Agent stole me and wife passport! We need help!

[mtls2005]

The larger visa agencies have employees. At least one popular agency reported (March 2021) that one of their employees had been stealing from customers, other agency employees and even the co-owner for "five months". 

 

I'm reluctant to post a link to that story.

 

So things can be stolen.

 

And seen quite a few reports of passports being temporarily lost, and even passports switched - given to the wrong person, both at immigration and from agents.

 

 

Personally I'd ask the agent what they recommend I do in this case? Can the passport be found, perhaps by paying an extra fee? Or is it truly lost, and is it OK for me to file a police report and apply for a new passport?

 

 

 

[BritTim]

2 hours ago, swm59nj said:

     If you feel your passports have been stolen by the agency.  Or any wrong doing.   Contact your embassy first.  If they are not opened yet, they should have an emergency contact.  They will give you instructions.  If they feel you should contact police they will tell you.  

Contacting the embassy without having a police report in hand will not actually do any harm, but is a total waste of time. What do you expect the embassy to do? Do you think they will give you a new passport without the always required police report to indicate the passport is lost or stolen? The embassy will just tell you to get a police report.

 

Personally, I think the only possible step I might take before filing the police report is to find out if I am really on overstay. It should be possible to find out if you can discover which immigration office was supposed to be used for the extension. (Anyone who really cares about their passports should have wormed this out of the agent before handing over their passport.) If you discover that the extension has been processed, you could reasonably wait another month or so before doing the police report in the hope that the passports will turn up.

[Lite Beer]

2 hours ago, rott said:

Who told you the stamp is illegal.? The stamp will come from immigration and be perfectly legal.

I have spoken to a number of know nothings who are convinced that each agent in Pattaya has a drawer full of rubber stamps, perhaps you have been listening to one of them. 

Perhaps I have read the Immigration Extension regulations and can think for myself.

[Lite Beer]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Stamps issues by the immigration department are not 'illegal' 

They are if they are being corrupted into providing extensions without following their own rules.

[rott]

29 minutes ago, bobandyson said:

I could have used a cheap agent and saved myself some money but having to go to Pattaya from BKK to use an agent who keeps my PP for 2 weeks and then needing to send them my PP every 90 days for reporting to some far-flung province didn't appeal to me.

 

I paid out extra to an agent recommended to me by 2 guys who were using them. Not once was I out of sight of my agent or PP when opening a bank account and applying for a retirement visa at CW. And I recently did a 90 day report in person at MTT without any hitches.

Never heard of a Pattaya agent needing 2 weeks to do a retirement extension, unless possibly you needed a Non-O as well. Even then it would be strange.

Also never heard of a Pattaya agent using a "far flung province" for either the 90 days or the extension. 

[BKKTRAVELER]

That is a tragic story obviously. I saw the name of the agency when you first posted. My advice, go talk to them first. Maybe things will get settled between you and it will turn out better than expected. Keep your cool in any case. This agency provides receipts when you pay for their services, so keep the receipt if you need to show to the relevant authorities later on (I hope it won't go that far).

 

Also, please check all the answers made by members, acknowledge them and offer more details. Otherwise, people will have doubts about your claim's credibility and won't help.

 

Finally, please restrain from publicly naming the agency, otherwise things could get ugly real fast.

 

Wish you all the best and good luck.

[chilly07]

Thais think they can be an agent for anything especially when gullible expats are concerned - be it visa agent or estate agent. However there are professionals around for both functions. You need good references for any agent but those with a properly set up and registered office are clearly a good starting point. Cheapest is definitely not the best. Emergency travel documents are available from most Embassies. You have a legal requirement to report lost or stolen passports to your embassy. A police report is the starting point for a full replacement. Threats to prevent you reporting to the police and embassy should be ignored. Call their bluff!

[swm59nj]

The reason why I said talk to the embassy first.  For example the American Embassy requires a police report.  But not every country in the world has the same rules and regulations.  And the person didnt say what country they are from.  That is why I said contact their embassy for guidance. There is no reason to waste your time with the police in this country unless absolutely necessary.  That is why you look at your embassy website under passport for instruction or call them.  

And there is more of an issue here than just a lost passport.  Supposedly this so called agency threatened to make trouble for these people if they went to the police.  

[malthebluff]

Go to the police you need  a police report foa list passport they will not be interested in expired Visa or even how you lost your passport once you get the police report just get a new passport easy enough. You dont have to tell the agency but I would make them aware that the police are involved and with the police report the agency cant do anything but it I'll stop them using your passport for anything dodgy if they find it again

[Mavideol]

did RetiredJohn disapear as he/she hasn't been answering any of the posts.... smells fishy

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

did RetiredJohn disapear as he/she hasn't been answering any of the posts.... smells fishy

Nup. Just the OP. 

"If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

[Tropposurfer]

You must go asap to the police as others have advised. You won't get into trouble. Ask to have a meeting with the station commander (it may be possible and I would advise it as these guys have the power roundabouts. 

Take a Thai person with as much status as you can find to speak, and interpret for you.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Lite Beer said:

5 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Stamps issues by the immigration department are not 'illegal' 

They are if they are being corrupted into providing extensions without following their own rules.

Behold! Is this a white horse I see before me?

[Puccini]

33 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

did RetiredJohn disapear as he/she hasn't been answering any of the posts.... smells fishy

Perhaps there is an electricity blackout in Timbuktu, Mali from where the OP appears to have posted.

[NanLaew]

The OP may be fake or real but as I read it, he was planning going to the police to COMPLAIN about the agent and that's when the agent pulled the fake news of being arrested if he does.

 

The OP, like anyone else who has lost (or had their passport lost for them) ever since I have been a member of this forum should go to the nearest police station and report it LOST. Not stolen, no elaboration, just lost. Then he takes that police report to whatever embassy, consulate of approved agency processes a replacement or emergency passport.

 

Life really isn't too hard if filing the police report is done FIRST and FOREMOST.

[Anon B]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:02 AM, StayinThailand2much said:

I know exactly what staff at my embassy would tell me...

 

1. "And what are we supposed to do? It's your fault..."

 

2. 'Go to the police and report it lost.'

 

3. 'Apply at Embassy for emergency temporary passport.'

 

4. 'Sort out visa at Immigration (by yourself).'

 

5. 'Travel to home country, as the temporary passport is good for only this.'

 

(Again, this is not my advice for the OP, but what my embassy would say to me in a similar situation.)

 

I know this is a very old thread, but I was in this exact same situation and my embassy told me the exact same thing. I just got out last month. All I heard was contradictory advice from people. What a nightmare that was. I'm so happy I finally got out without being caught. I'm very sure I used the same, well known, agent as well. It's definitely her style.

[GypsyT]

That's what you get for 100THB?

Not surprised.

[Anon B]

Who paid 100 THB? Some agents are actually well known and don't cut corners. Some people just need extra help because they don't know where to start. If agents all do illegal things, then they should all be shut down.