Phuket Immigration Photocopy Shop Scam

[SanukMahk]

Buddah mustr shine upon the Immi BIB.. I haven't sen a Soi Ma helping.. They tell me that they want to go to Immi Police etc. I gotta do my 90 day soon, guess I seen if they are true uni girls.. Lovely young ladies! A truer note could not have been made as to them being pretties!!!! Pretty pretty, I must say!

[phuketsub]

It is certainly incorrect to call them "pretties", even if they happened to be cute. Those are Rajabhat students doing their compulsory vocational training that they need to graduate -- of course they are clueless.

Do you think it is easy for a teenage girl with little or no English language ability to assist foreigners in the complicated effort of staying in compliance with immigration law -- and bureaucratic fiat.

With all the institutionalized, very costly ripoffs firmly entrenched I find it surprising that he is conjuring up a 2-baht scam that doesn't exist...I think there is an expression about forests and trees that applies here...

By the way, I find it rather unfair to criticized the foreign volunteers for making the odd mistake...after all the Immigration officers can act at their complete discretion. More importantly: they don't get paid.

[LivinLOS]

With all the institutionalized, very costly ripoffs firmly entrenched I find it surprising that he is conjuring up a 2-baht scam that doesn't exist...I think there is an expression about forests and trees that applies here...

Yeah the irony of 2 baht scams being noticed while in immigration with the rolex wearing BMW driving officers (on a 15 or 20k a month salary) is mildly amusing..

[JetsetBkk]

As I said in the last paragraph my opening post, it's not about the money.

But never mind, this thread has been derailed as most are on TV.

Carry on.

I'm sorry but it is all about the money! <snip>

You really don't have to apologise, unless it's to apologise for your lack of English reading skills. Read my first post again:

I really couldn't care less about the cost, it's simply that after 8 years I know what's needed and don't want to be given some BS by an uninformed or scheming immigration 'helper'.

[JetsetBkk]

<snip>

By the way, I find it rather unfair to criticized the foreign volunteers for making the odd mistake...after all the Immigration officers can act at their complete discretion. More importantly: they don't get paid.

Are you implying that I criticised the foriegn volunteers? I didn't.

In fact the guy who asked what the conversation with the "helper" was all about agreed that no photocopy was required and wondered why she asked for it.

I've had no problems with those guys. If anything they can be too helpful, insisting on helping when none is required.

[napalm]

By the way, I find it rather unfair to criticized the foreign volunteers for making the odd mistake...

An odd mistake, from one of the volunteers, cost a friend of mine over 10K. He had to go for a visa run to Penang that could have been avoided. Don't trust anything they say, paid or unpaid.....

[DreamRider]

I've had no problems with those guys. If anything they can be too helpful, insisting on helping when none is required.

Semi correct; the "volunteers" are the biggest scam artists around. Why is this thread based on the 2 baht excess in the print shop when there is a colony of self-centered farang vultures in the office.

[stevenl]

I've had no problems with those guys. If anything they can be too helpful, insisting on helping when none is required.

Semi correct; the "volunteers" are the biggest scam artists around. Why is this thread based on the 2 baht excess in the print shop when there is a colony of self-centered farang vultures in the office.

Hmm, claims like these would need to be substantiated to get credibility.

[merijn]

I've had no problems with those guys. If anything they can be too helpful, insisting on helping when none is required.

Semi correct; the "volunteers" are the biggest scam artists around. Why is this thread based on the 2 baht excess in the print shop when there is a colony of self-centered farang vultures in the office.

Hmmm sounds like that somebody did not get what he came for !!!!!!!!!!!

[DreamRider]

Hmmm sounds like that somebody did not get what he came for !!!!!!!!!!!

Not at that price

[merijn]

Hmmm sounds like that somebody did not get what he came for !!!!!!!!!!!

Not at that price

If you have all the papers then there should be not many problems.

At least i never had any problems to get my visa extensions ( Business and Marriage ) in the past years, or maybe i was just lucky.

Yes, sometimes they ask for extra things but never anything i could not get or allready had.

[SanukMahk]

For those of you that do need copies of stuff at immigration. There is nothing stopping you doing a bit of research, finding out that you needed copies before you got to the front of the queue, and getting them done at the place of your choice before hand, somewhere the quality and price suits you. That way you won't need to come on to a forum complaining about being scammed and won't spend half your lives feeling like a victim.

Push over 101

I have noted that different copies are needed from time to time! I.E. I did my extension of stay and they wanted copies of a few of my visas and a copy o my atm card ... No pin qequested. Now as to the scam alerts... If you think that a scam involves a few baht I suggest that you take note of a few stories of farang being flleeced of 50 million baht!

Now, the Immi assistants are actually students whom are headed to the Immigration police or other public service jobs! I dare say that these young women are far from the feline hawkers we know oh to well. Like the gils who push beer etc!

[FritsSikkink]

then went back to the girl and smiled at her: "No photocopy needed" and she said "So sorry" and that was it.

It is not about the money. A student (you only judging her on her looks) made a mistake said she was sorry and you are

so p*ssed off you have to write a whole article about it.

What a great life you must have.

[terak69]

By the way, I find it rather unfair to criticized the foreign volunteers for making the odd mistake...

An odd mistake, from one of the volunteers, cost a friend of mine over 10K. He had to go for a visa run to Penang that could have been avoided. Don't trust anything they say, paid or unpaid.....

Why your friend pay over 10k Baht, when you can go for 4,500 Baht - extras ??!!. The trouble with Thai Immigration rules - they change / or bend at a moments notice and what was correct yesterday may not be today. I think that the farnags in Immigration do a fine job, can you imagine that office without them now even if 'you know what you are doing' :jap:

[thaicbr]

well on my 90 day at Nakhon pathom 3 days ago i got told i needed a photo copy of certain pages. it could have been because i was late (never happened before) but this was told to me by one of the staff not a 'pretty'.

Also note they do not seem to have a photocopy facility at this office

[fiddlehead]

I went in to extend my visa the other day and went and got all the photocopies that I thought I needed. Every relevant page of my passport for the last 2 years plus the front and visa page of course. Had the bank letter, book, picture and form filled out to a T.

The immigration guy gets all my paperwork, looks everything over and hands me my passport opened up to a page that had a 4 year old stamp and pokes his finger at it saying: Copy page.

I went back to the girl and got the senseless copy (probably so the imm. guy could have a 5 minute break) and she apologized because I had asked her previously if she thought I had everything I needed.

So, I don't think it's about the money. She was doing her best to keep things flowing on a busy day and apologized for the immigration officers a$$inine behavior.

I have a new respect for her (and the same lack of trust to him)

[KarenBravo]

I think that the farnags in Immigration do a fine job

What a fantastic word!

Descriptive of some of the posters on here, including myself.

Must find as many ways to slip it into conversation as I can.

[terak69]

I think that the farnags in Immigration do a fine job

What a fantastic word!

Descriptive of some of the posters on here, including myself.

Must find as many ways to slip it into conversation as I can.

Quite !!!! typo I think & hope

farnag wouldn't even google !!!!

Edited February 27, 2011 by terak69

[JetsetBkk]

well on my 90 day at Nakhon pathom 3 days ago i got told i needed a photo copy of certain pages. it could have been because i was late (never happened before) but this was told to me by one of the staff not a 'pretty'.

Also note they do not seem to have a photocopy facility at this office

This thread just won't die! It has been going for more than 90 days....

So I went for my next 90 day report and this time the immigration officer told me I needed to photocopy the usual 3 bits from my passport. So I asked him why because it had not been asked for the previous 30-odd times.

He said something like "We must do it once every year".

So, according to him, this is a NEW requirement in Phuket for 90 day reports.

The previous time I went, the girl said I needed one particular page copied - which made no sense to me - which is why I didn't get it copied and the immigration guy did not want it anyway.

Hence my thoughts that it was just a scam.

So this year I walked down those freaking steps, out the back, queued up with all the other people, watched as Thai "agents" pushed to the front with their bundles of passports for copying, got my copies, back up the freaking steps and back to the immigration officer.

In case some of you still think this is about the money, it isn't. It's about the rules being changed without notice and the the inconvenience of having to get copies at that grotty little shack at the back.

By the way, two of my friends on retirement visas also had 90 day reports that week. One went the day before I did - no photocopies needed - the other went on the same day as me and had to get photocopies.

[JetsetBkk]

Quite !!!! typo I think & hope

farnag wouldn't even google !!!!

"farnag" is a perfectly cromulent word. It embiggens anyone who uses it.

[terak69]

Quite !!!! typo I think & hope

farnag wouldn't even google !!!!

"farnag" is a perfectly cromulent word. It embiggens anyone who uses it.

I live & learn

[TigerWan]

Agree , a few baht for copies is reasonable and convenient.

I just hate when I get ordered to " Hurry,.. run , run,.." as I can never, ever, seem to have all the copies I need. In fact, I think it's better to give them something missing so as to be ordered about . If you have everything in order it seems to antagonize them.

My last visit I watched the front line guy allow two people to cut in front of me who were waving money . In 20 minutes he pocketed 800 baht, including my commandeered 200 baht change ( "for coffee money,") It went into his pocket and I don't believe for one second he's giving any of it away to students.

I too have had the volunteers give me erroneous advice and one insisted on gossip regarding the officers sexual preferences.

Edited February 28, 2011 by TigerWan

[grumpyoldman]

its not a scam, that lady's only customers are from the immigration. Her location makes sure that she wont get any other business. Of course she has to ask for more money. I feel that its a fair price seeing as its ON premises

And it's a service being provided, imagine how you would feel if they just turned you away and said it was not complete. "Get outta here and go somewhere to get some copies".

[merijn]

The students at the immigration office are gone so everybody ( or some of them ) here can relax now.

The so called scam by those girls is finnished.