Mobile Telephone Scam?

[southbot]

Hi, we are on Samui, live here.

My Thai wife got a phone call last Friday night telling her she'd won 50,000 Baht in a random lottery from 123Call.

The callers asked her for her full name, bank and account number, atm card and pin. I told her it had to be a scam, nobody just calls you and tells you that you win money, not in this world, not in the time I've been in it.

She does not have an atm card AND she told them there is only 1,500 Baht in the bank account.

They told her that the winning money would be in her account on Tuesday ( aug 14 07 )

Another Thai friend tells us that his friend got this call, gave them the info and lost the 200,000 BAht he had in the bank. It was just gone, he said.

I searched the web but could not even find a 123call website to check with.

I was wondering if anybody had heard of any mobile phone scams like this lately?

If so, who would my wife go to to get some "justice"? Obviously NOT the police, so who?

Cheers and thank advance for any info/advice

[midas]

Hi, we are on Samui, live here.

My Thai wife got a phone call last Friday night telling her she'd won 50,000 Baht in a random lottery from 123Call.

The callers asked her for her full name, bank and account number, atm card and pin. I told her it had to be a scam, nobody just calls you and tells you that you win money, not in this world, not in the time I've been in it.

She does not have an atm card AND she told them there is only 1,500 Baht in the bank account.

They told her that the winning money would be in her account on Tuesday ( aug 14 07 )

Another Thai friend tells us that his friend got this call, gave them the info and lost the 200,000 BAht he had in the bank. It was just gone, he said.

I searched the web but could not even find a 123call website to check with.

I was wondering if anybody had heard of any mobile phone scams like this lately?

If so, who would my wife go to to get some "justice"? Obviously NOT the police, so who?

Cheers and thank advance for any info/advice

I am affraid they wouldn' t have gone past asking for my name

Anyway I would say dont bother - just give me your office address and

i will come right around now and collect the money

[tuky]

Never ever ever give your pin out to anyone ever, not even your wife.

Anyone who ever asks for your pin is a scam, 100%

[bendix]

Slightly offtopic but i never understand this "don't give your PIN to even your wife" line. It's an interesting point. Is it something people would also recommend in farangland, because if it's not then why limit it to only Thai wives?

Furthermore, why would anyone marry someone if they don't trust them with something like their finances? Is that a marriage or a state of siege?

[A_Traveller]

On topic was the call received on a cell phone and if so was a number displayed {or text}?

Regards

[tjensen5]

card number and pin is NOT needed to make a bank transfer ! It is only you who need it if you want to make a purchase or atm withdrawal

[southbot]

On topic was the call received on a cell phone and if so was a number displayed {or text}?

Regards

When she, my wife, got the call no number or any text was displayed at all.

Just a very professional sounding dude on the other end.

So, no number to trace.

[southbot]

card number and pin is NOT needed to make a bank transfer ! It is only you who need it if you want to make a purchase or atm withdrawal

What? You mean that if somebody knows ONLY your bank, account number and your name they can transfer money OUT?

Surely not. Reply here, I wait a while, see what you say about that.

If this is so then we all have a problem, eh?

[bendix]

Actually, back on topic . . . my wife got called on exactly the same type of scam. They congratulated her on winning 50,000 and said that in order to get her prize they had to first have a 5% transfer fee sent to them. They asked her for her bank account details. She told them to sod off.

My (completely random) guess is that somewhere - on one of her innumerable shopping trips - she filled out some kind of form which has presumably been onsold to some dodgy outfits.

Back to the OP, yes, very easy for people to access your accounts if you give them the details. I hope your wife didnt reveal anything.

[southbot]

Actually, back on topic . . . my wife got called on exactly the same type of scam. They congratulated her on winning 50,000 and said that in order to get her prize they had to first have a 5% transfer fee sent to them. They asked her for her bank account details. She told them to sod off.

My (completely random) guess is that somewhere - on one of her innumerable shopping trips - she filled out some kind of form which has presumably been onsold to some dodgy outfits.

Back to the OP, yes, very easy for people to access your accounts if you give them the details. I hope your wife didnt reveal anything.

Thanks for all the feedback, but I still don't understand how anybody can get money our of her, mine or anybody else's bank account only with the bank name, account name and account number.

I hand out such info to almost all my clients, so does that mean that any or my clients may/might go and transfer money out of my accounts?

What say you all?

[bendix]

Post your details on here, and we'll show you . . . .

[southbot]

Post your details on here, and we'll show you . . . .

I said that my clients had this info. Yu ain't no client, not yet anyway.

Want to hire me for something? Then I would send you my bank account info.

But seriously, it is pretty normal in business to ask for and to provide bank details.

Just

Bank Name

Account Name

Account Number

Swift Code

So, many of my suppliers have given me this info and I have given many of my clients the same.

So we can send and recieve payments between each other.

This IS normal practice in many business both here and overseas.

So, no need for me to post this info for you to read now, you just tell me how to pull the stunt.

I could be rich.

[chinthee]

Sounds like the Nigerian boys on Nana Soi 3 have learned how to speak Thai.

[bendix]

Thanks for all the feedback, but I still don't understand how anybody can get money our of her, mine or anybody else's bank account only with the bank name, account name and account number.

Easy. Go to branch with fake ID (if necessary), say you have forgotten/misplaced card and give over the info you obtained from the actual person who owns the bank account.

A half decent confidence trickster could do it, probably without the fake ID, no problem.

Or even something as simple as a phone call requesting a transfer from the targetted account, backed by a fax with a forged signature.

[A_Traveller]

On topic was the call received on a cell phone and if so was a number displayed {or text}?

Regards

When she, my wife, got the call no number or any text was displayed at all.

Just a very professional sounding dude on the other end.

So, no number to trace.

Interesting, until recently 'caller ID' was obligatory, only police & a few others could withhold numbers. AIS have launched a service for pre-pay users to do this, but off hand I don't know if you get a 'ID Withheld or Unknown number' {possibly in Thai}.

However, you could report this to your cellular provider, maybe <> they'd check back, they will have the originating number, or routing., and could flag this as a problem to the authorities. Yes I know it's Thailand but you never know. On the signature point, {fax etc.} I shudder to think the number of time I see ATM and credit cards 'signed' in block capitals.

Regards

/edit format //

[tuky]

Slightly offtopic but i never understand this "don't give your PIN to even your wife" line. It's an interesting point. Is it something people would also recommend in farangland, because if it's not then why limit it to only Thai wives?

Furthermore, why would anyone marry someone if they don't trust them with something like their finances? Is that a marriage or a state of siege?

bendix, was there any mention of wife's nationality?

[globe]

On a recent rip to Phuket’s International Hospital with my erstwhile business partner as designated driver, since I refuse to drive in Phuket, It was necessary to replenish the money supply via some conveniently located ATM machines in the lobby. It appeared two of them did not care for my US card. My “friend” came up, asked what the problem was and suggested one outside of the building. This one indeed was kind enough to dispense the requested amount.

Upon leaving, a floor walker, a personable retired Irish volunteer approached me and advised me that he noticed my “friend” shooting a movie over my shoulder with his cell phone as I was entering the PIN.

What he expects to do with it, I do not know, since would need the card as well. Just to be safe I closed the account immediately.

This guy had swindled me out of over 1 Million Baht had the nerve to come back and laugh at me when I threatened him with the Police.

His E-mail to me earlier this year:

"why you talk ih me about police. Before you will do any think, if you go to police both of us have to fight by lawyer. And it will bring to many problems between us . Also you have no contect no paper ith me about money problems. "

Yes he made sure there was no money trail. For lack of space I kept some of my papers in his (our) office which was destroyed by the tsunami. Since had also emptied my personal account I had no money for a lawyer anyway and they don’t come cheap in any country.

Well “Kamoy” had returned to his wife and son. What was I supposed to do? Sue him? I wouldn’t have snowball’s chance in hel_l to win. Him Thai, me Falang. This would drag out for years and at 72 ½ I don’t have the time. He promised to pay me back “next season.” As with my other miseries I needed some cash and a thought hit me. Since I paid cash for the car, hey, finance the thing, interest rates are low and it would get me around 250,000 baht into my account. When I die, the truck will be up for grabs anyway. Meanwhile he confessed that he registered the truck in his name. For cheaper insurance, he said. When I approached him about the financing he was willing to assist me. The insurance company agreed to pay for the dented tailgate, but the bank also wanted some small dents and scratches taken care of . The body shop in Phuket said 2 weeks but it has been 7 weeks and today is the day I am supposed to get the vehicle back. I won’t be holding my breath since he has the book and probably sold it by now.

Trust a Thai ??? Not as far as I can throw him.

[Payboy]

Sounds like the Nigerian boys on Nana Soi 3 have learned how to speak Thai.

phew! thats a relief - for a while there i thought the thais were becoming dishonest

[TopDogger]

Slightly offtopic but i never understand this "don't give your PIN to even your wife" line. It's an interesting point. Is it something people would also recommend in farangland, because if it's not then why limit it to only Thai wives?

Furthermore, why would anyone marry someone if they don't trust them with something like their finances? Is that a marriage or a state of siege?

bendix, was there any mention of wife's nationality?

There wasn't, hes just an annoying gobshite who likes the sound of his own voice.

[elsie]

There is a topic about this scam on a Thai webboard. Don't dare post the link cos it will likely get zapped.

Basically, this scam will only work when a victim has a bank account with ATM card. If the victim gives the scammer a bank account number which doesn't have ATM card, they will ask for another account which has one.

Scammers will tell the victim to go to an ATM at exact time to check if the money has already been deposited and they will phone to check while victim is at the ATM. Of course, there won't be any money. The scammers will then guide the victim step-by-step, pretending to be helpful. But in fact, they guide the victim to go into English menu and trick them into transferring money into scammer's account.