UK Pensioners in Thailand Face New Scrutiny Over Pension Fraud

[jori123]

The freezing of OAP is a policy that the govt undertakes every year,it is not enshrined in law,not unlawful to receive unfrozen pension in th,DWP regulations are carried out by IPC, know U are in th wil freeze 

[transam]

6 hours ago, jori123 said:

Best you can do?  .You really do sound like an 81 year old git ,which you are , and has lost his marbles. Think it's time to take up flying lessons  " no greater love hath a frozen pensioner given,than to lay down his own frozen pension to the benefit of unfrozen pensioners "

Oh dear, is it that cold over there, chap, never mind, a few more months, and you can be off to Scunthorpe, hankie on head, fish & chip's in newspaper in your deck chair on the beach.....

[Will B Good]

14 hours ago, 503726 said:

Hi Will

 

Are there any caveat catches about the drawdown being taken in the Uk by a UK resident or to a UK bank? 

 

My question is whether the first 25% drawdown would become liable to taxation by virtue of someone claiming it to overseas for payment into an overseas account while being not resident in the UK. I can't get my docs lined up without running through that tortuous route, I'm afraid.

 

An advisor from the government Pension Wise service suggested I find check around - the guidance isn't easy so there is no substitute for experience.   

 

Thanks v much

 

I would have said not from the UK's end.....I guess it depends where you withdraw it to and under what circumstances, as to whether it then becomes taxable in another country.

 

Sorry, not much help!

[melonf]

Plans for mass surveillance of UK bank accounts of those claiming benefits (maybe including state pensions) have been in the BBC news again after the government have added the idea to suspend the driving licence of benefit cheats. The news item includes a few statements about the new law proposal that will concern UK expats living in Thailand whilst maintaining a UK based address for their pension (so as to avoid the disgraceful UK policy of not increasing pensions for inflation for many of not most pensioners living abroad).

The BBC report includes:

"The plans  include new powers to force banks to hand over account information about benefit claimants to help target investigations, echoing a scheme announced by the previous Conservative government.

An official assessment of the law said the system would be "fully automated, running within existing banking systems" and be rolled out gradually from 2027.

Labour has pledged that only "very limited information" will be shared with the department under its equivalent plan, but is yet to set out in detail how its system will work.

DWP minister Andrew Western confirmed last year this will include cases where claimants are "living abroad" without notifying the department, although a timeframe for this has yet to be specified.

Accounts could also be flagged if they are holding more than £16,000, the usual savings limit for being able to claim Universal Credit.

In a change from Tory plans, the government has said the new powers will not be used to target payments of the state pension.

Ministers have sought to reassure critics by emphasising that the DWP will not have powers to "access" bank accounts.

But campaigners have told the BBC they believe this is a "misdirection", as the measures would give DWP the power to instruct banks to access the information on its behalf".

[KhunHeineken]

On 11/15/2024 at 10:17 AM, Tiger1980 said:

Pensioners receiving a pension of £12,500 are in your opinion rich.Amazing.

There are many UK pensioners with "other" sources of income.

[jori123]

All this is a load of rubbish relating to SP,nobody ever been apprehended or will be Me?, yes ever since set foot in TH, unfrozen,plus other countries too

Last few weeks in touch with DWP,could not have been nicer,half hour at least talking,not only SP but another DWP shoved on me £110 tax free every week,knowing full well I'm here  OAP A A are untouchable,no penalties,it's mean tested benefits that are under spotlight

[euca]

Over the last few years DWP has suffered the humiliation of being found out to have lost cmptr discs holding the personal details of hundreds of thousands of contributors/pensioners.  The top brass do not want another one causing red faces & blame shedding all round.  Thus, they eschew as much computer activity as possible.  They can't avoid most of what comes their way but they can avoid that which connects them with hoi polloi such as expat pensioners.  This is why they condemn us to the frailties of the modern postal system with so many delivery failures (do other oldies remember its good days?) & thus, pensions stopped.  One more detail.  As C S Parkinson taught us when I were a lad,  Snr 'Civil' 'Servants' set great store on the number of people that work for them.  Snailmail, which used to be so good, uses more bodies than the cmptr.  I always found the rank & file at DWP to be most helpful; they seemed to care about us.  So it's not so bad that there's a few more jobs for such as they.  Finally, remember, they employ enough older women fluent in a foreign first language, including Thai, which is, I suspect, daily, most useful.

[KannikaP]

On 1/7/2025 at 10:37 AM, 503726 said:

link Electoral Register address (here in Thailand)

You are registered to vote in Thailand?

[ElwoodP]

Bickering posts removed.

[stoutfella]

On 2/7/2025 at 8:27 AM, KannikaP said:

You are registered to vote in Thailand?

Isn't everybody?

[Dogmatix]

The fraud is in fact successive UK governments defrauding pensioners of their contributory pension rights because they live in one country rather than another.

[Bangel72]

On 11/15/2024 at 8:00 AM, webfact said:

Currently, around 500,000 British pensioners reside in countries with “frozen” pensions, and the DWP estimates that overpayments due to fraud exceed £100 million.

 

One of the key personal view aspects is that they've paid their dues and earned that pension in most cases.

 

Some random chatgp numbers, these will be way off and no doubt everyone here can pick massive holes in this as not an economist, its purely food for thought but this looks like its a 13% differential in favor of the government encouraging "average" pensioners to stay in the UK. How does this compare to frozen pension differentials?

 

Pension Credit: £5 billion

Pensioner Housing Benefit: £6 billion

Winter Fuel Payments: £2 billion

 

NHS - tough one to measure but England say 153 billion for 24/25 and Older adults (65+) generally account for 40-50% of NHS expenditure.

12.6 million pensioners so lets say a round extra cost of 6k per pensioner in the UK.

 

However then you have the recirculation value, non-uk that money is lost to other countries but in UK the pension is re-circulated. 

Taking account of pure costs NHS etc then its still roughly a 13% extra value impact to government of being in UK and spending that pension.

 

Blame chatgp for random numbers.

 

 

 

 

[roger101]

To save me reading through 35 pages of posts can somebody tell me the best place in Pattaya to get my Proof of Life signed.

Thanks

[Expat68]

59 minutes ago, roger101 said:

To save me reading through 35 pages of posts can somebody tell me the best place in Pattaya to get my Proof of Life signed.

Thanks

This is a grey area. Just did mine through my bank manager (one very accommodating, the other did not want to know) Tessabarn did one for my friend, immigration possibly. Good luck

[MikeandDow]

4 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

This is a grey area. Just did mine through my bank manager (one very accommodating, the other did not want to know) Tessabarn did one for my friend, immigration possibly. Good luck

Grey area!!!!    there are plenty of people who can sign  police, doctor,bank, A teacher or lecturer, A barrister, solicitor, or advocate,A civil servant or government employee ect  Does NOT have to be in English also a stamp is not required

[bje2000]

On 11/15/2024 at 3:40 PM, happyaussie said:

Your lucky. Australian pensioners cannot reside outside Australia and collect the pension. We are already one of the highest taxed countries in the world. The government wants it's pensioners to stay put so they can continue collecting tax. 

 

The hypocracy is that Australias $220k+ pa politicians receive a full pension after 5 years, can continue working in other fields and reside anywhere. 

 

it sucks.

Wrong. Mostly, someone of age pension age they can, if eligible (under income and assets tests and Australian Working Life Residence rules etc), have their pension paid overseas

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/when-you-leave-australia-if-you-get-age-pension?context=22526

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/payment-schedule-and-rates-for-people-outside-australia?context=22526

[jori123]

You are frozen because of pension paid thru IPC,get it paid thru normal bank channels..unfrozen,fact is into Wise,they give 4.5% interest too,but might have 200 ATM charge   Dedicated team of Porkie Pig and Soft lad attempted a hoax,an official one on this issue,I'm in touch with DWP,for this

[Expat68]

22 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

Grey area!!!!    there are plenty of people who can sign  police, doctor,bank, A teacher or lecturer, A barrister, solicitor, or advocate,A civil servant or government employee ect  Does NOT have to be in English also a stamp is not required

You are correct but over the years I have had many who you have mentioned refuse

[MikeandDow]

2 minutes ago, Expat68 said:

You are correct but over the years I have had many who you have mentioned refuse

Must be You !!! never had a problem

[Expat68]

3 minutes ago, MikeandDow said:

Must be You !!! never had a problem

Different provinces, different people/rules

[zyphodb]

On 11/15/2024 at 11:34 AM, wombat said:

If that's what takes to get you off the books...meanwhile 

They'll never do that, they're all far too self interested...

[roger101]

Can the Juristic person at my condo sign ?

[MikeandDow]

9 minutes ago, roger101 said:

Can the Juristic person at my condo sign ?

I would say yes !! civil servant or government employee ect  it is basically to witness your signature  thats all

[Blueman1]

On 2/24/2025 at 2:17 PM, MikeandDow said:

Grey area!!!!    there are plenty of people who can sign  police, doctor,bank, A teacher or lecturer, A barrister, solicitor, or advocate,A civil servant or government employee ect  Does NOT have to be in English also a stamp is not required

  Does NOT have to be in English also a stamp is not required.....True My Car Insurance ( Thai ) Manager did mine & Just clipped his Business card to mine,I Posted it back ORDINARY AIR MAIL on 30th January,Phoned DWP Up Yesterday & They Confirmed they have recevied it back.....Phew, Thank God They WON'T Stop my 4 Weekly PITTANCE Which is Still incorrect as they've only been paying me a Single Persons Pension since I first Got it in 2014When infact I Should've been getting The MARRIED Persons Pension as we were MARRIED In 1993 Which THEY have PROOF Of ( I Was Residing in The U.K. at that time )  (Also NO Government Cost of Living expenses which EVERY U.K. Resident Pensioner recevied) They have ALL the Relevent Documents but they are saying they've LOST / MISLAID Them & Are telling me to send the ORIGINAL Correspondonce which I Will NOT do as they will PROBABLY Lose them AGAIN....I Have Now APPEALED Their decsision & been Told there is a Letter( Posted on the 17th February on the way to my Friend in the U.K ( Due to a LOT of Post going MISSING coming to Thailand but they've told me that LETTER COULD take up to 28 Days from them posting it, THEY Will NOT Deal with this matter by e-mail which to me seems ABSOLUTELY CRAZY !!! They have Also TOLD Me My Appeal is being REVIEWED !! But also TOLD If my Appeal is REJECTED There is NO Secondry Appeal Allowed So Who the Hell would I Contact in that SCENARIO ??  Any U.K Based Solicitors who could give me a Little bit of " FREE ADVICE " Please......Sorry about the longish Post Cheers !! 

[whiteman]

I get my Dr to sign it at the hospital and then the hospital stamps it being doing it for years about to do it again in the next 2 weeks when I do my 6 months blood tests