Makara

I realize I have said this before, but I am departing from this conversation now. Assume and debate away.

And as I leave this convo may I add why in the heck would any person come on here and stand their ground, defend, and try to bring light to this situation for as long as I have, if it was all just a scam and soooooo very unture? Why would I waste my time? 

Just for once is it so hard to believe that this one case in paticular is not a scam? Wait nevermind don't answer that. ?

✌

9 minutes ago, Crash999 said:

That’s info from the Gofundme website. If you have other info then it means you either know more than the boyfriend or know something but can’t say as it will cause problems for the two girls. 

I am referring to what you said about bringing mud covered bills into the exhcanger. 

*This was meant for ChouDouFu

5 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

why don't you give it a try

No, you see, I already have given some of the things I do know to be true, and it only fell on some ears. Some, who actually did the due diligence to investigate further and found out what I said to be true. But still, many have thrown stones and accused me of things that I played no part in, so my patience and trust in the continued conversation is starting to become a dried up well.

4 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

this is where the author of the tale failed.

no clerk will touch a soiled bill to inspect it.

especially not mud-covered bills so dirty that

the printed "copy" warnings are obscured.

That's not how it happened. Not that it matters much what I say, cause even if I told every single last detail of what I know it.literally.would.not.matter. Literally. 

2 minutes ago, smx1313 said:

It did briefly occur to me that Makara could be one of the women but I honestly don't think they are.

Didn't Amycat have a long history on this board?

 

I myself lived in Bangkok, well, commuted from NYC to BKK routinely, spending months in BKK sourcing for my store in Brooklyn NY, USA. This was primarily from 2005-2012, with a handful of quick trips up until 2017.

I imagine I'll be back soon but not sure when.

 

My posts on TV from the past seemed to have been deleted.

But back then they where "are there adult volleyball leagues in BKK?" "Where can I buy a good cigar?" I would talk to farang and Thai's about the in and outs of sourcing for my store. Sometimes even bringing merch from NYC to BKK for Thais for their local biz.

 

This was a couple of coup's ago. Things were much looser, Thaksin Shinawatra was in charge.

 

I've been lurking on TV for years. 

I'm actually puzzled as to why I've become so interested in this story.

Maybe because in 2005 western hustlers in BKK was more of a thing. Whole stores in Pratunam selling counterfeit gear. It seemed everyone was running a petty scam, even if it was just visa runs. The hustler vibe reminded me of NYC in the 1980s.

 

Much tighter there today and the western scammers are more sophisticated.

 

So there you go. My CV.

AmyKat is a well known TV poster who put up very good arguments and everyone attacked her as they did me. She is from CA but has lived in Thailand over 10 years I believe. She brought very solid statements to the forum and was very level-headed about some of the outstanding made up assumptions. 

What I find funny is people who think this is some big scam, which would mean 4 people would be involved to split 10,000 dollars. And that most of the donations came from people who know the girls, family, or aquintances. Very few where strangers. 

People with extra money belong to the gofundme group and donate regularly from what I understand, but in this case it was mostly people with ties to the women that came in to help. 

My initial reason for posting after finding this forum on line on my own account was to bring light that the gofundme was not a scam, because I know quite a few of the people who donated. Since then I have learned a lot about the "land of scams" and feel sad for the awareness. 

As far as the people on here stating I am on of the girls or part of the scam I also have empathy for them and have never expressed any hatred back. That would just defeat who I am as a person. They can believe what ever they will. Some people on line won't do a thing to disredit my whole purpose. I digress. 

2 hours ago, smx1313 said:

Ah, perhaps I am mistaken.

Maybe she is in the states.

See? Like I said, after nearly 100 pages there is a lot of confusion.

This whole time, for some reason, I thought she was in Thailand.

I live in the States in Oregon to clarify. 

4 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

did you take the $20 in to have it checked, or just throw it? 

sometimes the atm's won't accept bills for various reasons. 

of course, if the bank employees determined it was counterfeit,

they would have retained it.

 

I threw it away. After examining it further it was slightly lighter in color, slightly smaller. Almost barely though. Eveything else seemed real. It wasn't washed. I took into the local store by my house and had them mark it and it was fake and I threw it away. In hindsight I should have gave it to the bank to confiscate it. Never happened before or after in my entire 15 year career in the service industry. 

9 minutes ago, Justfine said:

So you had fake notes too. No wonder you are defending them

 

Right. I was a fine dinning server (7 years ago) and a person gave me fake money for their payment of the meal. It was such a good fake and I couldn't tell it was not real untill deposited the $ I made that night into the bank and it spit it out. Then I THREW IT AWAY.

I don't appreciate the venom.

1 hour ago, ChouDoufu said:

they dinna find a thousand bucks in "supernotes" in cambodia.

if they had, they'd have exchanged them and gone on their way.

local banks/exchange booths don't have teams of specialists

on hand, just minimum wage clerks that do the simple look,

feel, run thru machine tests.

 

"A team of forgery specialists at KEB Hana Bank have confirmed that a US$100 note found at a Seoul branch in November was a fake which was almost impossible to distinguish from real banknotes..."

 

did your friends happen to send you a photo of the bills they

found?  i know if i found a pot o'gold i'd snap a photo to show

my friends.  nowadays in facebookland where everyone sends

shots of dinner to all their followers, i'd expect it.

No. I have not seen photos nor do I know if photos exist. You raise good points however. And seem to be very level-headed when discussing things. 

For everyone else, just because I express my thoughts on here does not mean they are coming from anywhere else. So with that being said I am leaving convo for good.

Before I do...They are still in Thailand with no updates--and I hope they come home safe, humbled (incredibly), and face the huge lesson they learned. I hope they do not spend time in a foreign prison for exchanging one fake $100 bill. I also hope they did not know the $ was fake--none of their friens or family know the answer to that. Only they do. 

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

On the BF's FB page , he posted a story about some Foreigners withdrawing fake U.S $ from Cambodian ATM's ( at the time when they got caught ) , although he didnt say the girls also did this , he was making the connection that fake U.S $ come out of Cambodian ATM's .

   He did state that fake US$ come from Cambo ATM's and you did state that there are good quality fake US$ in circulation , whilst neither of you suggested that is where the girls got the money from, you both added those stories to the girls stories in order to give possibilities about how they acquired their fake money , unless you are saying that both you and the BF just randomly posted the stories for no other reason what so ever .

   Also, the BF claimed that the fake $ from Cambo ATM's is "all over the internet" , after doing a websearch  , I didnt find ONE report to back this up

My statement and his statement have nothing to do with each other. I was telling a story how I took a fake 20 to deposit it and didn't realize it was fake until the ATM spit it back out. 2 different stories completely. I don't even know the significant others, or one of the girls, and i am not conspircaing with them in any way shape or form. So stop combining our stories to act as if one person is talking or we both did things purposefully within our statements or posts. That is why I call you paranoid. 

9 minutes ago, sanemax said:

You could also once again make the suggestion that they got the money from an ATM machine ?

I never suggested that. Ever.

17 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Not sure how you can think that , as I didnt even suggest that anyone was out to harm me, let alone everyone , which is what paranoia is .

    If indeed you didnt post about the fake NK on here to, suggest that the girls may have had fake NK money , then the post would have been off-topic and liable for deletion .

   You were either suggesting that the girls had fake NK money or the post was off-topic

No I suggested that (like I did before) that it may have not been ghost $ but instead really good counterfeit American $. 

4 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Yes, but you posted about fake NK money .

Why did you post about fake NK money ?

To make the suggestion that they may have had high quality NK fake money and not Cambodian fake ghost money .

   Why else would you post about fake NK money ?

You are very paranoid 

7 minutes ago, Henrik Andersen said:

Yes I had here about super notes before but surely they not find that kind of money 

Idk a bout that...I just watched a documentary about how super notes where being smuggled from North Korea to Thailand to America. 57 people where arrested, ceased more than 3 million super notes (and who knows how much is still out there). As you noticed the article I found was written December of 2017. 4 months ago. Quite recent.

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Has their story changed again ?

Are they now saying that the money wasnt actually Cambodian ghost money , but it was North Korean fake money ?

Let us not forget that "they" are not posting, but "I" am posting. 

13 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Those "supernotes" must have blown a long way , all the way from South Korea to Cambodia , was there a hurricane in the area at the time when they found them ?

They even made there way all over the world...crazy. 

Ever heard of Supernotes? ?

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/new-supernote-found-in-south-korea-could-be-from-north-9492060

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Did they use real money , or did they try to post bail using the other $900 ?

Haha sanemax funny funny. 

2 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

 

Thanks a lot for the update, I knew that you’re a good human being, but I’m not so sure about your friends. If that’s true, they should receive the first award in human stupidity, signed by a high Mafiosi from Italy.

 

Imagine, they both knew of the artificial money, but both decided to give it a go and both exchanged one bill at the same time? That beats everything that I’ve yet heard about dumb criminals. Sorry, not wanting to hurt you.

 

Another part I was wondering and actually waiting for to hear. Let’s say Mrs. X and Miss Y are planning such a coup, but get caught. They were lucky enough that they could stay outside for a while.

 

You don’t have to be a genius, but with the help of the internet it would be so easy to find “green borders” to Mae Sot and you’d be in Myanmar, within a blink of an eye.

 

No passport would you think will be a problem? Well, a trip to the American embassy and out of the country, even with a stopover in Bangkok. They can’t come back anyway, the way I see it.

 

I don’t say that I would flee, but I know somebody who did. And if I’d look at 10 years of a Thai prison, I might stop praying too. Have a good one. Cheers.

Cheers.

Just to clear one thing up. Only one bill was being excanged with both women present. The way I explained it came out wrong. Just wanted to clear that up (before someone makes up another story based off that lol?).

Thanks for being open to understanding and being reasonable about things once explained further!

2 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

What's not even clear is if both were caught trying to exchange the counterfeit money, or was only one woman caught?

 

Wouldn't even the dumbest criminal first check with one bill to make sure that a friend is outside to help if something goes wrong?

  

    The story seems to be like a rotten steak that just went through some Formalin. 

   

Both found the money in Cambodia backpacking out in a remote area. Split money. Both went to exchange one bill. Found it was fake and tourist police were called. Money confiscated. Both arrested. In jail for 2 days. This is when the significant others started posting and set up gofundme and this is when the misinformation started due to lack of communication while in jail.

They paid bail from their own and only money. They have to check back every 12 days. The proceedings have been prolonged and court canceled. To my understanding the authorities can have them check back, up to 84 days, every 12 days while investigation happens. And even after the 84 days they can prolong it more is what I have been told. They can basically do what they see fit to do.

As why it is not in media:

All in my humble opinion and information I have gathered from people who have experience with this...First off I feel that it all has to do with payoffs and money. Secondly I feel that info will not be released until investigation is over. I have also been told not everything is in the media when incidents like this happen. Depends on the depth of crime. 

They are facing 1 to 15 years in prison and or heavy fines and banned. I feel they will prolong it as long as possible. They cannot leave and do not have passports while this process is happening. They are following all the rules and doing all they can to comply to everything that has been asked of them. 

9 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

What's not even clear is if both were caught trying to exchange the counterfeit money, or was only one woman caught?

 

Wouldn't even the dumbest criminal first check with one bill to make sure that a friend is outside to help if something goes wrong?

  

    The story seems to be like a rotten steak that just went through some Formalin. 

   

When I have time I will answer your question on my lunch break. I am at work currently.

4 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

 

That’s fair, thanks. My apologies when you feel criticized, but there’re a few points that don’t make sense to the whole story. If the one woman’s bf can’t decide if the fake money was found in Cambodia, or on a road in Chiang Mai/Thailand, it’s, of course, raising several questions about the truth of it.

 

Considering that so many people who were/are using GFM as a tool to pay for a nice holiday, or to buy a new car, it’s perhaps understandable when some people would like to know some more details of the story.

 

Thailand is a country where almost everything illegal, done by foreigners, is being reported in media such as Bangkok Post, PBS, on TV or by other sources.

 

Unfortunately, are the only news about the incident from the guy in California who seems to have started the GFM page. How else can you explain that the Thai news didn’t pick up on a story that’s worth it? ( From a Thai perspective)

 

If your friend was really arrested, it would have helped a lot more to come up with more details, many posters of TVF live in the northern part of Thailand and the news is always full with crimes, accidents, overstays, etc.. done by foreigners. In other words, some posters might have connections to police stations, know a decent lawyer, etc..

 

I think that you’re genuine and an honest person, perhaps there’s something they don’t want you to know. Hang in there. Best of luck!

Thank you for this post! It is appreciated!

5 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I have no idea as to why they would cancel a Court date , you will have to tell me.

When was the Court case scheduled for, who cancelled it and for what reason ? 

I am not giving you or this forum any personal info and heck if I know the person who cancelled it. It is my understanding that this is what they do with foreign cases. They set dates, cancel them, set them, cancel them and draw out the process as long as possible to apply stress and pressure on the accused. They can prolong this process a very long time is what I have been told by more than a few people who have experience with Thailand and I know personally from there. Why this process is news to you makes no sense to me, but ok. I was hopeful for my friend and now I realize that this will be a cat and mouse game that could last a long time and cost them at the very least what they raised. I pray that it doesn't have harsh prison sentences, because in the scheme of things this is not a crime to go down in the books.

54 minutes ago, jenny2017 said:

Do they have to check back every 12 days, or is the GFM page not telling the truth? You wrote this post 6 hours ago and you're the friend of one woman?

 

  < They are currently being transffered to a women's facility in Chaing Mai Thailand. Their Court date is Set for Monday, Febuary 26th , which is Sunday afternoon our time.>

 

 

https://www.gofundme.com/release-misty-and-dannielle-fund

 

   Perhaps the prison?:

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293917-d1158865-Reviews-Chiang_Mai_Women_s_Correctional_Institution-Chiang_Mai.html

Catch up. They have been out on bail since intially going to jail.

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

Makara : Three days ago you quite clearly stated that a Court case date had been set .  You claimed that there has been a Court case  date set , but you would not tell us the exact date

Please sanemax go down to the courts and ask them why they would make a court date then cancel it prolonging the process. I have an inclination as to why, but you should know why as well since YOU LIVE THERE.