French nationals busted at Bangkok call centre

[Just Weird]

3 hours ago, kiwikeith said:

The truth be known, someone knew about this and face saving mode is on so that the whole story does not surface.

French Scamming organisation accidentally busted by rookie cop

That the police were tipped-off about suspicious comings and goings at the house has already been reported,  a "bust by a rookie cop" has not.

 

What is the "face saving" element that you see?

[balo]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:21 PM, EricTh said:

This case proves that it is ILLEGAL to do online business.

 

1. No jobs was taken away from Thai people as their clients were in France and Belgium.

2. Legal money transfer and taxation

3. Company is registered in Singapore (not in Thailand)

No it does not, This is clearly a boiler room , they hire a house/office and work inside a call center. 

Not the same thing as a digital nomad and clearly illegal . I will still sit inside Starbucks with my laptop and post messages and communicate with my business associates in Europe, to a country where I pay my taxes.  


 

Edited January 13, 2020 by balo

[EricTh]

6 hours ago, balo said:

No it does not, This is clearly a boiler room , they hire a house/office and work inside a call center. 

Not the same thing as a digital nomad and clearly illegal . I will still sit inside Starbucks with my laptop and post messages and communicate with my business associates in Europe, to a country where I pay my taxes.  
 

 

So does that mean that if they all worked inside Starbucks or public restaurants like you do, it is considered legal? 

 

What is the difference between working inside a 4-storey house versus working inside Starbucks? It is still WORKING. In case, you didn't read carefully, it is a house.

 

They were also communicating with 'business associates' in France and Belgium like you do.

 

Immigration isn't concerned where in Thailand you work (under a tree, in the garden, in Starbucks, house or office) , they are only concerned of the action and whether there's any money transaction involved.

Edited January 14, 2020 by EricTh

[EricTh]

On 1/10/2020 at 4:20 PM, FritsSikkink said:

You are misleading people. If you work in Thailand you need a work permit.

Show me the exceptions in the labor law where it says you don't need one if your customer is outside Thailand.

If you are so sure, give me the place where you work from, I will send somebody from the labor office, you admit that you work for a customer outside Thailand and we take it from there.

 

Those so-called 'digital nomads' who sell tourist books, membership sites, doing call center work, selling goods online dare not report their location and name because I have already dared them in the past.

 

The ones reported in the media usually involve many people (more than 10 people in the same group) like the French and Chinese cases where it is more detectable to the public when they enter/leave a house or area everyday.

 

Those cases which involve only 1 or 2 persons doing online work are more discreet and they can work in Starbucks, house, condo without being detected by the public.

Edited January 14, 2020 by EricTh

[balo]

17 hours ago, EricTh said:

Those cases which involve only 1 or 2 persons doing online work are more discreet and they can work in Starbucks, house, condo without being detected by the public.

 

Yes and my personal opinion is that immigration officials would not care about those sitting inside Starbucks even if they are told about nomads sitting there.   The same goes with all the co-working spaces in Bangkok and Chiang Mai,  where you bring your laptop for a few hours, have a coffee and "work" with something online that got nothing to do with Thailand.

Of course someone can take that phone call to immigration and test the theory. I can promise you it would turn into a complete chaos and a crazy media circus if they decide to raid Starbucks.    




 

Edited January 14, 2020 by balo

[Momofarang]

On 1/15/2020 at 1:48 AM, balo said:

 

Yes and my personal opinion is that immigration officials would not care about those sitting inside Starbucks even if they are told about nomads sitting there.   The same goes with all the co-working spaces in Bangkok and Chiang Mai,  where you bring your laptop for a few hours, have a coffee and "work" with something online that got nothing to do with Thailand.

Of course someone can take that phone call to immigration and test the theory. I can promise you it would turn into a complete chaos and a crazy media circus if they decide to raid Starbucks.    




 

You are probably right in that TI is unlikely to raid Starbucks. However there seems to be some (weak) will to enforce something like a "genuine tourist" status. From a few reports here it seems that this enforcement takes place at the border where a few people got questioned about their repeated and lengthy stays in the kingdom. I just wonder how were let in after they'd explained that they were "legitimate digital nomads"?

 

[metempsychotic]

On 1/14/2020 at 8:21 AM, EricTh said:

 

Those so-called 'digital nomads' who sell tourist books, membership sites, doing call center work, selling goods online dare not report their location and name because I have already dared them in the past.

 

The ones reported in the media usually involve many people (more than 10 people in the same group) like the French and Chinese cases where it is more detectable to the public when they enter/leave a house or area everyday.

 

Those cases which involve only 1 or 2 persons doing online work are more discreet and they can work in Starbucks, house, condo without being detected by the public.

You mean the ines that ste actually digital nomads?

[Momofarang]

54 minutes ago, metempsychotic said:

You mean the ines that ste actually digital nomads?

Yeah, some people like to give a strict definition to metaphors, guess they like it because it makes then "one of them".

[EricTh]

5 hours ago, Momofarang said:

You are probably right in that TI is unlikely to raid Starbucks. However there seems to be some (weak) will to enforce something like a "genuine tourist" status. From a few reports here it seems that this enforcement takes place at the border where a few people got questioned about their repeated and lengthy stays in the kingdom. I just wonder how were let in after they'd explained that they were "legitimate digital nomads"?

 

It's alright if these people have a full-time job in their home country and then come to Thailand for a few weeks holiday doing some urgent work in Starbucks during their short holidays.

 

However, those who don't have a full-time job back home and actually work online in Thailand on a non-work permit visa on a long-term basis (as in more than 3 months) is a different case altogether.

 

That's clearly working illegally either on tourist or retirement visa.

Edited January 17, 2020 by EricTh

[balo]

8 hours ago, EricTh said:

It's alright if these people have a full-time job in their home country and then come to Thailand for a few weeks holiday doing some urgent work in Starbucks during their short holidays.

 

However, those who don't have a full-time job back home

Now please define a full time job ? You can have a full time job working from your laptop.  

In fact many "nomads" have a full time job and they meet their employer maybe 2-3 times each year. So the question remains how much time you spend outside your home country, but it's still a full time job. 

In Europe there are no limitations so I can work from anywhere and stay as long as I wish. Then take a flight to Thailand and stay on a tourist visa for 3 months, shouldn't really be a problem.
Or in my case apply for a 1 year visa based on retirement.  I am in and out of the country multiple times.  And  I have never had a problem with immigration at the airports.  

Of course that might happen one day, but so far so good.