"I can't earn enough in Thailand" says Thai woman tricked by work scam for "Land of Ginseng"

[webfact]

 

Daily News Thai Caption: Tricked into non-existent work

 

A Thai woman who is among 50 compatriots tricked by a devious agency into applying for work in South Korea said she couldn't earn enough in Thailand. 

 

She admitted that the work she intended to do in the Asian giant that is South Korea was illegal. 

 

But she saw no way out of her predicament when she saw the Facebook add for riches in what Thais call the Land of White Ginseng, reported Daily News. 

 

"I know I was wrong," said Gift at Central Investigation Bureau HQ yesterday. "But I'm a million baht in debt and there's just me and my mum left. I would never get enough money by working in Thailand".

 

So Gift and many others contacted a female Thai agent with a South Korean husband who promised they would fix up everything and she could pay them back later. 

 

All that needed to be paid upfront was a flight insurance fee deposit of 7,500 and 15,000 in other charges to get the ball rolling. 

 

Picture: Daily News

 

However she realised when she applied for a K-ETA or electronic entry into Korea that she had been conned. 

 

Permission denied.

 

She returned to contact the Facebook people and found she was now blocked and there was no way to get back her initial investment. 

 

Another lady went with the founder of "Sai Mai Tong Rort" Ekkaphop Leuangprasert yesterday.

 

He said that lots of people in his Sai Mai area - up to 50 - had been conned by the agency into getting jobs in Europe and Korea. 

 

He was planning on contacting the Labour Department as well as the police to get action against the fraudsters. 

 

ASEAN NOW notes that the precise nature of the illegal work proposed to the Thai ladies was not specified. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-07-19

 

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[bigupandchill]

It would be easy to blame 'Gift' for her naivety but surely the government could do more through the education system or other forms of communication to warn people about sending money to people like this?

[proton]

Complaining about not being able to work illegally? No need for an agent at all, 4 of the Mrs family have been there for years. They normally stay for 5 years until their passports run out, they earn about 4x what they could here, mostly agricultural work.

[Danderman123]

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

[BKKTRAVELER]

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

They usually buy a car they can't afford, a house/condo they can't afford, a phone they can't afford and so on...

 

Problem is, it's way too easy for Thai people with a job to obtain loans and multiple credit cards. There are people that became experts at cheating the system and obtain those. They now help others do the same for a fee.

 

Then when things go awry, they sometimes resort to loan sharks. That's when their lives are ruined and they never manage to get out of those schemes.

[BangkokReady]

3 hours ago, proton said:

Complaining about not being able to work illegally?

No. Complaining about being conned out if what little money she had.

[bbko]

3 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

I was thinking the same thing, where did the 1 million baht she borrowed go?

[zzaa09]

3 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Evidently she's not on the government employee perpetual loan program...

[engamann]

5 hours ago, bigupandchill said:

It would be easy to blame 'Gift' for her naivety but surely the government could do more through the education system or other forms of communication to warn people about sending money to people like this?

The government 5555 , you mean the junta that have ruined the country.

[Pattaya Spotter]

3 hours ago, BKKTRAVELER said:

 

Problem is, it's way too easy for Thai people with a job to obtain loans and multiple credit cards.

Yet cashed up foreigners with "retirement visas" have to pull hen's teeth to even get a "secured" credit card with a couple hundred baht credit limit from a Thai bank. 

[brianthainess]

6 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Gambling.

[shackleton]

Seems to be the norm here in Thailand get In debt 

Then look for a easy way out making ???? 

Then find out they have been scammed 

The government and police need to come down harder on those doing the scams I know it's easier said than done 

[edwinchester]

5 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Friend of the wife bought a new Toyota pickup, basic model, a while ago. Payments are 7000 bht a month. They earn 9000 bht a month as a teaching assistant. After 2 or 3 months they failed to keep up with the payments. Well on the way to their own one million bht debt I'd wager.

[Denim]

11 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Gambling.

Yup.....most likely. The more they lose the bigger the bets they make trying to recoup what they have already lost.

 

A relative of my first wife got over a million in debt. A kind American guy cleared this debt then whisked her off to the middle of nowhere in Alaska before she could start over. Gambling is a disease which is why it is banned in Thailand , lottery not withstanding.

[userabcd]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Yet cashed up foreigners with "retirement visas" have to pull hen's teeth to even get a "secured" credit card with a couple hundred baht credit limit from a Thai bank. 

At least the institition issuing the secured credit is legal and ones deposit is safe earning interest.

[BangkokReady]

2 hours ago, engamann said:

The government 5555 , you mean the junta that have ruined the country.

No, the Junta haven't changed the education system.

[PJ71]

2 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Friend of the wife bought a new Toyota pickup, basic model, a while ago. Payments are 7000 bht a month. They earn 9000 bht a month as a teaching assistant. After 2 or 3 months they failed to keep up with the payments. Well on the way to their own one million bht debt I'd wager.

Most Thai people don't bat an eye lid about being in debt.

 

Totally retarded that the finance company would agree to payments of 7K a month on a 9K a month salary - madness.

[steven100]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

However she realised when she applied for a K-ETA or electronic entry into Korea that she had been conned. 

   .....  karma  is a wonderful thing .

[steven100]

love .....  you need to get a job down Soi cowboy 

[Hummin]

10 hours ago, proton said:

Complaining about not being able to work illegally? No need for an agent at all, 4 of the Mrs family have been there for years. They normally stay for 5 years until their passports run out, they earn about 4x what they could here, mostly agricultural work.

A cousin of the gf went this year on legal 5 year contract agriculture as well, 60 000 a month to start. 

[PETERTHEEATER]

9 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Especially when she's sitting on a goldmine.....

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

10 hours ago, proton said:

They normally stay for 5 years until their passports run out, they earn about 4x what they could here, mostly agricultural work.

Can confirm. Three in my village just signed up to go. My wife will now be able to pick up more sales in the market, given their absence.

 

Not exactly legal, but a grey area. The Korean government is well aware of it, as they rendered assistance to the many such Thais stuck there during the pandemic. They're there doing the work Koreans won't. The Thais book package tours, break away from the groups, then go to the farms. They work and work and bring home a bundle. A nice house down the road I'm told was built by working in Korea.

 

A shame these folks heard about such schemes, then just went with the wrong people.

[overherebc]

9 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Expat friend, retired now, ran a fabrication company here.

At one point he secured a really good 2 year contract and all the workers had the chance to get a good few hours OT each month.

Within three or four weeks the car park was filling up with new pick-ups. At the end of that contract everybody was back to normal hours.

Within 3 months most of the pick-ups were being handed back to the finance companies.  The workers were ok with that, it was in their opinion normal.

[MrJ2U]

6 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Friend of the wife bought a new Toyota pickup, basic model, a while ago. Payments are 7000 bht a month. They earn 9000 bht a month as a teaching assistant. After 2 or 3 months they failed to keep up with the payments. Well on the way to their own one million bht debt I'd wager.

With insurance, food, etc

 

It's really easy for a family to rack up debt.

 

There's very little work even if you live in a city like Bangkok.

 

My wifes friend was happy to get a 200 baht a day job working at a restaurant 10 hours a day.

 

Depressing to think about. 

[steven100]

Thai's like to show off to other Thais .....  they get a new job and the first thing they do is run straight to the Ford dealer or that new Toyota showroom and order a new pickup. 

The salary is usually between 9,000-13,000  depending on the job ,  and the new pickup is 7,000 so that doesn't leave much meat on the bone for the room, food, electricity, essentials, water, diesel, registration etc ..... 

 

But hey   !!    look at me ,  I've got a brand new pickup  ,  and your car is old.   

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

"I know I was wrong," said Gift at Central Investigation Bureau HQ yesterday. "But I'm a million baht in debt and there's just me and my mum left. I would never get enough money by working in Thailand".

Should have lived out of your ass pocket and not on credit cards.

[Rampant Rabbit]

8 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

With insurance, food, etc

 

It's really easy for a family to rack up debt.

 

There's very little work even if you live in a city like Bangkok.

 

My wifes friend was happy to get a 200 baht a day job working at a restaurant 10 hours a day.

 

Depressing to think about. 

Nonsense  many of them are too  lazy to work, the works there  they just dont want it, In 10  years Ive struggled to find  someone to work on our  land, I pay one lad 15k a  month as I know hes  good, 99%  of the others who came to work here were bone stinking idle. My lads  Burmese and at 41  not so much of a  lad.....and before all the TV whiners  chip in, about the "poor" YES I  have and do work on the land I  know EXACTLY what the works  like and  how hard/easy it is, theyre  just  bone idle.

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

How does a young Thai lady acquire a million baht debt?

Perhaps her mother helped.....

[MrJ2U]

47 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Nonsense  many of them are too  lazy to work, the works there  they just dont want it, In 10  years Ive struggled to find  someone to work on our  land, I pay one lad 15k a  month as I know hes  good, 99%  of the others who came to work here were bone stinking idle. My lads  Burmese and at 41  not so much of a  lad.....and before all the TV whiners  chip in, about the "poor" YES I  have and do work on the land I  know EXACTLY what the works  like and  how hard/easy it is, theyre  just  bone idle.

It's a combination of both I think. 

[DJ54]

A quasi friend went to work in S.Korea she being a Tom. Tom was assigned work that men do…. She 

said I’m a women… the boss said you look like a man you work like a man. Tom returned before the  30 day tourist ??? visa expired…

 

i lmao … how quickly things change..