A good Thai friend living in Isaan recently had a visit for a couple of the boys in brown claiming she had an unpaid loan on a motorcycle. This is true however the loan contract was 10 years ago and the default on the loan happened some 9.5 years ago. The two gentlemen asked her to speak to someone from a local government office on their telephone, this particular woman said that if she paid half (approx 25,000) now of the amount owing she would not sent the "paper" to the courts asking for her to be arrested and jailed. My friend asked to go and speak in person at the government office to this woman who did not give her family name, only her first name. The woman got angry and said "why you want to come? Covid bad". My friend proceeded to go into this particular government office which is somehow connected to the courts in that area and after 30 minutes the staff told her there was no such record of any proceedings being made against her and that there was no one working in the building by the name of the woman my friend had spoken to on the phone. They also called the police who were unaware of any action being taken against my friend. I don't know what to make of this but something doesn't seem right.

Sounds a bit fishy to me. Maybe they weren't real police who called but it was the right thing to do to check what they said. I wonder how they knew about the debt?

Halloween comes early this year.

Sounds that some locals like costume party.

How did they know about the debt. And why would the police ( IF REAL) come or be involved your friend did the right thing by going to the office nobody would give money without being shown paperwork and a face to the paperwork. But it's sad that people are trying to scam money from the already poor 

It's a variation on a scam.  The debt write-off may have been sold as part of a bulk buy to some collection agency or just scammers got into old records  Financial institutions regularly sell their old write-offs.  It gives them a few cent back on stuff that should be run through shredders and garbaged.  What the scammers are doing is illegal.  If they come back ... phone the police.  You have a phone number for one of the scammers now.  Give that to the police.

 

Around here the call centers in Mumbai are still doing a booming business threatening Canadians with jail time for unpaid taxes.  But they might give you a break if you send bitcoin -- Now!. 

1 hour ago, kimamey said:

Sounds a bit fishy to me. Maybe they weren't real police who called but it was the right thing to do to check what they said. I wonder how they knew about the debt?

They were real police. But as someone mentioned maybe the details of the written off debt are available somewhere. One of the gentleman apparently has a reputation of behaviour such as this. If it is real she cannot afford 25k but will try to pay it off in installments. Maybe it will just go away if they realise she doesn't have the money but unfortunately this seems to happen time to time in this and surrounding areas.

The tea jar must be light during these trying times. 

Grasping at straws.

People are desperate for money at the moment with everyone losing their jobs. Someone must have known about the old debt and thought they could try it on and get something out of it.

Obviously some inside knowledge of the matter. The use of real (or fake) police in a civil matter is a scare tactic and outside police responsibilities.  Just another rip-off attempt.

 

Having said that, I personally have little sympathy for people who default on debt.

They might have been "real police"  but they weren't doing "real police" business.  They're doing it for a cut of whatever they can squeeze out of the lady.

 

I don't believe the banks here still sell off their "bad debt write off lists" but some of the sleazier finance companies most likely still do.

My wife had a similar call last week from a Thai female. The caller who was very angry  said my wife owed X amount and if it was not paid the police would visit her within the hour. We do not owe anyone any money so the wife told the caller to bring the police no problem and she would be wait for them. Obviously no one showed up, the only interesting thing is the caller knew the  district we live in but did not know my wifes name. 

And even when they are real, no problem. If their boss can get away with declaring 104 million why should those lower rank should have problems?

Well coming onto a foreigner forum asking foreigners about this will get you nowhere except adding fuel to the farang blaming Thai corruption bad wagon. We don’t know and honestly can’t give you anything. She should know what to do as a Thai. 

On 8/10/2021 at 11:44 PM, Jaunty said:

why you want to come? Covid bad"

Covid bad, like the woman ????

 

Sound scam.

Every lawyer will tell you that debts older than 5 years are expired.

 

I had a similar kind of experience a few weeks ago, also in Isaan (no debt involved though). A woman (whom I had never seen before, she spoke some English) arrived at my gate with a policeman, claiming that my dogs damaged her sister's car. And that she had pictures of my dogs, being on her sister's property. Sister's house is two properties over, but she felt she had to accuse the me first. I just laughed and told her that it would be physically impossible for my dogs to damage anyone's property in any way as they were always INSIDE my property (day and night). She of course did not believe me. I requested to see the pictures of my dogs, but funny enough, there were none.  I called a Thai friend to explain the situation to her. Suddenly, she was no longer accusing me but saying that they were 'investigating'. And that next, they would check the property next to her sister's house (where there are many dogs, always outside the property). I also told her that there were many street dogs in our area and that my two neighbors had dogs too, which seemed to surprise her. 

The moral of the story? Many people seem to try to make a quick and easy buck!

31 minutes ago, fvw53 said:

Every lawyer will tell you that debts older than 5 years are expired.

 

"Different types of debts have different time limitations for collecting on a debt. Most debts have a statute of limitation of 10 years but some debt claims are limited to five or two years. After the time limit has passed, the debtor can legally refuse to pay the debt."

From Chiangraitimes May 2017

On 8/11/2021 at 2:44 AM, Jaunty said:

I don't know what to make of this but something doesn't seem right.

My sister in-law had a debt on a motorcycle that went unpaid, e.g. she was in the slammer for 4 years and got a friend to sell it for her to another friend, you know how it goes, no plates, no papers etc.

 

Anyways when she got out her mum gave her mail telling her that people kept coming by the house and she told them she were in jail, long of the short as soon as she got out she got a letter in the mail and told to contact the local police station to talk to a Mr so and so on Thursday's, this guy worked for the debt collection agency and used an office in the cop shop to do his business and then file paperwork at the courts next door.

 

He said if she didn't cough up xyz plus xyz interest he would file with the court to send her to the slammer again, so I stepped in and said to the wife ask him if he speaks English and if would agree to speak to me because it was the only way he was going to get any money as she didn't have any, he agreed, so we all went to the cop shop where he was, I put half the amount on the table and said, that what you will take, or you can take her back to the slammer, makes no difference to me, because to be frank, like I said, she doesn't have any money or the bike, and if you take the money she will have to pay me back which I know isn't going to happen, he agreed, we did the paperwork there and then with the cops witnessing it.

 

What you didn't think I was bailing the sister in-law out for nothing did you, she signed over a parcel of land to my wife which she had next to my wife's land and got some money on top to keep her going, in all it she got about 30% less than what it was worth, she didn't baulk because she knew this was a ticket out for her as the land would have taken ages to sell and it was her sister she was selling it too.

 

Business is business, I would suggest you get in touch with this person again, check their credentials out and try and make a deal, because from what I hear here, they will try to put her in the slammer if she doesn't pay, no bankruptcy luxuries here from what I hear. 

5 minutes ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

"Different types of debts have different time limitations for collecting on a debt. Most debts have a statute of limitation of 10 years but some debt claims are limited to five or two years. After the time limit has passed, the debtor can legally refuse to pay the debt."

From Chiangraitimes May 2017

Statute of limitations on debt was reduced to 5 years around 2011-2013.

Op's debt is well out of date and need never be repaid.

Best not to even reply to such claims, as acknowledging the debt can extend the statute.

 

@4MyEgodebt in Thailand is not a jailable offence.

23 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Statute of limitations on debt was reduced to 5 years around 2011-2013.

Op's debt is well out of date and need never be repaid.

Best not to even reply to such claims, as acknowledging the debt can extend the statute.

 

@4MyEgodebt in Thailand is not a jailable offence.

Actually it is, i.e. if it's to do with a dent to the government, that said your right with what is being said in the topic, and it's between 3-6 years and the debt is basically gone but your bad credit is and will be around for 7 years.

 

I just read the link below with the new laws which kicks in this year.

 

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/can-you-go-to-jail-for-debt/

8 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Actually it is, i.e. if it's to do with a dent to the government, that said your right with what is being said in the topic, and it's between 3-6 years and the debt is basically gone but your bad credit is and will be around for 7 years.

 

I just read the link below with the new laws which kicks in this year.

 

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/can-you-go-to-jail-for-debt/

I'm not sure how a link to US law relates to a debt in Thailand.

 

In Thailand my misses owed 500,000bht on a car loan (before the time was reduced from 10 years to 5 years). Every year they sent her a letter asking for the money, every year she threw the letter in the bin. One week after the 10 years was up, she applied for a home loan of 1.5Mbt and was given it.

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I'm not sure how a link to US law relates to a debt in Thailand.

LOL, my bad for not checking, what a waste of time then, I Googled Thailand and that is what they gave me, go figure.

On 8/10/2021 at 11:44 PM, Jaunty said:

They also called the police who were unaware of any action being taken against my friend. I don't know what to make of this but something doesn't seem right.

She's being scammed... simple.

1 hour ago, fvw53 said:

Every lawyer will tell you that debts older than 5 years are expired.

 

Not in Thailand if you get the scam to work, ????

51 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I just read the link below with the new laws which kicks in this year.

 

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/can-you-go-to-jail-for-debt/

This link isn't for Thailand is it 4MyEgo ??

I mean there not jailing people for up to 2 years for not paying child support payments, or Federal taxes as stated in that blog are they.

 

*** Sorry thats been answered..late posting

1 hour ago, UTH001 said:

I requested to see the pictures of my dogs, but funny enough, there were none. 

Typically Thai. Make up a lie - claiming they have photographic evidence - and unable to think of step two, actually having to produce the alleged photos. Dumb as they come. But then, if she was dealing with fellow Thais many would simply believe what she said without question, as that's the way they were educated - accept what you are told and don't ask awkward questions.

Police of all sorts (real, fake, moonlighting) are getting desperate. That's how bad the economy is, they need to get creative about new schemes.

I think if you approached any Thai person about an outstanding loan you would get it right 100% of the time.  Ask about an outstanding motorbike loan and you would get it right 98% of the time.  Likely fake coppers!