Phone scams in Thailand on the rise!

[Scouse123]

This last few months I have had a number of calls to my personal phone number offering me various services from offshore investments, share scams ( boiler room call centres ), many of these clowns even address me by my given name and say I had requested information on investments, which I haven't. I believe that just to be a ' ruse ' to start the conversation.

 

These calls have not come from Thai people except one which I will get to in a moment. They have come from Filipino speaking staff at call centres and English guys offering ' a special stock offering that has just come about  all of a sudden and I need to get in quick '

 

At my age, not only am I not interested, I am bloody annoyed and the persistence of these people who won't take no for an answer. I find the only way is to put the phone down and be quite blunt and rude to them which I am not happy doing to people, but they push my buttons, as I know these are scam investments, many of which succeed with the gullible and trusting.

 

A recent one came from Thais claiming to be working at the Post Office and stating a suspicious package had been intercepted at Pattaya Post office addressed to be and I needed to come and sort it out. I haven't been to Pattaya in 15 years, so I knew it wasn't myself or anything that I had ordered.

 

I told them straight, they were not the Post office and if they had anything regarding suspicious packages not to call me, to call the Police and I certainly would not be going down to Pattaya to sort anything out. They then suggested this matter could be ' cleared up amicably ' for ' a fee ' and they were indeed the Post office!

 

I declined asking them to give a name and number and their position in the Post office and I would refer the matter to Kalasin police. They hung up!

 

' Be careful out there people, scams are on the rise '

Edited January 31, 2023 by Scouse123

[ezzra]

Phone scams all over the world is on the rise becoming mega threats to everyone who is not switched on, millions and millions are being fleeced from unsuspecting people every minute of the day and many financial institutions are powerless to do anything about it...

[Scouse123]

5 minutes ago, norfolkandchance said:

And.

Sorry, my computer seems to be getting bombarded with ads etc all over the place on this site and then when I try to clear them, it posts my uncompleted thread.

[Pique Dard]

16 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

This last few months I have had a number of calls to my personal phone number offering me various services from offshore investments

be sure, your case isn't unusual!

[richard_smith237]

Its horrific in the UK too...  My parents do not answer their landline anymore... 

 

Its also a proper PITA in Thailand...   we get a call... and some flooker has pinned us into an automatic message !!!... Its annoying enough getting an automatic message when we want something !!!... but when someone calls us and puts us straight to an automatic message is amusingly insulting !!!

 

I also have had a couple of calls from a British man with a London accent... his voice is very animated as if he’s been on some sales training course and he believes his ‘intonation’ emphasises the amazing opportunity he’s about to give me !!!!...   No idea what he’s selling, he doesn’t get that far. 

 

Usually, as soon as someone I don’t recognise calls and its not clear who they are or what they want etc in the first 10 seconds, I just cut them off... Its very impolite - but sadly, thats what has happened with so much of this cold calling. 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

13 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Sorry, my computer seems to be getting bombarded with ads etc all over the place on this site and then when I try to clear them, it posts my uncompleted thread.

And yes.... Add on this site... its getting worse..  having to close the ‘new letter’ pop up and then close pop up adds etc... 

 

I need a decent add blocker, but that slows Safari down.. 

 

[KannikaP]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

And yes.... Add on this site... its getting worse..  having to close the ‘new letter’ pop up and then close pop up adds etc... 

 

I need a decent add blocker, but that slows Safari down.. 

 

I have been told that Brave browser can help.

[Scouse123]

13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its horrific in the UK too...  My parents do not answer their landline anymore... 

 

Its also a proper PITA in Thailand...   we get a call... and some flooker has pinned us into an automatic message !!!... Its annoying enough getting an automatic message when we want something !!!... but when someone calls us and puts us straight to an automatic message is amusingly insulting !!!

 

I also have had a couple of calls from a British man with a London accent... his voice is very animated as if he’s been on some sales training course and he believes his ‘intonation’ emphasises the amazing opportunity he’s about to give me !!!!...   No idea what he’s selling, he doesn’t get that far. 

 

Usually, as soon as someone I don’t recognise calls and its not clear who they are or what they want etc in the first 10 seconds, I just cut them off... Its very impolite - but sadly, thats what has happened with so much of this cold calling. 

 

 

 

 

Not joking, The English guy sounds like the one who called me. British with London accent.

 

Very animated and high pressure sales pitch and constantly calling me by my first name as though we went to school together.

[chuang]

Just blocked them

[Liverpool Lou]

34 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Usually, as soon as someone I don’t recognise calls and its not clear who they are or what they want etc in the first 10 seconds, I just cut them off... Its very impolite

"Its very impolite".

Don't worry about it, it was not as impolite as the caller with his unsolicited offer was to you!   

My response to the only English-speaking real person who called me and mentioned "investment" was, "f_uck right off".  Oddly satisfying.

[richard_smith237]

45 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

Not joking, The English guy sounds like the one who called me. British with London accent.

 

Very animated and high pressure sales pitch and constantly calling me by my first name as though we went to school together.

Yep... its got to be the same guy... I imagine many on this forum have been exposed to him... 

 

And yes...  he used my name a lot...  they obviously got my name and details off some list.

 

 

For years I never gave my number out anywhere and was successful in avoiding all the BS cold calls...  but, its slipped through a net somewhere (someone obviously sold the details)....

 

It must work on some people... But, it must also be an extremely degrading and depressing job to be told to pi$$-off all the time, just simply cut off... I try to be polite and just say “I’m not interested” and then hangup...  But sometimes I’m in another country, in other timezone... and thats jeffing irritating. 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, chuang said:

Just blocked them

Hmm....  never thought of that  

 

Its lucky these guys aren’t smart and don’t call us on different number each time !! 

[Bangel72]

No landline and no unsolicited calls. Annoys lazada delivery man a bit but if the post office can deliver me a parcel without a phone call check so can they.

[carlyai]

2 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

And.

Well...they's just trying to be helpfull ????

[Scouse123]

5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Yep... its got to be the same guy... I imagine many on this forum have been exposed to him... 

 

And yes...  he used my name a lot...  they obviously got my name and details off some list.

 

 

For years I never gave my number out anywhere and was successful in avoiding all the BS cold calls...  but, its slipped through a net somewhere (someone obviously sold the details)....

 

It must work on some people... But, it must also be an extremely degrading and depressing job to be told to pi$$-off all the time, just simply cut off... I try to be polite and just say “I’m not interested” and then hangup...  But sometimes I’m in another country, in other timezone... and thats jeffing irritating. 

Not as much as the humiliation to us if they clean us out of funds in some scam!

[misterphil]

Has everyone on here been getting these calls and messages since they used their number for a Thailand Pass as it all started for me recently after I used my number for TP and I never give out my number to anyone. 

[Moti24]

As far as phone scams are concerned, I don't answer the phone to anybody not in my contact list.  Emails the same - If it's in the spam box, I delete it without opening it.  I've even had spam emails with the names of family members in the address.  Text messages the same; I get them every day, but delete the obvious scam texts.

 

I always adhere to the above rules, and I've had no problems at all.

 

  

Edited January 31, 2023 by Moti24

[steven100]

unless you know the number calling or the email address .....  just delete or cancel the call without answering.

[JayClay]

7 minutes ago, steven100 said:

unless you know the number calling or the email address .....  just delete or cancel the call without answering.

Sure but email addresses can easily be faked. It's actually a feature that was built in to the email specification way back before anybody dreamed of how ubiquitous it would become.

 

Caller ID can be spoofed as well, I believe. Although from what I understand this is much more difficult and therefore less common.

[itsari]

I also wonder about a offer of 15 percent interest return on investing in mango trees that is being advertised on Asia Now .

 

[RocketDog]

19 hours ago, KannikaP said:

I have been told that Brave browser can help.

Ghostery Dawn is the best for privacy but Brave is almost as good.

[rankric]

To spoof the number was a product called spoofcard. 

[Griffo63]

I just don’t answer calls from numbers not on my contact list. Once they disconnect, I call back and if they don’t answer I assume it’s a scam and block the number 

[nigelforbes]

1 hour ago, steven100 said:

unless you know the number calling or the email address .....  just delete or cancel the call without answering.

.....is the correct answer, and then flag it as spam.

[digger70]

19 hours ago, chuang said:

Just blocked them

Doesn't work if they call via internet ,they have different number every time . Say hallo say sorry put them on hold and have a cup of coffee. works for me.

[it is what it is]

 

all that's happening is thailand is catching up with the rest of the world. this has been an issue in the uk, and other countries, for many years. common sense and a lack of greed is the solution.

[Scouse123]

10 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

all that's happening is thailand is catching up with the rest of the world. this has been an issue in the uk, and other countries, for many years. common sense and a lack of greed is the solution.

Both of which are in short supply over here!

[AlQaholic]

Another phone scam is someone calling you and saying there has been suspicious activity from your internet connection, but it can all be cleared up by paying some fee. And then it is the one that states your phone has been involved in criminal activity etc. etc. ????

 

I also got the one from the post office same same but where I live in central Thailand.

Edited February 1, 2023 by AlQaholic

[TigerandDog]

why not use a call blocker app and as each of the scam calls are received add them to the blacklist. Those numbers are then blocked My Samsung phone actually gives me a pop up message re suspected spam for every call not in my contacts list. If I believe it to be spam then I just add it to the blacklist. Don't get anywhere near as many spam calls these days.

[renaissanc]

As soon as I hear a filipina voice, I know she's calling from a Call Centre and that it's a scam. I immediately wish her well and say goodbye.