So, would members agree that the name "Michael Reinecke" is an unusual name?  Not Michael, but Reinecke?  

 

So, I threw that name into a Google search and up popped this article in The New Zealand Herald. 

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/three-auckland-men-arrested-for-scamming-trade-me-car-sellers/KIX6DA56BF7IQBMJQETHGZZI3A

 

"Constable Michael Reinecke of Waitakere's Tactical Crime Unit said the cars were often on sold to new buyers before the victim had realised they had been scammed."

 

Now, could it be possible he is from New Zealand, and not Australia. 

 

It could also be possible there is another Michael Reinecke in a police department in a State in Australia, but it is an uncommon name. 

 

It could be possible they got his rank wrong.

 

It could be possible he was a police officer in both countries.   

 

It could be possible we are talking about NZD not AUD. 

 

It could also be possible he worked as a police officer in NZ, but retired in Australia for a short while. 

 

It could be possible the average cost of housing is a lot cheaper in NZ than in Australian major cities. 

 

The article was published in 2016.  So, if he was a Constable in 2016, and Constables are a very low rank, that would indicate not a large salary.  Also, New Zealand's superannuation system is different to that of Australia's. 

 

There was also a Michael Reinecke in a police department in America, but surely the Thai police and the media couldn't be that inaccurate. 

 

The irony in the article, if it is him quoted, is he is giving advice to car owners on how not to be scammed. 

 

"Check their money is cleared in your bank account before handing over the keys. Don't get pressured into handing over anything you're selling until you're sure you've received the funds for it. A genuine buyer will usually be happy to wait for you to check," Reinecke said.

 

 

 

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Picture courtesy of The Nation

 

A retired Australian police officer, Michael “Tom” Reinecke, hoping for peaceful retirement days in Thailand, now finds himself nearly penniless. He fell victim to a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam orchestrated by a German expat, known only as "Alex," in Phuket.

 

Reinecke, who dreamed of tranquil golden sunsets, instead faces financial ruin after being swindled out of over 40 million baht. The former officer and his Thai wife, Areerat Noonyot, have taken their case to the authorities, armed with evidence and the support of their lawyer, Kritsada "Lawyer Nobi" Lohitdee.

 

The couple presented their file against Alex at the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station this week. Reinecke alleges that he was enticed by Alex through social media about a year ago. The German expat, with smooth talk and promises of 5–10% monthly profits, lured Reinecke to Phuket for an in-person pitch.

 

"He seemed so genuine and well-spoken," Reinecke lamented. "I trusted him completely, but it was all a fabrication."

 

With his retirement savings now lost in the digital abyss, Reinecke is calling for the Thai police to act decisively against these "foreign fraudsters hiding in plain sight."

 

Similar cryptocurrency scams are under investigation by the Thailand Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), which recently uncovered the Huione Group in Cambodia. This operation was linked to digital currency laundering connected to online gambling and cross-border scams.

 

Police Lieutenant General Trairong Phiewphan, head of the CCIB, is committed to tightening the scrutiny on these international fraud networks, especially those preying on elderly expats and unsuspecting locals in Thailand.

 

Earlier this year, Phuket police arrested Pratya, a 36-year-old con artist who duped a Thai entrepreneur out of 22 million baht with a fictitious crypto scheme, posing as a politician.

 

As the allure of digital currencies grows, so does the complexity and global reach of these scams. Yet, for Tom Reinecke, it’s not cryptocurrency but heartbreak that now defines his retirement years. His hope lies in the authorities’ ability to dismantle these fraud networks, ensuring no one else shares his plight.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Thaiger 2025-07-18

 

 

Not the brightest candle. Embarrassing as a policeman.

Now he lost his money he will start a @gofundme action?? 😂😂😂

18 minutes ago, Lucky Bones said:

Attempted back-peddling cop-out.555.🙃🙃

I see the pun in your post. 

 

No back peddling. 

 

He may have been an honest police officer, or he may have been corrupt and needed to "wash" 40 million baht.  Unusual for a guy his age to convert his life savings into crypto, don't you think? 

 

Unlike yourself, I keep an open mind, and I also don't believe everything I read on the internet. 

2 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Not the brightest candle. Embarrassing as a policeman.

Now he lost his money he will start a @gofundme action?? 😂😂😂

If he truly has lost all his life savings, his country's tax payers now pick up the bill in the form of a social security pension, supplying a government house or rent assistance etc.  

 

There's also the possibility this is an elaborate plan for him to play the victim to get that pension, whilst never really losing the 40 million baht. 

 

Maybe he's looking to defraud his benefits system.  He wouldn't be the first to shift assets, cry poor and put the hand out for a pension, and then have a good lifestyle with the assets supposedly lost.

 

Yes, long bow to draw, but possible, never the less. 

4 hours ago, Oliver Holzerfilled said:

"Reinecke alleges that he was enticed by Alex through social media about a year ago."

 

The German played the long game and it paid off.

Maybe Alex is Swedish?

14 minutes ago, Magictoad said:

Thirty million people also lost their lives to Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. 

 

You are mixed up.

 

You are thinking of the great famine, and sparrows.

 

The Cultural Revolution came later.

 

And, the real figure, the actual death toll, is more like 50 million.

 

Read TOMBSTONE.....for example....

 

 

And, read the back issues of the NYT for commentary on the Cultural Revolution.

 

And, of course, there was another great book about the Cultural Revolution by that lady ...Chang....

 

Fortunately, I am old enough to have lived through the times of the Cultural Revolution....

 

The Gang of Four are my friends......

 

Just ask Sherlock....

 

The cultural revolution was a real thing.....and making news around the world, when I grew up.

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Greed is always their down fall ,blinds them to the facts .

 

regards worgeordie

He could have put in a million and lived off the interest for a year. If he had lost it, it would not have mattered much as he would still have 39 million left.

 

Greedy sod. Money makes the world go round.

Alex is dancing under the sunshine now in Vietnam / Brasil or so hahah 40 Million Baht, LOL

 

 

7 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

If he truly has lost all his life savings, his country's tax payers now pick up the bill in the form of a social security pension, supplying a government house or rent assistance etc.  

 

There's also the possibility this is an elaborate plan for him to play the victim to get that pension, whilst never really losing the 40 million baht. 

 

Maybe he's looking to defraud his benefits system.  He wouldn't be the first to shift assets, cry poor and put the hand out for a pension, and then have a good lifestyle with the assets supposedly lost.

 

Yes, long bow to draw, but possible, never the less. 

Almost right.

But he wants to live in Thailand with his Thai wife I reckon.

That's gone now

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The German expat, with smooth talk and promises of 5–10% monthly profits, lured Reinecke to Phuket for an in-person pitch.

If it sounds too good, it's often not true...

19 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Falling for this, I bet the crooks ran rings around him during his whole career as a police officer as well. 

That was my first impression of him

well deserved haha

everybody knows that there are only crypto scammers in thailand, bali and dubai

19 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Don't tell anybody how much you've got. 

Don't flash it around.

Don't look for get rich quick schemes in Thailand.

Don't bring the bulk of your money here, just what you need.

Don't believe anybody who starts pitching you any kind of 'investment'.

 

These are my rules of thumb and they have worked well for me for over 20 years here. "You're not in Kansas now..."

This 👍🏻

 

 Much better to be assumed to be some sort of struggling pensioner than a potential mark 🙂 

even his lawyers cant hide their smiles  (or whoever they are) 

 

i am normally not schadefreude but this made my day , smiling from ear to ear 

4 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

 

Doubtless his wife will be standing by him in the cash-free years ahead.

He's  no good to her now.

Alex the German is quite possibly just another Nigerian scammer sitting in Cyprus. These guys are always two steps ahead, covering their tracks from the start. Every trail will lead to a dead end. Chasing “Alex” will be like trying to squeeze smoke with your bare hands.

Anybody who offers high returns and they always say no very little risk you should run away from these situations dude you have enough money that you could have the rest your life without worrying about anything can you put your money in five or six different banks here and just live a very nice life there what were you thinking Being a cop I would think you would’ve known about these type of scams TIT 

19 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

40 million baht is about 1.9 million Aussie dollars.  Compulsory superannuation was only introduced in Australia in 1992, and it was something like 6% of your salary, and salaries were low back then.

 

Mmmm.  Seems like "Tom" has managed to accumulate quite a nest egg on a policeman's salary. 

The average house price in Sydney is over 1 million now, with careful saving and salary sacrifice into his super, 1.9 million is entirely possible. 

 

 

20 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

Falling for this, I bet the crooks ran rings around him during his whole career as a police officer as well. 

How did he manage to acquire such a retirement nest egg??

 

Who invests ALL their retirement money in one project/investment scheme? A greedy idiot, that’s who.

 

 

One of the golden rules of investing: If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

"... 5–10% monthly profits".

19 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Don't tell anybody how much you've got. 

Don't flash it around.

Don't look for get rich quick schemes in Thailand.

Don't bring the bulk of your money here, just what you need.

Don't believe anybody who starts pitching you any kind of 'investment'.

 

These are my rules of thumb and they have worked well for me for over 20 years here. "You're not in Kansas now..."

Don’t look for get rich quick schemes   
he was already rich, just under a million pounds you could live on the interest alone. 4% is about 40 grand a year. Gotta be the dumbest copper I ever heard of 

23 minutes ago, SongSomSoda said:

Alex is dancing under the sunshine now in Vietnam / Brasil or so hahah 40 Million Baht, LOL

 

 

If Alex actually does exist, as you say, first plane out to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Thailand. 

 

https://rednoticelawyers.com/blog/countries-with-no-extradition-treaty-with-thailand

5-10% profits a month.  

40 million Baht would be a monthly income of 2,000,000-4,000,000 baht.

 

How could anyone possibly believe in actual returns like this?

 

Just because he was a police constable does not mean he is smart or sophisticated about investing.

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

Who invests ALL their retirement money in one project/investment scheme? A greedy idiot, that’s who.

 

 

That's why I am a little suspicious of the whole thing. 

 

Another possibility all of this is a ruse is he may be trying to get out of paying an ex-wife half, or even more, of it. 

Retired police officer, crypto scam, left practically pennyless, heartbreak that now defines his retirement years .... so I'me suppose to feel sympathy for this, more than likely, greedy tax-evading cop. He knew what he was doing ....

2 minutes ago, Iron Tongue said:

5-10% profits a month.  

40 million Baht would be a monthly income of 2,000,000-4,000,000 baht.

 

How could anyone possibly believe in actual returns like this?

 

Just because he was a police constable does not mean he is smart or sophisticated about investing.

 

 

 

You can get around 5% in bank interest in Australia now, with managed funds returning on average around 10.5% in the year 2024 to 2025. 

4 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

It could be worse.

 

For example, during the Cultural Revolution in China, many landowners lost everything, and not just their land.

 

And, also, just due to a scam, the scam of Mr. Mao.

 

They were subjected to struggle sessions after losing everything....

 

So, it could be far worse....

 

 

Life is so uncertain.

 

One day, you are a landowner, or a millionaire, and the next day....

Almost anything can happen.

 

This is true for all of us, of course.

 

 

Well thanks for that most relevant comment.... 

The quality of the police these days, not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

9 minutes ago, Teddy Boy said:

Don’t look for get rich quick schemes   
he was already rich, just under a million pounds you could live on the interest alone. 4% is about 40 grand a year. Gotta be the dumbest copper I ever heard of 

Same reply to you.  This is what makes me suspicious that its even actually happened. 

 

Think about it.  His life savings turned into untraceable money, which ends up in an untraceable eWallet of an unidentified person.