Dozens of foreigners in Phuket allegedly defrauded by visa agency, police investigating

[Time Traveller]

1 hour ago, dingdongrb said:

My life is just fine, thank you.

 

So nice that you have to belittle those you don't even know. What happened, did you not correctly fill the form out or omit your signature?

Something like that.  My point is, there are some things people prefer not to do.   I've experienced with immigration in a number of countries, and I totally understand the reasons why some people prefer to pay a lawyer or agent to deal with Thai immigration on their behalf.  There is value in both saving your time and a likely headache with the round around that Thai immigration like to do

Edited June 29, 2022 by Time Traveller

[ThaiVisaCentre]

I have posted something similar in the past, but I guess this is a good time to repost it.

When looking for a visa agent you must do a little due diligence to ensure that they are legitimate.

I would advise to do the following things
 

• Lookup their social media accounts, and check reviews, and creation dates
• Find their website, and do a WHOIS lookup to ensure that the domain is at least a few years old
• Check their google maps review score, and make sure to look at the oldest review, and review date patterns
• Ask a fellow long term expat as they may be able to tell you if they have even heard of the agent
• Check if their LINE account is a personal account (personal accounts will not have a badge next to them, and do not start with a @ symbol)
• If they have an official LINE account check their follower count which can give an indication of how many people they are in contact with. (also the light color badge means it is an unverified official account, and the dark color badge means company has been verified by the LINE team)
   

These above things can be also used to determine the legitimacy of not only a visa agent but other businesses.

Finally if it sounds too good to be true, then please proceed cautiously.

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by ThaiVisaCentre

[trainman34014]

This could blow the whole 'Fraudulent' Visa business up with any luck.  If people haven't got the funds to live here legally then they shouldn't be here but be somewhere else.   I have no sympathy for people who live 'on the dark side' of legality whist the rest of us are expected to live within the Immigration Laws !

[billd766]

7 hours ago, JimmyJ said:

No mention of the Agency's nor Agent's name.

 

Same with the linked article.

 

 

With the current defamation laws in place, did you really expect the agency to be  named?

[John Drake]

Russians.

[10baht]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Many of those affected are reportedly individuals who had regularly used this particular agent previously to extend their visas and stamps throughout the pandemic, with many claiming to be “stuck” in Thailand during the Covid-19 period.

"claiming" is the key word. They need to kick the bumbs out - the ones really gaming the system

[Pattaya Spotter]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Multiple news outlets have reported an estimated 100 foreigners in Phuket have allegedly been defrauded by a visa agency

Multiple news outlets have reported an estimated 100 foreigners in Phuket, who didn't qualify for a visa to reside Thailand so paid an agent to "fix it" for them, have allegedly been defrauded by a visa agency

 

There...fixed the headline ????????????

 

Funny these people seem to be upset that the agency they were paying to commit fraud on their behalf have in fact been defrauded by this agency ????????????

[ThaiVisaCentre]

9 hours ago, billd766 said:

With the current defamation laws in place, did you really expect the agency to be  named?

This did not stop the "online news outlets" from spreading false information about our agency.

 

Even after everything was proved to be false, and all our clients were 100% fine most outlets did not do any retraction, and at best they made a little comment mentioning that it was not true.

 

The only outlet we found that did any actual investigative research was Bangkok Post, and they did not cover the story due lack of verifiable information.

As for this particular case I am not sure about any of the details, and do not have any direct comment about it.

News outlets do have a decent level of protection from defamation (depending on how they sourced their information).

Edited June 29, 2022 by ThaiVisaCentre

[proton]

23 minutes ago, ThaiVisaCentre said:

I have posted something similar in the past, but I guess this is a good time to repost it.

When looking for a visa agent you must do a little due diligence to ensure that they are legitimate.

I would advise to do the following things
 

• Lookup their social media accounts, and check reviews, and creation dates
• Find their website, and do a WHOIS lookup to ensure that the domain is at least a few years old
• Check their google maps review score, and make sure to look at the oldest review, and review date patterns
• Ask a fellow long term expat as they may be able to tell you if they have even heard of the agent
• Check if their LINE account is a personal account (personal accounts will not have a badge next to them, and do not start with a @ symbol)
• If they have an official LINE account check their follower count which can give an indication of how many people they are in contact with. (also the light color badge means it is an unverified official account, and the dark color badge means company has been verified by the LINE team)
   

These above things can be also used to determine the legitimacy of not only a visa agent but other businesses.

Finally if it sounds too good to be true, then please proceed cautiously.

 

They would only be trustworthy if they were regulated, are they? I don't see line accounts and facebook as being officially recognised.

[steven100]

6 hours ago, Robert Tyrrell said:

Most of these agency use

bogus/ fraudulent bank accounts

nonsense ......  I know for a fact that the bank account used by many well known agents are not bogus or fraudulent as you imply, it is an actual bank account with an ATM card and a bank passbook.  

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2022 by steven100

[kokesaat]

I wonder if the guy from Pennsylvania knows that his passport credentials have been posted on that "Help Crime" website!!

 

[proton]

58 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

I'd put more faith in it than anything you postulate.

Officer - agent did a runner with my money and passport, i have no passport, no extension and on overstay. officer- no problem we are not investigating that ????

[kiwikeith]

9 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

I,am sure it could happen many times over,offer a visa service pay up front.Then the visa service will do a runner or not provide what they say

It's an old scam, I knew 2 Thais that put 20k each upfront for visas in South Auckland NZ, and that evening after giving the fraudster their passports, immigration knocked the doors down, they caught one the other bolted to my place, it ended up very messy, the perp had even been on TV and was arrested with 30 passports in the draw. I knew the head of the Asia crime squad he spoke fluent Thai he was at the temple often, he actually helped the guy out. 

[sambum]

8 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I used a visa service for quite a few years in Chiang Mai, then started doing it myself. Cheaper to the tune of 6000 baht.

Even with a completely legitimate service, there is still the risk an application can be mishandled, or one's passport is lost. Not through malice, just incompetence.

I have learned how to do the 90 day report online, so I only have to present at Immigration once a year for my retirement extension. Safer, the only other people handling my passport are the IO's.

My Immigration Office told me I can not do my 90 day report online -  it is a farce in itself having to report that your situation hasn't changed in 90 days. As another poster put it a couple of days ago, in other countries uou only have to report if things HAVE changed! 

[RafPinto]

5 hours ago, dick turpin said:

"I have learned how to do the 90 day report online"

 

Did that involve going to evening classes?

NO

 

Now offered at your local massage shop.
Instead of asking you, " Sir, massassss, special"? after 45 minutes, they now say:

Sir, 90 days online session, want?

[bobandyson]

3 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

From Facebook for all to see - not posted by me I might add!

 

 

https://web.facebook.com/Helpcrimevictimpeople/posts/pfbid02Y2Xv3WMySTPWnciJBp8Cv8kpCpd5DuK1mTnBqN8AptvSwDGE7gsXBFzWVoMzjSmUl?_rdc=1&_rdr

Thanks for photo. 

Link is useless for those who do not have a facebook accnt.

[VBF]

Posted in error ( @bobandyson already made my point ) 

Edited June 29, 2022 by VBF

[Red Forever]

Fraud in Phuket?

Surely shome mistake.

[Burma Bill]

4 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

One thing being, it means 4 trips a year to Pattaya,

Thanks Andrew and yes my local ex-pats up in the north of Thailand had to make this journey. For me, when I lived in Lanna many years ago, my local agent issued the 4 90-Day "slips" together (as part of the deal) on completion of visa application. It was just a simple task for me to remove the expired 90 day slip and staple the current one into my passport. When I moved across to Isaan, the local friendly "agent" for some of us ex-pats was an Immigration Officer and so it was just a short drive to do a 90 Day report. The good old days! Fortunately, Thai retirement visas for me are in the past. 

[JimmyJ]

2 hours ago, bobandyson said:

Thanks for photo. 

Link is useless for those who do not have a facebook accnt.

Clearly inconceivable possibility for several forum muppets.

[Thingamabob]

Using an agent for a simple retirement or marriage visa is a waste of money if you meet the 800k etc requirements. 1900 baht, and a few hours once a year, is all you need to pay to complete the process yourself.

[DJ54]

11 hours ago, Iamfalang said:

Well, we will never know what agent this was. 

There’s a picture of what I’m guessing is the shop in the full article a link to FB help crime …. 
 

[khunpa]

6 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

Surely these people were breaking the law using an agent? The only people I know who use an agent are those who don't have the 800K in the bank. The agent puts 800K in their accounts and then withdraws it immediately but claims to the I/O that it is seasoned. It's pretty clearly fraud.

I know a guy been here 17 years, he has used agents to extend his marriage visa for all this time. He is two years on overstay and agents can't do anything for him, and he doesn't have 400K in the bank. I'd lend it to him but I'd never see the money again as I'm guessing two years overstay meaning deportation.

I am pretty sure the immigration officers know exactly what is going on and don’t care… we can only guess why?… ????

[Paris333]

Where is electronic form to apply for visa immigration and extension?

 

[Aussieroaming]

The RTP are staring down the rabbit hole and all they can see is dodgy visa applications and darkness. The old covid extension request and can't get home due to the pandemic excuses must be nearing the end of their usable lives. 

 

Over to the stella Immigration Police now. They will be pointing the bosses smart car towards a Phuket holiday as we type, while he leads his Phuket Team to the rescue.

 

 

 

 

[Lacessit]

4 hours ago, sambum said:

My Immigration Office told me I can not do my 90 day report online -  it is a farce in itself having to report that your situation hasn't changed in 90 days. As another poster put it a couple of days ago, in other countries uou only have to report if things HAVE changed! 

When I did my 90 day report online, I first had to register. Got through that OK , I then received an email with a long randomly generated password.

 

, Logged in, submitted the 90 day report, filling out the fields carefully.

 

I then got an email back with the completed form specifying the next due date of my 90 day report in September. A signature of some IO in Thai script, probably automated.

 

I'd suggest your Immigration Office has its head up its a-r-s- e. Just do it, and see what you get. I'm printing mine out, and sticking it in my passport as the response suggested.

[siftasam]

When it came to getting a new UK Passport, I decided I didn't trust myself (at age 76) to do it quickly and efficiently - especially in Covid times.

 

I think I did the sensible thing. I looked on this site to see who was recommended in Chiangmai.  The name 'Assist Thai Visa' was thoroughly recommended more than once.

 

I went to their office in Chiangmailand. All sorted in a calm, friendly, helpful and efficient way.

 

Despite Covid, my new Passport arrived quicker than I expected. The shop arranged for the stamps to be inserted.

 

Didn't seem expensive to me. I was well satisfied.

[stevenl]

6 hours ago, billd766 said:

With the current defamation laws in place, did you really expect the agency to be  named?

Why not?

 

[vinci]

bla-bla-bla same thing just another day, one rotten apple doesn't mean the rest are, there's no such thing as a waste of money if you can afford it and time that people don't want to waste, if you can do it yourself good for you.

[billd766]

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Why not?

 

Because IF you get it wrong you can be taken to court for defamation and IF you get it right the same applies.