Blocked SMS messages

[Rigsby]

Hi. Apologies if this addressed elsewhere.

 

I am unable to receive SMS messages from a financial institution in the UK. I have AIS & CAT sim cards and the texts never arrive to either.

 

Customer Service in the UK say it's probably due to the fact that there is link in the text that directs you to a secure website for further verification. 

 

Has anyone else experienced this ?? Do all providers here block messages in this way ?? I find it quite bizarre because I receive other messages containing links that are clearly spam.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[lopburi3]

Your UK source is using correct code for Thailand numbers?  Am just a dumb dumb phone user myself.

[Rigsby]

1 minute ago, lopburi3 said:

Your UK source is using correct code for Thailand numbers?  Am just a dumb dumb phone user myself.

Yes +66. I received a call from them on one of the numbers and they confirmed the 2 numbers numerous times. 

[Gottfrid]

No, all services are not blocking. I will assume you can talk to you service provider and unlock the blocking as well.

[Rigsby]

9 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

No, all services are not blocking. I will assume you can talk to you service provider and unlock the blocking as well.

Mmm thanks. I will contact the providers - AIS & CAT - and ask them. I didn't know you could unlock the blocking, in fact until this recent situation occurred I didn't know blocking was in force. In the 20 years or so of living here it has never been an issue.

[Gaccha]

Strictly speaking, codes from banks are not actually SMS messages. Even if you receive a regular SMS, you will not necessarily receive a bank one. It is immensely difficult to predict if you will receive an SMS over an international border.

 

I suggest creating a UK telephone number in Thailand, such as with giffgaff. This will work.

[Gottfrid]

57 minutes ago, Rigsby said:

Mmm thanks. I will contact the providers - AIS & CAT - and ask them. I didn't know you could unlock the blocking, in fact until this recent situation occurred I didn't know blocking was in force. In the 20 years or so of living here it has never been an issue.

I am not sure too, but they might be able to unlock if there is a blocking. However, as @Gaccha mentioned above, it will always be better with a UK sim if you can get it.

[Rigsby]

27 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

Strictly speaking, codes from banks are not actually SMS messages. Even if you receive a regular SMS, you will not necessarily receive a bank one. It is immensely difficult to predict if you will receive an SMS over an international border.

 

I suggest creating a UK telephone number in Thailand, such as with giffgaff. This will work.

OK thanks Gaccha I'll look into that. I spoke with AIS & CAT and they both said no blocks were in place and they had received no messages from the UK. So much for that !!

[brianthainess]

1 hour ago, Gaccha said:

I suggest creating a UK telephone number in Thailand, such as with giffgaff. This will work.

Can you receive OTOP numbers from a UK bank using one of these?

[Rigsby]

6 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Can you receive OTOP numbers from a UK bank using one of these?

I haven't had the need to get an OTP from the UK until now. So I don't know.

[ballpoint]

1 hour ago, Gaccha said:

Strictly speaking, codes from banks are not actually SMS messages. Even if you receive a regular SMS, you will not necessarily receive a bank one. It is immensely difficult to predict if you will receive an SMS over an international border.

Exactly.  I have the same problem with an Australian bank.  They can send me warning SMS's for some things - such as when I recently chose a PIN for my new debit card, a message arrived telling me that it had been changed, but I can't receive OTPs from them.  When I contacted them they advised me to get an Australian SIM.

[chickenslegs]

Would Google Authenticator be of any help?

I use it to open my Government Gateway account and do not need OTPs any longer. I know it can be used for other accounts, but I'm not sure which.

 

I'm not savvy about these matters. Maybe someone who is can comment.

[Gaccha]

25 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Can you receive OTOP numbers from a UK bank using one of these?

Yes

[tomm12]

Can they send you Push notifications? In short, push notifications are alerts that are "pushed" to your devices by apps, even when those apps aren't open. They're designed to catch your attention on smartphones, laptops, and even on smart watches

 

[topt]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

Can you receive OTOP numbers from a UK bank using one of these?

Yes I do all the time on my Asda PAYG sim. No charge to receive.

 

OP could actually get giffgaff to send one of their sims to him here in Thailand.

 

However be aware there is another thread where someone had their Smarty (uses 3 as provider) sim suspended -

 

[Rigsby]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I don't really want to get a UK sim. I'd have to get another phone for a start 'cos I already have 2 Thai SIM cards in my phone. Ok I could keep swapping sims whenever I needed to use it. 

[Sheist]

19 hours ago, Gaccha said:

Strictly speaking, codes from banks are not actually SMS messages. Even if you receive a regular SMS, you will not necessarily receive a bank one. It is immensely difficult to predict if you will receive an SMS over an international border.

 

I suggest creating a UK telephone number in Thailand, such as with giffgaff. This will work.

If not an SMS, then what are they?

[Brahmz]

All overseas SMS messages seem to be blocked in Thailand. Messages from my bank are always blocked. I ask them to send emails only.

 

But if the sender has a Thai server (Google, Microsoft etc.) then the message can be sent via the internet to the Thai server and delivered via SMS.

[hotandsticky]

1 minute ago, Brahmz said:

All overseas SMS messages seem to be blocked in Thailand. Messages from my bank are always blocked. I ask them to send emails only.

 

But if the sender has a Thai server (Google, Microsoft etc.) then the message can be sent via the internet to the Thai server and delivered via SMS.

I don't normally have that problem with sms messages from the UK; I receive them mainly to a UK number but also to a Thai number.

[Tropicalevo]

21 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Can you receive OTOP numbers from a UK bank using one of these?

I receive OTP's on my AIS SIM from Nat West in the UK - no problem.

I also receive OTP's from my UK PayPal account OK.

Edited October 4, 2023 by Tropicalevo

[brianthainess]

6 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

I receive OTP's on my AIS SIM from Nat West in the UK - no problem.

I also receive OTP's from my UK PayPal account OK.

Nationwide Must be a UK num. They are paying 4%+ on term deposits but you (a) must have a UK phone number (b) be a resident in the UK. to open/have a term deposit on line even for existing customers. I think it would be classed as fraud if you managed to do it from overseas.

[HuaHinNew]

Hi, I have been through the same experience with National Australia Bank for 6 months, eventually I just gave up as I am of the opinion their technical networking personal are a bunch of wasted space.

 

They kept telling me no problem here in NAB via their CS support, must be your phone.

 

I have received OTP codes for years in Thailand, from NAB on the same True Thai mobile number and phone up until May 31 this year 2023, it all just stopped dead in its tracks.

 

I still, as of today, receive other SMS OTP codes from other institutions in Australia and all over the world, plus my friends back home in AUS send me SMS msgs regularly.

 

After great expense on international calls to and wasted time with NAB CS support for months and the fact I proved to them, it fails on both my DTAC and TRUE services on different model iPhones and Androids, I called it a day!!!!

 

Both True and DTAC told me the two numbers NAB send OTP codes on were not blocked, as for CAT Thailand, I am not sure about them as they are the primary infrastructure provider for Mobile carriers here. 

 

The SMS international gateway networking system is quite complex, with often many intervening SMS servers that cater for variations in the different protocol conversions used in the various countries

 

The dummies in NAB networking operations are clueless to understand how the SMS end-to-end process works for international msg transfers,

 

Some servers do a function called store and forward, where the NAB originating gateway server provider gets a response that their SMS OTP has been delivered, where if fact it could be blocked further down the networking services due to security concerns of all the spam floating around the international networks.

 

The other issues is; SMS is a connectionless network transmission. This means that there is no established connection between the sender and receiver before the message is sent. The message is simply sent out into the network and is routed to the recipient's mobile phone.

 

All those knuckleheads at NAB Networks Operations have to do is contact their technical SMS outgoing gateway provider in Australia and have them engage their counterparts in Thailand CAT, True or DTAC and run an SMS network trace between NAB AUS and TRUE or DTAC  Thailand SMS servers.

 

Would find the issue in a flash............but they are neither not interested or lack the skills to do so.

 

So in summary I had to divert my OTP mobile code to my son's phone in Australia, I's a real PITA, but it gets me over NAB's incompetence.

 

Sorry for the detail discussion, but it was so frustrating dealing with such poor technical support in NAB AUS.

 

BTW, I am definitely not an expert in this SMS international delivery area, but just use a common sense approach to understand the problem.

[digger70]

On 10/3/2023 at 11:25 AM, ballpoint said:

Exactly.  I have the same problem with an Australian bank.  They can send me warning SMS's for some things - such as when I recently chose a PIN for my new debit card, a message arrived telling me that it had been changed, but I can't receive OTPs from them.  When I contacted them they advised me to get an Australian SIM.

That's a stupid Idea to get an Aus Sim  That would cost you an arm and a leg .

I had the same problem yrs ago with the OTPs from NAB. they first said it's the Thai provider AIS, AIS they said it's not their fault. Then back to the Nab and they said after an Hr Phone call that it is Their System ,They Said they will fix it just don't know when.

Haven't heard from them in 4 Yrs 

Don't need OTPs from them anymore Using WISE in Australia now No probs

[ballpoint]

21 minutes ago, digger70 said:

That's a stupid Idea to get an Aus Sim  That would cost you an arm and a leg .

I had the same problem yrs ago with the OTPs from NAB. they first said it's the Thai provider AIS, AIS they said it's not their fault. Then back to the Nab and they said after an Hr Phone call that it is Their System ,They Said they will fix it just don't know when.

Haven't heard from them in 4 Yrs 

Don't need OTPs from them anymore Using WISE in Australia now No probs

Can get an Aldi SIM and top it up every year for $15.

[digger70]

Just now, ballpoint said:

Can get an Aldi SIM and top it up every year for $15.

Didn't know that.  Does one have to buy it in Aus or Can one order one  and send to Thailand?  Does it have to be Registered?

[ballpoint]

12 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Didn't know that.  Does one have to buy it in Aus or Can one order one  and send to Thailand?  Does it have to be Registered?

I got the idea from another thread on here, in the mobile devices subforum.  They have an online ordering section, where you can supposedly change the country of delivery, but I can't get any other choice than Australia.  I'll be going there shortly, so I'll pick up one at a branch there.

 

$5 to buy it, including credit, so it's basically free.  That lasts 60 days, then can top it up with $15, $25 or $35 each year.  SMS messages are free to receive overseas.

 

 

SIM Only Plans - SIM Card Only Mobile Plans | ALDImobile

[falang07]

I had the same problem with OTPs from another country, and the AIS support was just useless. It has never been resolved, and I ended up changing the OTP number to a SIM card from abroad. 

[mrwebb8825]

Just a thought which may or may not help: After recently moving back to the states after 25 years in Thailand I got a new American phone and number. Low and behold, when trying to download apps I kept getting the error message that the app "Wasn't available in my region". NOBODY could figure out why. Even the Geek Squad at Best Buy were left scratching their heads.

Did some searching and found a video on YouTube directing me to change my region location on my Google account and VIOLA. Instant success.

I made my Google account 25 years ago when I moved to Thailand because new wonderful things in social media were rolling out like FaceBook and my students asked me to get an account so they could ask me questions outside of our class time. (Yes, it's true. Students used to actually WANT to learn)

My point is, some apps are moving to being regionally restricted so it might be worth a try.

 

ETA: my wife and I still maintain our Thai phones and are still able to use all the apps they have so it didn't affect anything from Thailand but opened up everything from America

Edited November 8, 2023 by mrwebb8825