richard_smith237

Love these sorts of posts... 'managed without one'... I wonder the extent of inconvenience you have caused yourself by 'going without'... i.e. booking holidays, flights, rental cars, online shopping... etc etc...

It's clear what enough people think of the Op's input to this forum.... 'A complete liar'.... seems to be the general drift.... sadly, it seems he needs help.

The same rules, rights, regulations 'should' exist across the board... regardless of gender or nationality.... IMO - anything else is simple bigotry.... history may soften that outlook for some, nevertheless... - Western Males partnering Thai Females should have the same rights as - Western Females partnering Thai Males, as should - Western Males partnering Thai Males, and - Western Females partnering Thai Females.... It shouldn't even be a point of discussion.

Thats good - seems like a solid set up.

That could be the issue (if the fraud I have encountered a couple of times is actually from Lazada and Shopee), as I do indeed keep the card details 'saved' with them... But I still need an OTP to complete the payment. Anyway - Wife gets stung more than I do.... But, its not quite the horrific drama its being made out to be by GG.

Regarding bike size... I'm also 182cm and ride a 29'er.... so think the size of bike you have is about right. ... the inner-tube blowing at 30psi... it could have been many possibilities. - Old 'rubber' (i.e. an inner tube that had been in storage for a few years. - Faulty inner-tube with a weak spot. - poor installation, with a pinch point against the rim etc. I blew my Son's inner-tube on his mountain bike... that also went at about 30psi... But his bike was a couple of years old and had sat there with deflated tyres for about 6 months, so I put it down to degraded rubber (everything degrades so quickly here).

Did you have to upgrade the cranks-set at all ?? I've ridden eBikes in Grizedale (Lake District, UK), while towing my Son (then a toddler) with 'kiddie-trailer'... the power upgrade was awesome - and I was able to pass my friend (an avid mountain-biker) up the steep inclines... Great fun.. But... the extra power through the cogs and chain reported adds a lot of extra wear and tear and they need to be able to handle the extra power - I'd be worried of a 'lower quality' crank-set wore more readily then on a ride while a decent distance from base some teeth would shear... I suppose thats something that could be checked for wear and tear regularly.

Well... its hiking, its not like walking on a flat footpath, thus from time to time tourists or anyone else will roll and ankle, tear ligaments, twist a knee, rip and ACL / PCL etc... but when far away from 'mobile assistance' these rescue teams are essential - Props to them and good on Thailand for having them at the ready. I didn't see anything in the report suggesting the tourist was doing anything silly, such as taking a 'selfie' on the edge of a very slippery and wet area... (which is often the case).

Who cares? You are not the op, nor are you your person I responded to. But, in lieu of anyone else making a gargantuan boomer comment - if you want to get by, learn to get by. In your case [Maypole] semaphore is now also considered an outdated means of communication.

I’m equally surprised- what is a mini-van doing stopping at a junction…. Don’t they usually ignore all traffic lights at that time ?

Is yer missys a forum member ? She’s free to contribute!!! 🤣 (apologies - you left that door wide open. !)

I don't think it matters where... I've tried to be careful but still got stung. It used to happen a lot in Malaysia... when using 'paper credit card' transactions (before they were all digital) there was a 50% chance of fraud then I reckon. These days, most my mine comes down to one or two of Thailands 'online shopping' sites - I that seemed to fit a pattern. Then we go for a year with nothing... I'm guessing its staff within on of those 'ecosystems' who is able to get hold of the data and sell it... So, which ever website we are using, it ultimately comes down to the level of access an individia; member of staff gets to a 'data set' and is able to sell it on. I think its a lot more common than many up us like to admit.

B0llocks. georeogeorgia.... Are you sure it was Scotland Yard ???.... I mean... Don't MI5 deal with this sort of thing, or if the crime was committed overseas MI6.... ? ... Do you speak with anybody called 'James' ????

So you care only about how 'nice' they were ???? I've had my card fraudulently used numerous times - I don't care for pleasantries and platitudes... I only care for 'cold hard facts' line of questions and answers and the plan moving forwards - no need for please, thankyou's etc... ... And certainly no need for an apology, its not their fault (the fraud team).... .... Thus: What exactly did you expect... Did this 'bad bank woman' tell you to eff off or something ? exactly how was she 'bad' ???.... did you call the correct department even and she told you she couldn't help as it wasn't her department and you should try the number on the back of your card etc ????

It sounds like you were being the nasty one because the 'bank woman' didn't please you in specific manner you expected. It seems as though this is the first time you've had your card fraudulently used - you've lost your virginity... usually you can expect to get F£$ked every year or so... ... Its par for the course, no need to get wound up about it. ... No need to play the moral highground and 'get all butt hurt' that they get away with this because of peoples apathy, becasue you were completely apathetic about this for the past 20 years while using your card, or extremely naieve to the risks. ... the whole point of using a credit car is that the USER has better protection.

Aw gawd... made the mistake of not looking at who the author of the thread is. Over-reacting drama queen. This is a nothing - non event that happens to most / a lot of people on a yearly basis. He wants Scotland Yard involved - this perfectly highlights how far removed from reality this poster is.

Not an abnormal experience - you are covered, so nothing to worry about - PTSD is considerably over egging the concern for a few hundred $$ that you'll certainly get returned. Why should she be anything other than professional and unemotional ??..... this is something they encounter every day. Why are you getting angry with the call centre / anti-fraud staff... its not their fault, they are helping you. She was right to tell you to calm down - getting annoyed with them is a dumb response. He response is exactly the 'standard response' - cancel the card - they'll also send out a new card. Its been 'skimmed' / copied somewhere - you use your card, people take the details and they use it overseas or elsewhere... usually its tested for a very small amount first. You are massively over-reacting and acting like a child about it - just go through the process they advise, is simple - only one phone call is needed. This is hilarious.... Just deal with the Bank, they will cancel the card and refund the fraudulent activity. Sometimes you may need to sign an affidavit that it was not you who carried out the transaction. In most cases, they'll just wave the transaction as its so obvious based on your location (Digital footprint Geolocation) that it couldn't have been you making the transaction so not even an affidavit is being used. They get the details and 'test' the card... then hopefully they can ramp up to 'bigger expensive' if its not blocked. My card gets blocked regularly for 'unhabitual use'... I have to call the bank to get my card activated again. Also, sometimes I make a Web Transaction, then a few moments later to a few days later, another 'transaction' is carried out and I have to call the 'fraud team' - they can see where the transaction was carried out and even the operating system which was used (i.e. I use a Mac and they can tell if it was Windows etc) - we cancel the card and a new one is sent. My Wife's card gets fraudulently used a couple of times per year - usually for $1 in Hong Kong or something - they calls the bank, then bank cancels the card, the card, a new one is sent.

I can take them or leave them... but certainly don't go actively seeking them out. Its usually when we have guests visiting and pass a market that sells them, we give them a try.... the video of them eating silk worms and scorpions etc (usually he kids) is usually up on facebook within a few hours..... I did encounter a Western colleague at work who had "gone native," believing himself to be more Thai than the Thais. He would bring in a bowl of these "delicacies" and offer them around, much to the bemusement and discomfort of the Thai staff. They would look at him as if he were a complete oddity. His attempt to impress the locals with his "Thai-ness" had the opposite effect of what he intended. Instead of gaining their respect and admiration, he became a source of amusement for everyone. We all had a good laugh at his misguided efforts.

so whats the 'going-rate'... you haven't even legitimised your post with such information.

I completely agree... There's no need for an agent unless that is the last resort (same with Visa's & Driving licences). Also agree, some guys in the Jomtien area may have had recent success in opening an account themselves - which would prove good advice for the Op if they can name a branch which is more accomodating.

The same nefarious acts 'some' Thai Bank employee's have been carrying out for years, as we have seen in the headlines... 'our account' (or the Ops account) is no different from anyone else's... Bank Employee's could still act fraudulently... there's not much we can do to avoid that however our account is opened.

I would suggest that many people place considerably more trust in their technology than perhaps they should and should review the risks they are taking with one phone, or two. I may well be wrong but I think most people do not have the range of apps you suggest, or don't need them if they do. Everything has risk..... There is a strong 'anti-digital-money' contingent on this forum, it would make for an interesting poll, but I suspect that there would be an correlation between age and distrust of digital systems... Just like keeping money under a mattress and worrying about a fire, or gold in the safe and worrying about theft... or even money in Northern Rock (Bank / Building society which collapsed) or other banks which only guarantee a certain amount... (in the case of collapse etc).... Thus, with education and understanding we can minimise our risk. IF I lose my phone - I can wipe all the data within minutes... I can then restore to a new phone from an online back-up... of course, that needs an understanding of those who use modern tech that they need to keep up to date with developments, keep back-ups etc (i.e. if your friend keeps back-ups to the cloud, he will be fine). But, the issue of course is having to re-register any 'new device' with financial establishments (due to their security policies) - and that takes a little time... we'd need to get the 'new-SIM' with the same number to receive OTP's etc... (losing a phone outside of the country could be a nightmare - plan B's are always there - with cards etc).

There is a possible reason to do this... Phones are getting more and more 'important' in our lives.... with so much data, banking, crypto etc on our 'main' phone... it's starting to look like a good idea to have a second 'daily user' to carry out and about that also runs a coupe of overlapping apps... such as the primary user mBanking App, WhatsApp, Line etc...

The mBanking apps such rely on a link to your phone number, thus, you'll need the SIM inserted when using the App even when using the App over Wifi. Thus - if you swap the SIM over to your other phone when setting up the App, it may work. (If you have an eSIM - that obviously won't work). Some mBanking Apps also need the SIM installed / activated to work.

So he wasn't an 'eye witness'... he was was just someone nearby who heard the incident. Drunk & Speeding are the likely cause of him losing control and crashing, with not wearing a seatbelt being a leading factor contributing to his death - of course, none of that is mentioned..... ... but given the frequency of such behavior I think the probability is high.