mvdf

Nice try tsk tsk nice try.

Time to board that one way trip to Bang Kwang.

XAU is the safest of safe havens. Predicate currencies (those pegged to historically stable fiat and metals) are not immune to devaluation and inflationary fluctuations.

If it must be fiat, CHF has been historically and traditionally the planet's refuge currency.

If you want a second opinion, ask someone innately conservative with money.  

9 hours ago, Robbie63 said:

The Immigration officer took one look at my Passport and threw it back at me told me to go back to agent that my Visa was dirty because of the Northern Immigration Stamps end of discussion.

That's truly sad. He literally threw it back at you with that look of disdain? 

Once a marked man, always a marked man. Nowhere for fugitives to hide, even in the most remote corners of this planet. It's just a matter of time and GPS coordinates. 

3 hours ago, spambot said:

Good call mvdf - I reviewed the app and the support required, unfortunately eSim is not supported on my Huawei P20 phone. However I do intend to buy a new phone when I arrive back in Thailand and will look for an eSim compatible phone - This option makes a lot of sense.

The P40 supports it. And almost all iPhones.

https://www.airalo.com/help/about-airalo/what-devices-support-esim

Yes, they are quite strict now with account creation and reactivation processes because of a rising incidence of fraudsters and identity thieves using stolen credentials to create accounts which they then use for scams. Banks will now want you to come to the nearest branch so they can sight the original passport or driving licence and also confirm that the person showing it matches the person named and pictured on it. 

One solution is to go to Singapore (preferred than HK) and request for an identity reference. This will be channeled by HSBC to the UK internally or via the SWIFT messaging system.

14 hours ago, spambot said:

Can anyone recommend a supplier (preferably with link) that can provide a prepaid Thai sim that will post to the UK? 

 

If you have an iPhone or any phone that supports eSIM, there is no need to post, you can instantly get the SIM card and install it.

https://www.airalo.com/thailand-esim

The eSIM comes with a Thai number. 

Alternatively, yes, you will need to find someone who would be willing to buy the physical SIM card, activate roaming and post or courier it to you. That person must be someone you can trust because the SIM can be duplicated or renewed anytime, thus giving that person access to your OTP which, as you know, can be used to access your account and perform transactions if he or she is privy to your account number and mobile banking PIN or password.

The play-of-words talent of some forum members here is unparalleled. The English language has truly evolved and matured.

5 hours ago, Bruce1054 said:

Has that actually happened or just the same as always?

I hope so because other countries in the west also target us Asians for such atrocities. 

4 hours ago, nikmar said:

did anyone look into how a 21 yr old can afford to run a big bike on police wages?

i'll hazard a guess...

errr... perhaps by "decorating" someone's head with plastic bags?

2 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

What was he selling?

Boiler room strategy. Call and call and call until one naive and gullible fool falls for it is the scammer's motto.

If this happened in the west, the first thought in everyone's mind would be a robbery in progress. Ramming or crashing a car into a jewellery shop is an established MO of criminals. 

Luckily nobody made premature assumptions by shooting or hacking her to bits before asking questions. 

Bank staff are always on edge when interacting with callers. "cannot" is their standard go-to response for almost all requests placed via calls.

Access to mobile banking would be the only way. As for using a letter of authorisation, power of attorney or similar documents, this can be very time consuming and costly to achieve because of this fixation on sighting documents affixed with seals or stamps, in Thai language and in their original form. A document prepared by a foreign notary public might not convince bank staff to act on the instructions within that document.

Irrelevant as it may seem, the alternative would be to transfer from your German bank to your Thai account. I have transferred several times by SWIFT from my DKB account in Berlin to my Kasikorn account. Arrived and credited the following day.    

I have credit cards with KBank and ABA (Cambodia). Both are secured cards or cards issued on the basis of blocked funds as a form of security or collateral. The funds are in THB and USD fixed deposit accounts respectively, locked and inaccessible for as long as the cards are active and in the cardholder's possession. My credit limit is 80% of the fixed deposit amount (KBank) and 90% for my ABA card. 

As for Thai banks issuing cards to foreigners on the basis of a creditworthiness assessment alone, they are probably quite strict and might start with a cautiously low CL to mitigate risks. I also have DKB and Lufthansa credit cards in Germany which are "real" credit cards or cards issued on the basis of credit scoring. I don't use my German cards for online transactions though and I use them sparingly in this part of the world because I am scared of fraud issues. Disputing spurious transactions can be a nightmare, especially because DKB is a branchless direct bank.

4 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

So what's the thinking behind it being from abroad?  Just a bureaucratic kink?

To prevent calculating and manipulative foreigners from gaming the system. Those who constantly think about finding loopholes or ways to bypass rules properly followed by other foreigners. 

False hopes.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/04/06/national/lift-entry-ban-106-countries/

"... except tourists"

3 hours ago, Hans Johnson said:

That’s why I have one large safe bolted to the concrete floor down stairs and one small one bolted to the wall in the bedroom. 
 

 

Nowadays everything/anything can be de-bolted. Just a matter of time, opportunity and tools. 

Bitcoin or ETH. 

Best and most reliable way. 

Just watch how she enjoys every luscious and tasty bit of all those scolopendra she grilled.   

Embarrassing. Makes me cringe, cold sweat running down my back from the shamelessness and brazenness of this thievery. And hid the wares where? Ok that was a rhetorical question.