Foreigners in Thailand warned about people impersonating immigration officers

[lolalol]

I think scammers in Thailand are at another level.  I was scammed last year and she was a pro. She scammed like 10 people around me. Including someone she knew over 2 years. Pro...

[Mr Meeseeks]

4 hours ago, Kerryd said:

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

You need to get out more. 

 

When I lived in Bangkok it happened to me several times, mostly attempts at extorting money by on or off duty Police that failed because I didn't back down or wasn't easily coerced. 

 

The incident at immigration I had no choice but to pay as they had me over a barrel. 

 

I also know police that will perform violent crimes for money. Can't go into more details about that here. Again, they are based in Bangkok. 

 

It's a legitimised mafia in uniform mate, even the UN acknowledged that at one time. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

3 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Ive always said if you want to stop corruption in Thailand, start at the airports

Funny you should say that, I was a victim of an extortion attempt at Suvarnabhumi airport after returning from a job in Dubai. Guys in uniform claiming to be excise officers went through my bags in the arrivals hall (after Customs) after they pulled me out of the taxi queue. They were looking for smuggled cigarettes apparently. I dont smoke. 

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Funny you should say that, I was a victim of an extortion attempt at Suvarnabhumi airport after returning from a job in Dubai. Guys in uniform claiming to be excise officers went through my bags in the arrivals hall (after Customs) after they pulled me out of the taxi queue. They were looking for smuggled cigarettes apparently. I dont smoke. 

 

In the past I’ve read a handful of posts ThaiVisa.com about this very issue. 

 

It was always plain clothes customs officers stopping guys who have just landed on flights from the middle east and searching their bags for cigarettes exceeding he duty free allowance. 

 

I don’t see this as extortion though - just guys doing their job in a very unimaginative way. 

 

Mr Meeseeks - how was this extortion for you? if you had no cigarettes and nothing beyond the duty free allowance, how could you be or how were you extorted ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[raccos21]

It is nothing new in Thailand. 

[Encore]

I have always asked to see an official ID card when stopped by RTP in uniform and they always refuse to show but just point at their uniform.  Similarly, I have seen RTP officers in plain clothes, appearing to be off duty, stopping people and they do not show any form of ID other than producing handcuffs or, occasionally a pistol.  

[tifino]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

In the past I’ve read a handful of posts ThaiVisa.com about this very issue. 

 

It was always plain clothes customs officers stopping guys who have just landed on flights from the middle east and searching their bags for cigarettes exceeding he duty free allowance. 

 

I don’t see this as extortion though - just guys doing their job in a very unimaginative way. 

 

Mr Meeseeks - how was this extortion for you? if you had no cigarettes and nothing beyond the duty free allowance, how could you be or how were you extorted ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

well... losing ones spot in a long taxi queue, can be unpleasant experience

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, Encore said:

I have always asked to see an official ID card when stopped by RTP in uniform and they always refuse to show but just point at their uniform.  Similarly, I have seen RTP officers in plain clothes, appearing to be off duty, stopping people and they do not show any form of ID other than producing handcuffs or, occasionally a pistol.  

I can see that being a realistic issue. The ego, face and posturing police tend to present suggest that asking any policeman for proof of Police Identification is met with a disappointing response. 

 

Uniformed police in UK do not have to provide their ID, they must provide their name, rank and station. A non-uniformed Police officer must present his warrant card. 

 

Its all somewhat moot - even if a fake police officer presented us with a fake ID, would we be able to identify such ???

 

The only valid option we have when facing the Police in Thailand is not to fall for any extortion but instead insist we are dealt with at the police station. 

 

 

[tifino]

... and keep stepping backwards, to keep out of the radius of their spike protein shedding... all uniforms would have been jabbed by now

[richard_smith237]

30 minutes ago, Encore said:

I have always asked to see an official ID card when stopped by RTP in uniform and they always refuse to show but just point at their uniform.  Similarly, I have seen RTP officers in plain clothes, appearing to be off duty, stopping people and they do not show any form of ID other than producing handcuffs or, occasionally a pistol.  

 

A number of years ago I was going to a fancy dress party with some Thai friends

 

No probs, I went to an area not far from the Grand Palace in Bangkok - lots of uniforms.

 

Uniforms for everything... I could have turned up at this party dressed as a Policeman, full on badges, ribbons, wings etc...  all the uniforms were there.

 

I flirted with the idea of turning up as a Thai Policeman, my friends at the party (Policeman themselves) told me that I wouldn’t be able to get a police uniform without showing the shop Police ID. They were surprised to learn how incorrect that is and that I’d actually selected a load of items and the shop owners had no issues selling it to me. 

 

Getting hold of uniforms is incredibly easy in Thailand. Any chancer can walk into these shops, walk out with a ‘real’ uniform and go an extort people as a fake policeman. 

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

In the past I’ve read a handful of posts ThaiVisa.com about this very issue. 

 

It was always plain clothes customs officers stopping guys who have just landed on flights from the middle east and searching their bags for cigarettes exceeding he duty free allowance. 

 

I don’t see this as extortion though - just guys doing their job in a very unimaginative way. 

 

Mr Meeseeks - how was this extortion for you? if you had no cigarettes and nothing beyond the duty free allowance, how could you be or how were you extorted ?

I didn't have any cigarettes as I do not smoke but they seemed desperate to try and shake me down for something. 

 

After I had this experience I read other stories that had arriving foreigners with duty free cigarettes taken to hotel rooms and threatened with jail unless they paid 100,000thb or more. 

 

I was also refused to see the officers' IDs, the search was not conducted at the Customs area and their manner was thuggish and threatening. They were visibibly irritated when they didn't find anything on me and did not apologise either. 

 

A very unpleasant experience from 2006.

[Call]

Next time renewing my retirement visa, I will ask the "immigration officer" for ID, rank and what work he is supposed to do.

Many thanks for this helpful idea.

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I didn't have any cigarettes as I do not smoke but they seemed desperate to try and shake me down for something. 

 

After I had this experience I read other stories that had arriving foreigners with duty free cigarettes taken to hotel rooms and threatened with jail unless they paid 100,000thb or more. 

 

I was also refused to see the officers' IDs, the search was not conducted at the Customs area and their manner was thuggish and threatening. They were visibibly irritated when they didn't find anything on me and did not apologise either. 

 

A very unpleasant experience from 2006.

 

That resembles the stories I have read. I’ve not heard of the 100,000 THB hotel shake down (apart from an event in Phuket involving some ‘pink coloured hotel’ near the HKT Airport a few years back). 

 

I have read that the non-uniformed customs guys are looking to catch guys who’ve entered Thailand with goods exceeding their duty free allowance and hoping to extort them with an excessive fine.

 

I’ve not read of any such stories for a good few years though, ten or so.

 

 

I can imagine how threatening it is for someone to be stopped outside of an airport and searched - in such a situation I would always want to return back inside to the relative security of the airport.

 

 

I still think the ID thing is irrelevant - ID can be easily faked and how many of us know what the real Thai Police or Immigration ID looks like anyway ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kwaibill]

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How have IOs tried to extort money from you?

One senior IO at Jomtien tried several years ago, at which time I started to do 90 day border runs rather than deal with crooks in uniform.

I  now go to Samut Prakan, which I have found to be honest, often helpful, but a bit more stringent in their interpretation of some of the immigration rules.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Kwaibill
Fat finger syndrome

[LikeItHot]

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

How have IOs tried to extort money from you?

Address certs are supposed to be free. They charge 300 baht in Phuket. The old boss got pushed out for corruption the new one came.in and said "If any of my officers charge you for this service report it to me....BUT I DONT THINK ANY OF THEM DO IT".  That's a real snitch confidence boost. And before you say "It's only 300 baht" remember they do it all day long year after year. That's one example. There are others. Don't be naive and argumentative about known facts.

[Fortean1]

Five years ago 1,000 for address certification and last year 500 at HHIO.  Corner office, 1st floor, unmarked, and no receipt.  Last week this office was closed and shuttered.  Drivers license renewals.

[whaleboneman]

10 hours ago, Percy P said:

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

They make mobiles without cameras?

[richard_smith237]

28 minutes ago, whaleboneman said:

10 hours ago, Percy P said:

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

They make mobiles without cameras?

 

Yes... usually for industrial applications and working at secure facilities.

 

More common in the Middle East than elsewhere because of the stringent security and critical infrastructure  protection laws. 

 

But... you didn’t really want to know that did you? you just wanted to make noise !

[fgmr]

15 hours ago, John Drake said:

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

Did you spell SHIP correctly? Bon Voyage!

[Damrongsak]

16 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 

I'm inclined to call the 191 hotline and make sure it's an official, government-sanctioned scam. 

[fusion58]

Business as usual in the Land Of Scams.

[Damrongsak]

8 hours ago, lolalol said:

I think scammers in Thailand are at another level.  I was scammed last year and she was a pro. She scammed like 10 people around me. Including someone she knew over 2 years. Pro...

My wife's old granny sent her to the market to buy something.  She was a kid at the time.  Gave back the change and the old witch palmed a bill and said she was short-changed. 

[JensenZ]

16 hours ago, John Drake said:

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

Just to be sure, never hand over your passport to anyone in the field. Make some excuse why you haven't got it on hand. I would say it is at my lawyer's office for safekeeping (my lawyer recommended this approach). They did tell me some stories about how passports went missing, that the real police took... so don't even hand it to a policemen.

[JensenZ]

13 hours ago, Kerryd said:

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.

Your post was not very helpful. Could you please expand on the look you need to have to avoid shake downs. I'm sure many would  like to know. Do you work out a lot, or are you old and feeble looking. Perhaps you look poor. Please explain. Why do they always leave you alone?

 

I've gone 16+ years without being hassled, but that could be luck, not how I look. I'm a bit of a homebody, so I don't get out all that much.

[NoshowJones]

20 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 

Are they in plain clothes?

[jacko45k]

12 hours ago, Encore said:

or, occasionally a pistol.  

That'll work.....

[brianthainess]

I see nowhere in the OP where it warns NEVER to hand money to an officer, unless at an IO with a receipt issued. I wonder why that is.

[brianthainess]

20 minutes ago, possum1931 said:

Are they in plain clothes?

A lot are in plain clothes and only wear an immigration vest when wanted.

[mikebell]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

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

 

17 hours ago, Kerryd said:

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

Yet I have been in the same room in Jomtien as a fat desk sergeant who asked my wife's family for 10K to proceed with a stolen car charge.  My wife paid a Sattahip cop 16K as he threatened to make my visa application 'difficult next year'.  You have been lucky, hopefully it keeps going.

[joebrown]

7 minutes ago, mikebell said:

 

Yet I have been in the same room in Jomtien as a fat desk sergeant who asked my wife's family for 10K to proceed with a stolen car charge.  My wife paid a Sattahip cop 16K as he threatened to make my visa application 'difficult next year'.  You have been lucky, hopefully it keeps going.

I've lived in Sattahip and there is no IO there, so how can a cop in Sattahip make your 'visa application' difficult? What were the grounds for this threat that were serious enough for your wife to hand over 16,000bht?