn't B54K' and also, that I once lost B30K on a flight ticket scam. She was very upset when she came in I thought she'd crashed the car ! We'll go to the Bank (what's their security?) and the Police tomorrow. BTW I didn't listen to the call at all and don't speak Thai. I do remember her saying, it's the VAT and my phone has gone funny. Mai pen lai. I told her if you get a call again, END IT ! Thanks again. A pork steak has cheered her up !

Hi. Earlier this PM, my Wife had a call from a purported 'VAT' person . . . . He asked 'I understand you sell in the market ?' (yes ) 'How much do you sell ?' (not much) 'Do you have a Shop or rent a space ?' (rent a space occasionally). 'How much p.a. - is it B150K ?' (nowhere near that). Then he asked her to hold on. Later Wife went to the ATM and B4300 had gone from her current account - leaving NIL as she had lent her Daughter B50,000 last week. Phew ! Wife says she didn't give any banking details to the caller . . . . at all. Wife went to the Bank and they said it's happening and sometimes large sums have been taken. ******************** We intend to close the existing Bank accounts and start a new one. She is worried about the phone - can that access be repeated on a call to her or even without a call ? Can she bar the caller. Are we still at risk ? She visited the Bank and they said they've had people lose big sums. ********************* Any advice at all would be appreciated Guys. Thank you.

Finicky - Camry is a saloon the others are UV 'utility vehicles' (of a different shape). Surely that's your first decision and after that, any Toyota or Honda is spot on. My next vehicle purchase I expect to be in the UK and I will be buying an 'Estate' which suits me. The Camry is lovely IMO. ATB

Hello Bbas. I am a heart Patient too. Regarding a 'GP' I understand your wish for that. But why not find a Heart Doctor you can see every 6 months for a check up and to review your drugs regularly? The needs can change. I found at BKK Korat and Chantaburi, really good heart Doctors who spoke English and were very sympathetic and encouraging. A review every 6 months should reassure you and when they prescribe, you don't have to buy at the BKK pharmacy where the prices are double. It's a few thousand baht every 6 months . . You can probably find some of the same Doctors at the Public Hospital, if you prefer. ATB

THANK YOU GUDERIAN - your post was just what I was looking for, being a stranger to Pattaya and visiting for Christmas. I hope you have a good time yourself, ATB

2 years ago I bought an ASUS ExpertBook (Ryzen 3). It came with Windows 10 now updated to 11. It's brilliant and works very hard ! I paid THB 12,000

Hello Taxout - I really can't thank you enough for this discussion which has really helped clear my mind. We have concluded that 'gifting and bequest' is the route to take - hoping the regs don't change in the next 12 months or so. I've been able to transfer shares to 2 Sons in the UK and now cater in my Will to equalise for the Son in the USA in my will atm and to be gifted cash when the SP goes up. (This may all seem bizarre but have a look at Scancell on UK AIM market) ATB

Degruber - you refer to 2nd generation vaxes but although many are being researched, none are available yet. I know of Scancell's 'Covidity' which has been trialed in RSA and results expected within a month. This is a DNA based vaccine with needless dosing (Pharmajet) the point being it addresses the nucleosid of the protein and mutates rarely but slowly - use as an annual booster is likely if it is approved. Returning to topic, myself I've had 4, Pfizer3 and 50% Moderna. I'm not really thinking of a 5th BUT will assess it when I am next in the UK in May next. I have been concerned in reading about excess deaths particularly in the under 40's. It looks worrying but I've made no conclusions. So no 5th for me atm but that may change with circumstances, or the arrival of a 2nd Generation vax.

From Nigel Forbes - "" . . . . why not go back to the UK for a couple of years and make the uplift permanent? I did that in 2018 after being away for 16 years, four months later I was regarded as UK resident.....I subsequently returned to live here once again."' When I came to Thailand first, I rang the 'Pensions' to tell them I didn't need the 'Winter Fuel Allowance' and thus informed, my OAP was frozen . . . it was one simple phone call and I was DONE!! Perhaps when I next return to the UK I should make another simple phone call and tell them - "I'm back". Would my pension etc. then be fully uplifted after 10 years? I wonder. I would surely be forced to abscond again shortly after, being unable to afford the shockingly high level of UK rents. Mmmmmm - so would my pension etc. be simply frozen again at 2023 level OR returned to the previous 2013 level? Food for thought for next year . . . .

There's a point to be made re. the UK Govt's freezing our pensions - insofaras, although Expats here probably still pay income tax on income arising in the UK, we are not paying VAT and all the other taxes that UK pensioners are. But that's a point for them to make. The freeze has a quite brutal effect on OAP's who have been away for a long time . . .