Worried about Photocopied Passport

[superatoz]

Hi guys , 

yesterday i went to kasikorn bank as i lost my atm card i wanted to make a new one .

 

i realized that i forgot to bring the original but i had a copy on hand , so i proceeded to ask the staff if  i could send a copy via email to her

 

she agreed and i sent it to her via her work email ending with .kasikornbank.com

 

she then forwarded it to her other colleague who was in charge of replacing the atm card for me .

 

after i left the bank i remembered my gf told me to never give a copy of my passport to anyone without ever crossing it and stating the reason .

 

im very worried what may happen if one of the stafff tried to do something funny with my passport copy .

 

The passport is linked to my gf's home address and i am pretty worried to say in this case . actually after that my gf and myself went back to the bank to request them

 

to delete the copy . which the guy mentioned he already did when we requested and also told his lady colleague to do so .

 

im still deeply concerned about this matter . i would really appreciate all input on this matter . 

 

regards

[FritsSikkink]

You do know they make a copy of your passport in every decent hotel you check in?

[superatoz]

Just now, FritsSikkink said:

You do know they make a copy of your passport in every decent hotel you check in?

hi there ,

yes , that but the hotel doesnt have address info on me , the bank has

 

would be enough reason to be worried about the photo copied passport ?

[FritsSikkink]

5 minutes ago, superatoz said:

hi there ,

yes , that but the hotel doesnt have address info on me , the bank has

 

would be enough reason to be worried about the photo copied passport ?

Immigration has a copy, if you work your employer too.

[superatoz]

6 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

Immigration has a copy too

thanks for the reply .

 

so its no cause for worry ? cos my gf said that people could use this to borrow $ as there have been 

 

cases where individuals has used photocopied passports to do so.

 

i just feel so stupid yesterday after giving them a copy -_-||

[Crossy]

Every man and the local soi dog has a copy of your passport. I do cross them when I remember but there must be hundreds of uncrossed copies out there after 14 years. Nothing untoward has happened (yet).

 

Actually, the bank (whilst trying to be helpful) shouldn't have accepted just a copy without seeing the original. They certainly wouldn't (ok shouldn't) be signing off finanace without sighting the original.

 

One uncrossed copy, I really wouldn't worry.

[superatoz]

12 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Every man and the local soi dog has a copy of your passport. I do cross them when I remember but there must be hundreds of uncrossed copies out there after 14 years. Nothing untoward has happened (yet).

 

Actually, the bank (whilst trying to be helpful) shouldn't have accepted just a copy without seeing the original. They certainly wouldn't (ok shouldn't) be signing off finanace without sighting the original.

 

One uncrossed copy, I really wouldn't worry.

555 , thanks alot .

thats the thing , they were taking a long time to do it so i told them 

 

i would just do it at a later time , the guy didnt even tell me why it was taking so long ( as i didnt have my original passport with me)  so in the end i left without my atm card which kinda sucked as i waited about half an hour for him to go thru all the info ...

 

tanks so much for the replies guys.

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, superatoz said:

im very worried what may happen if one of the stafff tried to do something funny with my passport copy .

They have copies of your passport galore anyhow, and will ask for another for many a simple task. Not much you can do about it... I am guessing between immigration, banks, hotels, driving licence place, where I rented vehicles etc etc there must be a few hundred of mine floating around Thailand. I even once received a bit of paper from immigration and it was obvious they were recycling, as on the reverse was a full copy of some rather ugly German guy's passport. 

[stud858]

The fear put on people is very stressful. Remember to put 5 different virus scanners on your PC, take 10 multi vitamins a day, unplug every electrical appliance when sleeping.

And never tell anybody your real name.

Just kidding. 

It's not worth wasting brain cells. Forget it.

 

[richard_smith237]

Erm.... What ever happened to ‘Farang think too much’ ???... it’s his GF overthinking it now...

 

OP: Don't worry, cross-sign when you remember to... but if you forget it’s no biggie... it’s almost impossible for a foreigner to do anything without extra copies of every document you have ever possessed and then some you don't ! 

[TheFishman1]

People worry to much

[cryo]

No Bank will give a loan without the original passport being shown and also your bank should not have accepted an emailed copy as the jpeg can be easily photo shopped to show any person.

 

Ken.

 

[xtrnuno41]

9 hours ago, superatoz said:

thanks for the reply .

 

so its no cause for worry ? cos my gf said that people could use this to borrow $ as there have been 

 

cases where individuals has used photocopied passports to do so.

 

i just feel so stupid yesterday after giving them a copy -_-||

Yeah  it seems they can somehow, just use a copy to make a loan> im wondering how they could use that, also the banks?

Im also taking care of my copies and most of time i write something on it in important parts of the copy.

But never the less you can do alot with photoshop of course.
who can you trust these days? As they remotely hack your car key or bank/credit card.

[gjoo888]

I've been a K Bank customer for 15 years. Every time I withdraw funds from a branch other than the branch where I opened my account, which is almost all the time, they photocopy my passport and I have to sign the copy. They must have many hundreds of copies of my passport, and I've never had a problem. Not to say something nefarious could never happen, but I think the chances are slim and none, and most likely none.

[dotpoom]

If I was to worry like this everytime my PP was copied I'd be grey haired by now ...but this will never happen ..because I'm bald.

[scorecard]

10 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

You do know they make a copy of your passport in every decent hotel you check in?

And in some hotels:

 

- They say they will bring it to your room a little later.

- whilst the hotel is holding it, there's no security, another guest could snatch your passport from the check-in desk area while the staff are busy.

 

I don't know nowadays but many years back scam artists would pay hotel staff and others for good quality copies of passport to use to start fake medical insurance, easily done:

 

-Start the policy and pay the yearly premium.

-Wait maybe 30 days and start to submit large false claims which are accompanied with medical reports on hospital stationery, with hospital stamp etc., written by a colluding scam doctor or a colluding nurse.

-Within maybe 60 - 90 days refunds above the premium paid.

-Insurance company investigates, and calls police, real owner of the passport genuinely knows nothing about the policy etc. 

[NoshowJones]

11 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

You do know they make a copy of your passport in every decent hotel you check in?

No, I just give them my motorbike licence which I think they copy, traveling over most of Thailand only one hotel has ever asked me for my passport, and that is the Nana Hotel in Soi4.

I would like to think all the hotels I have stayed in are decent. Oh! wait! The Nana Hotel??

[NoshowJones]

35 minutes ago, gjoo888 said:

I've been a K Bank customer for 15 years. Every time I withdraw funds from a branch other than the branch where I opened my account, which is almost all the time, they photocopy my passport and I have to sign the copy. They must have many hundreds of copies of my passport, and I've never had a problem. Not to say something nefarious could never happen, but I think the chances are slim and none, and most likely none.

My local Kasikorn bank accepts my pink ID card when I withdraw funds.

[Wake Up]

I would be more worried about your girlfriend if that is the advice she is giving you.  

[FritsSikkink]

45 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

No, I just give them my motorbike licence which I think they copy, traveling over most of Thailand only one hotel has ever asked me for my passport, and that is the Nana Hotel in Soi4.

I would like to think all the hotels I have stayed in are decent. Oh! wait! The Nana Hotel??

That won't be a top hotels than as they need to provide info for immigration.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

If I was to worry like this everytime my PP was copied I'd be grey haired by now ...but this will never happen ..because I'm bald.

There's a handy explanation for that. Too much testosterone.

[Lacessit]

Bangkok Bank ALWAYS copies my passport and gets me to sign the copy when I make a withdrawal. Kasikorn just look at the passport, then look at me ( occasionally ). Go figure.

[Kasset Tak]

My bank usually makes a copy of my passport on the back on any form, check, etc. that I give to them... so there are loads of copies all over the place. However, I never ever scan and send copy of my passport with email because then anyone can print that copy.

[digger70]

13 hours ago, superatoz said:

hi there ,

yes , that but the hotel doesnt have address info on me , the bank has

 

would be enough reason to be worried about the photo copied passport ?

Nah ,if a Thai want to use you're passport copy , that's a laugh, Picture  of you vs thai reveals all

[elgenon]

Is the difference that your copy was in color? Hotels, immigration are B&W

[CharlieH]

off topic removed

[Monkeyrobot]

I was in a 7/11 the other day and I witnessed a Thai girl put her Thai ID card in the the machine on the counter so it could read the micro chip with all her information, I found it to be an invasion of privacy for a retail store to be able to read all this personal information, as for you passport, don’t worry about it, as other posters stated everybody from banks, hotel, motorbike rental company’s and immigration has a copy. 

[tabarin]

Trust me, this would be the least of your worries, let me ask you a theoretical question you do not have to answer:
If you earn 300$ per month working 6 days per week, 10 hours per day in a hotel and you can get 100 baht per passport copy, what would you do?

 

Long story short, aside of the example above, your passport copy (and more) is available dozens of times on the deep web markets.
The good news? Rules have been changed in a positive way at most companies / banks etc already (and will be soon at others),
you have to take a selfie with your passport as well have multiple angle pictures to do anything significant making it much harder (not impossible).

Fast forward future: Passports are no longer needed, facial recognition plus fingerprint or iris scan verifications everywhere (detailled trials started at Amsterdam Airport already and Iris scan fast track immigration since years active). 

[jacko45k]

20 hours ago, tabarin said:

If you earn 300$ per month working 6 days per week, 10 hours per day in a hotel and you can get 100 baht per passport copy, what would you do?

Does that go on top of the 1000 baht I get for the credit card copy?

[superatoz]

haha , ok thanks guys . cheers