21 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. 

If you had super compounding and being added to for 30-+ years, a $2 million pot would be on the low side.

21 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. 

One of the better paid cops. 

Nudge, nudge, wink wink  

21 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. 

As a Federal public servant in Australia I started paying compulsory superannuation (CSS) in 1976. If he was a member of Fedral Police he too would have been paying super for much, or all, of his service. On retirement I didn't take it all out as a  lump sum opting instead for a smaller sum and a lifetime pension.

 

Most of my cash was the result of buying and selling in Australia's lucrative property market over the years. I bought and sold 10 or 12 houses and always made a good profit.(Including the one in Phuket!).  I have a friend who took full advantage of the property tax deductions and held 10 rental properties at one time. He now  lives in a mansion in a canal estate. I have another mate who bought his place in the 90's for around 100k, it's now valued at 1.3 million. 

Smart people in Australia can  retire with good financial backup.

 

However the stupidity of this guy's actions after setting up his retirement  is hard to understand. 

22 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

 

 

So the convict police are as stupid as the Thai police 🤣🤣

Dude has 40 million THB.  That's a comfortable retirement.  That's about $1.2 million USD.  That's a comfortable retirement.
But?
Dude was greedy and wanted MORE, MORE, MORE!!!  The super-greedy are some of the easiest to con.

I have little sympathy for those whose greed drives them into online con schemes.  Too bad, so sad.
Well - GoFundMe I guess.  

21 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

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

You seem very suspicious.

At his age it's quite likely that he has some inheritances plus sales of australian land and housing assets.

After reading this sad, detail-less story, i am mindful that one should never risk more than you can afford to loose.

Yes when people have money 💰 like that and want more greed usually takes over

Especially being a Ex police guy 

Who you would have thought known better 😱

20 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

Maybe he sold his house which would have cost very little decades ago and sell for a fortune these days.

Many people working normal jobs have a large amount of money tied up in a house they bought decades ago, mortgage fully paid off, it's essentially money in the bank when it comes time to sell it and retire abroad.

 

Yeah, but still, 40 million Baht ?

The house price increase, ok, but this must have been a castle then, and not only the real estate price increases, but also your food, medical care, everything for a living, personal care. How that adds up to 40M Baht left over on a policeman's career is still a mystery to me. 

22 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.

As my grandfather impressed on my at a very young age: 
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.  
Obviously that isn't taught to kids (or mature grown-ups) in AU.

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

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

Reinecke (Mark)
Alex (Con)  

Confidence schemes work so well because there are a never ending supply of marks.

"There is a sucker born every minute!"

3 hours ago, Quentin Zen said:

Oxymoron if you're in Phuket.

 

Work all your life.  

Save every penny.

Dream of retirement.

Cut corners.

29387473 statements read

Decades after decades of the grind

9-5, yes sir, yes sir, yes sir

 

ALL GONE  in LOS, Cryto Scam!!!!!!!     Well, the scammer was on a different ARC.

 

 

Really, how many fools reading this and sobbing about "All Gone,"  would themselves fall for a scheme where they are promised a 5 to 10% return on their money MONTHLY.  👈 That alone simply screams CON!!!

23 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

As the allure of digital currencies grows

As the allure of digital currencies grows...just go buy some BTC.  

Crypto investment, what could possibly go wrong.

Why are you people so damn nasty. Don’t you have anything better to do than deride everyone for any story you read. It was so much more pleasant when ignoramuses didn’t have a platform.

P.T. Barnum said, "There's one born every minute". I think he was being conservative.

 

One other saying that comes to mind is, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".

What an absolute idiot,, 

met Alex on line.  I would have thought a cop of forty years would have more sense 

Greed is a terrible thing. !

I would have been happy with my 40 million in the bank.   

48 minutes ago, connda said:

Really, how many fools reading this and sobbing about "All Gone,"  would themselves fall for a scheme where they are promised a 5 to 10% return on their money MONTHLY.  👈 That alone simply screams CON!!!

 

Exactly, in order to pay that kind of return, the scammer (if not a scammer) would have to be making perhaps double that. 

 

ANYONE able to make that kind of return with any investment will sit quiet and become very rich ALONE without letting anyone know. Advertising it online would be tremendously stupid because even if it was true, it definitely wouldn't be something authorities would like.

59 minutes ago, shackleton said:

Yes when people have money 💰 like that and want more greed usually takes over

 

Nonsense, most people park their money somewhere that earns a reasonable amount per year which would be between 4% and 15% depending on what you invest in, where it's invested and your tolerance for risk.

That's western world returns, in Thailand any returns that I've seen are derisory which is why I keep my money out of Thailand, also this ever decreasing bank insurance level which is now I believe only 1 million Baht per account - that's not going to encourage people to bring funds in and park them in Thailand is it?

Just for the record, how can an Australian retired police officer accumulate 40 milion bahts of savings? Should it be a Thai police officer I would understand, but an Australien very strange

23 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. 

It's  a 1,000 times easier to scam a dishonest man. Over a million USD from being a policeman.... makes you wonder. Maybe he sold a house that went up a lot or bribes...who knows.

 

He was very foolish and greedy.

27 minutes ago, Nickcage49 said:

P.T. Barnum said, "There's one born every minute".

He didn't;

The “sucker born every minute” is widely said to have been conjured up by P. T. Barnum. Like many other sayings attributed to Barnum, they are just that – there’s no evidence that he coined this phrase.

Whilst probably not having been coined by Barnum “a sucker born every minute” is certainly an American phrase. The first record that I can find of it in print is in The New York Times, December, 1883:

What an idiot!  

This is absolutely crazy, that guy had enough to retire comfortably and not have a financial worry for the rest of his life, if he were to exercise some caution in his lifestyle and his investments. 

 

I don't understand how something like this happens. I wonder what kind of background checks he did, what kind of research he did, how many established clients he talked to? Just how deep was the nature of his diligence work? 

 

There is a whole subculture in this world, who absolutely refuse to work for a living, and instead like to prey on those who are vulnerable, naive, dumb, and easy victims. It is our responsibility to be careful, prudent, willing to do some vetting, some research, some due diligence, anytime we part with cash. Especially online. Dealing with Ebay, Lazada, Amazon is one thing. You have recourse. But, dealing with Facebook vendors, Instagram, Youtube, dating sites, or any other social media, the scammers outweigh the real deals. People get taken every day. I get junk emails offering me at least $100 million a month.

 

Somehow he felt like meeting the guy was enough? Okay, so let's start with 100,000 baht and we'll see how it goes from there. The value of my crypto keeps going up, so I'm really a no hurry to invest it. 

 

If you then get talks of urgency, lost opportunity, "if you don't act on it now this opportunity will disappear" kinds of nonsense, then you know for sure it's a scam. And you walk. See ya! 

4 hours ago, KhunHeineken said:

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.

 

 

 

Are you related to Thaksin? Delusional indeed.🙃🙃

I am glad I have spent all my money over the yers on fat cars, Sex, Booz and travelling the world to generally have a bloody good time.

I have no regrets, I have ticked all the boxes I wanted to tick and licked all the boxes I wanted to Lick.

 

I just have one more thing I want to do, I want to learn how to moon-walk like Michael Jackson...

But Sciatica and Arthritus (amongst other age related illnesses) are holding me back. For now!

 

So if you see an old fart moon-walking out of a 7/11 its me! Just say Hi!😎

On 7/18/2025 at 5:07 PM, snoop1130 said:

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

 

Shouldn't a retired police officer, of all people, know better than believing such an outrageous proposition?

 

5-10% monthly profits, if that doesn't get your alarm bells ringing I don't know what will!

 

Was 40m THB not enough for him?

10 hours ago, BangkokHank said:

With 40 million baht, he didn't need ANY return on his money to live comfortably for the rest of his life in Thailand. So what was the point of risking it like that?

We don't really know.  Maybe he still has another 40 Mil in Australia.

Something is missing here.Most scams start small , give huge returns then things start to go wrong . Especially crypto.

To hand over a  huge amount in that way ? Nah .

On 7/18/2025 at 5:07 PM, snoop1130 said:

Picture courtesy of The Nation

 

Why does an older fellow who already has 40 million baht need to risk it all?

Reminds me of the dog with the bone who sees in a pond a reflection of a dog with a bone, drops his bone to try to claim another bone that doesn't actually exist.                               There's a lot to be said for being satisfied with what one has 

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