Foreigners in Thailand have been warned about people impersonating immigration officers in a bid to extort money. 

 

A warning posted on the Immigration Bureau’s Facebook page, reads “currently there are immigration police impersonators who conduct unlawful activities.”

 

The notice states that the impersonators target individuals and business establishments to ask for bribes or other benefits in return for assistance.

 

The advice to foreigners in Thailand is to always ask to see a police identification card if approached by someone who claims to be an immigration officer.

 

The identification card should contain the rank, name, surname and the name of the organisation they claim to be representing.

 

Alternatively, people can call the hotline 191 or contact the organisation listed on the ID card to verify the person is who they say they are.

 

Impersonating a police or immigration officer in Thailand is a criminal offence. 

 

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I've found the worst people impersonating immigration officers are the immigration officers themselves !

Jomtien Soi 5 is full of them

If he speaks good English...... beware.

You got to be pretty daft to fall for someone why says to you: hey i'm an immigration officer, give me your document and pay me now and you believe him/her, and if you do, you deserve it...

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

Foreigners in Thailand have been warned about people impersonating immigration officers in a bid to extort money. 

Officials in Thailand would never try to extort money from foreigners so why would foreigners fall for this - it would very obviously be a bogus scam - right 

22 minutes ago, webfact said:

The advice to foreigners in Thailand is to always ask to see a police identification card if approached by someone who claims to be an immigration officer.

 

The identification card should contain the rank, name, surname and the name of the organisation they claim to be representing.

 

Alternatively, people can call the hotline 191 or contact the organisation listed on the ID card to verify the person is who they say they are.

And if you do that, and they are legitimate Immigration officers? Does that get you put on the ship list?

I am trying to work out the difference between someone trying to extort money from me who isn't actually a genuine immigration officer, from the real ones that do pretty much the same.

I run into this gang every year at visa renewal time but unfortunately thats the law here.  I think the best thing to do with them is to do what my mother did when I was a child and that is to sew all their uniform pockets closed to stop them collecting stuff all the time.

They are a bit late with this, it's been going on for years down in Phuket.

What about people impersonating police officers?

1 minute ago, darksidedog said:

I am trying to work out the difference between someone trying to extort money from me who isn't actually a genuine immigration officer, from the real ones that do pretty much the same.

Im always worried about the real ones

3 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I am trying to work out the difference between someone trying to extort money from me who isn't actually a genuine immigration officer, from the real ones that do pretty much the same.

The latter are cheaper?

2 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I am trying to work out the difference between someone trying to extort money from me who isn't actually a genuine immigration officer, from the real ones that do pretty much the same.

The difference is that real Imm Officers pay a large fee to be part of the franchise whereas fake ones dont.

How many of those are actually real, albeit moonlighting, immigration officers? There have been countless cases in the past. 

I have only had problems with real Immigration officers at Samut Prakharn when they have extorted me, possibly in collusion with the agent I was using, when I tried to do a visa extension based on employment. 

 

Contemptible scumbags. 

48 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I am trying to work out the difference between someone trying to extort money from me who isn't actually a genuine immigration officer, from the real ones that do pretty much the same.

How have IOs tried to extort money from you?

48 minutes ago, ChipButty said:

They are a bit late with this, it's been going on for years down in Phuket.

What about people impersonating police officers?

IOs are police officers!

1 hour ago, webfact said:

ask for bribes

That can't be an act by a real officer.... ????

34 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How have IOs tried to extort money from you?

They didn't try, they did. I had a legal issue in 2008, which I won in 2008. In 2012 it was discovered there had been an appeal, but immigration wouldn't give me a criminal justice visa for a case five years old, even though I couldn't leave. Cost me 30,000 to stay out of jail (not bail), then when I won the case a second time, a further 20,000 not to be done for the overstay and by now it was 2014, plus of course the 20,000 at the airport for the "overstay", which was the only thing I ever got a receipt for.

As a prison visitor I have seen MANY people finish their case at court being found not guilty, but then having to pay immigration not to be deported. Never seen a receipt for any of those.

Then of course, every time you need a residency certificate, which I understood are supposed to be free, it costs you.

 

There was a post on Reddit about this about a week ago. There was a condo raid, checking passports, and they said the whole thing seemed fishy. Another guy said he was shaken down by a guy in a brown uniform, but that it looked a bit off. He was next to a bunch of win drivers when it happened, who all said they'd never seen this guy before. They all laughed at him, and he walked away.

A stroke of genius....  This provides an excuse for any and every form of publicised extortion... 

 

“It was fake immigration officers... our real Immigration officers are honest” !!!!

 

 

 

A troll post has been removed. 

Can we get some training materials on how to distinguish a fake police ID card from a real one?

You always get extorted if you try to buy a vehicle, extend your driving license or do whatever requires a confirmation of residence. Did you ever get a receipt for the "fee"? 

Buyer beware. The goods are fake and so are the vendors.

Wow.
I know I'm not a "hansum man" despite what all the ladies say, but I didn't think I was so scary looking that the police (regular and Immigration) take one look at me and decide they shouldn't try to scam me.

Because reading this thread, one might think they try to shake down every foreigner in the country. Every year.

Yet I've never been asked for a bribe, threatened or had anyone try to extort money from me.
Ever.

Any Immigration officer shows up at my house better be legit because when I ask my RTP neighbour (or one of the other 2 cops that live within a hundred meters of my place) they may find themselves wishing they'd gone elsewhere. And there are at least 2 sets of (working) CCTV cameras on my soi as well.

But somehow I suspect it won't happen so I'm not going to worry about it as I'm sure they'd take one look at me and decide I'm not worth the effort of trying to scam money from. Just like every other cop I've dealt with here over the last 17+ years.

4 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

I know I'm not a "hansum man" despite what all the ladies say,

Do you have an ATM card? Or a Bank account? Yes you do. You see, you are a "berry hansum man".

When needed i normaly go immigration in monday whit my wife. Because all going really smoothly! Me and wife whit uniform! Never have ask me extra. I have seen when monks and chinese jump the queue, chinese because just give huge "donut" box to officer ENJOY. Maybe there are few sticky bth in box, but hey who knows maybe they only love chinese!

4 hours ago, smedly said:

Officials in Thailand would never try to extort money from foreigners so why would foreigners fall for this - it would very obviously be a bogus scam - right 

If You have a mobile with a camera on it,take a picture of this officer.

a few years back, i had a visit from 4 immigration officers who kindly offered to deport me and split up my family unless i paid them 120,000 baht.

i had no other option, and paid the above said fine at the immigration police office, after hours and out of view of cameras, and got a receipt for 35,000 baht

DO YOU MEAN TO SAY THEY MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN IMMIGRATION OFFICERS???!!!????