Why Are You Even Here? The Surprising Attitudes of Some Expats in Thailand

[Sebastianred]

About six years ago I opened up a bank account in the U.S. at JP Morgan Chase at one of their branches. To handle the pension I receive and transfer it to Bangkok or to withdraw it from a local ATM machine provided by the Visa Debit card they sent to me in the U.S. And to also use the VISA debit card to make purchases online from overseas.

About a month ago, I lost my ATM card which fell out of my wallet, because my wallet which my father bought before I left the U.S. is getting worn out.

I sent them an e-mail for a new ATM card and they replied that I needed to fax them a document with my name, account number, phone number( Don’t have anymore phone now because it was stolen when I was at Siam Paragon about a month ago and had not any money to buy a new one), I also supplied with my, current address and any other instructions that would like included.

Before I made the document I had to go to their account section and make a change to my address which wasn’t quite so simple. See, their software doesn’t handle foreign addresses that well, such as Apartment number and displays it as an error. Once fixed, I finished the document, signed and dated and gave it to someone I know to send the fax and I paid him a few hundred baht for his effort.

A week ago, I contacted Chase bank in the U.S. about when the ATM card was to arrive and they said they never received the fax. The man whom I trusted didn’t send the fax, but just told me it was sent. He’s an Indian man, whom I don’t trust anymore.

A second document was prepared with the included info that Chase wanted but wasn’t stated in their orginal message. They wanted to know what PIN number to use. I told them the orginal, but entered the PIN number I want into the document.

I clearly stated that I have no phone at the time because do to a lack of funds at this time. I need the card to access to my account in the U.S. to withdraw so I can buy a new mobile phone.

I sent the fax last Saturday at a reputable shop near my apartment and received a receipt from the fax machine that it was sent and received by the other party.

The bank sent me an e-mail to me and I logged onto Chases site to view the e-mail. They said, they had tried to contact me three times but there was no answer, clearly they didn’t read the fax and are unable to send me the new ATM card. They advised me to send a 3^rd fax.

I can’t send another fax, because I am absolutely broke and the apartment manager told me I had to move out this week. I explained to her the problems I am having with my bank in the U.S. and she didn’t really care and said you have ten days to get your money and pay your rent or move out.

I’ve asked my family members for help and they said, “We simply can’t help you.”

Question is: What other option is there for me, I am screwed.

Can the U.S. Embassy help in any way in this issue?

[chiang mai]

The part of your story that worries me is where you said that they asked you for your PIN and you gave it to them, I'm not aware of any bank in any country that would do that, it's a basic security consideration,.

[Langsuan Man]

I'll answer just one question, NO, the US Embassy can't help you. They are not your mother and you are expected to take care of yourself when you live overseas

Seems to me that your cascade of bad luck is finally catching up to you. Why in the world would you wait a month to try and replace the only source of money that you have is beyond comprehension to me, especially since you are now down and out because of your own negligence

Maybe there are others out there who will have sympathy but not me

BUT, there are free fax services that you can use from the convenience of your computer ( if you haven't lost that too)

http://www.gotfreefax.com/

BTW: No bank or credit card company has ever asked me for a PIN number. Password, maybe, PIN never.

Edited December 31, 2013 by Langsuan Man

[Mrjlh]

Got credit card? Do a cash advance no matter what they charge you! Western Union maybe.

Have a Thai Bank account? Call Chase and have then do a cash transfer. Don't have a Thai account, why?

Sounds to me you are not very well prepared to be in Thailand. Never trust anyone to do what you can do or should do for yourself.

[Sebastianred]

The part of your story that worries me is where you said that they asked you for your PIN and you gave it to them, I'm not aware of any bank in any country that would do that, it's a basic security consideration,.

In the orginal e-mail it didn't state getting a new PIN Numbering, figuring they would assign the same PIN to me, but no. They wanted me to provide a new PIN number for the card, so I gave them my old one.

Edited December 31, 2013 by metisdead
Fixed reply

[metisdead]

A post was removed as the reply was within the quoted post. Do not reply inside quoted posts. Also, please do not post in all caps, this includes topic titles, topic title edited to remove all caps.

[Suradit69]

The part of your story that worries me is where you said that they asked you for your PIN and you gave it to them, I'm not aware of any bank in any country that would do that, it's a basic security consideration,.

In the orginal e-mail it didn't state getting a new PIN Numbering, figuring they would assign the same PIN to me, but no. They wanted me to provide a new PIN number for the card, so I gave them my old one.

"I’ve asked my family members for help and they said, “We simply can’t help you.”

Sounds like they've reached their limit if this little saga of woe is typical for you.

If you have an account at Bangkok Bank you could have had Chase transfer some dollar amount to Bangkok Bank's New York branch using the account number of your account here. It would be a domestic transfer since the Bangkok Bank branch has a US FED routing number and you would be transferring dollars just as you would to any other bank in the US. http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/InternationalBranches/NorthAmerica/Pages/BranchinUSA.aspx

Not sure if Chase would be willing to accept your instructions to make the transfer considering all the communications you've had with them regarding the lost card.

If the Chase account is a checking account you can write a check in dollars to deposit in your Thai bank account. It'll take a week or two for the check to clear, but if you have no other choice ...

You seriously need to get your act together. Expecting your family or the US embassy or some Indian man you apparently don't really know to take care of your business is not very responsible on your part. This is not meant as a put down, but if you're finding it difficult to manage your own affairs because of age or illness, maybe it's time for you to return to the US and family.

I agree with the several posts above that question all that you've said regarding your correspondence with Chase. No bank would ever ask you to put your PIN in any letter or email or FAX. I hope the person you've communicated with is not using the information to siphon money from your account.

Actually your whole post has a whiff of troll about it. I hope you're not screwing up the terms of your stay here ... retirement extension ?? ...

Edited December 31, 2013 by Suradit69

[NCC1701A]

if anyone has got this far with this thread, this might be a good place to point out the mistakes the OP has made and maybe others will be more prepared.

before you leave your country, go to your bank, introduce yourself to you bank manager, tell him/her what you are doing, get his name, email and phone number. Make him understand that he is your link to his company. Ask him what you need to do to make sure he remembers who you and WHERE you are. Call him DIRECTLY when there is a problem.

you must have two completely separate sets of bank accounts linked back to your home country.

Examples are Bank of America with Bangkok Bank and Chase with SCB.

if you have a problem with one bank, (AND YOU WILL) you just go to the other bank to get your cash. work the problem out later.

If you are alone in Thailand you must have two wallets. The back up wallet that stays at home in a safe and the primary one that goes with you.

Each wallet has one credit card. Primary wallet with bank A and Secondary with bank B.

Each wallet has one ATM card. Primary wallet with bank A and Secondary with bank B.

A small amount of cash in each.

A copy of your passport in each.

Your Thai drivers license in primary wallet. A copy in your backup.

You should have a primary smart phone with all your financial apps. All password protected. pdf's of every page of passport on your phone. you should back your phone up encrypted on your computer.

a duplicate phone (or iPad) in a safe that has all the same apps. In my case I have a iPhone 5 and a old iPhone 4.

you can buy used old smart phones that are compatible with your primary phones apps and OS.

Two different numbers, different cell providers. Also the smart phones do wifi so you access the web without cell service.

There are many apps for faxing and making .pdf's of documents with your smart phone. you can email them to anyone.

so the bottom line is, if you lose you wallet and phone at the same time, as long as you can get back into your place, you are good to go with no interruptions.

Always carry two 1000 baht bills in a separate hidden pocket so if you get robbed, you can function. There are belts for this.

Memorize a friend in Thailand's email and/or phone number so you can call/email from internet cafe.

OP good luck with your problem. Perhaps you can find someone who will let you use their cellphone/computer/iPad to send your docs. It should cost next to nothing.

There may be expat groups that might stop by and check on your welfare if you need help.

Edited December 31, 2013 by NCC1701A

[chiang mai]

It certainly is essential that folks have at least two different routes to their cash, preferably cash held in two different banks along with ATM cards that are held separately - it's also a good idea to make a copy of your telephone address book and store it somewhere safe, I keep all my backup info. in emails that I send to myself that can be accessed from anywhere..

[keeniau96]

I have seen official correspondence from JPMorgan Chase bank where they explicitly warn you against disclosing your PIN and state that they will never ask you for same. Seems that what you got is dubious at best and hacker or fraud at worst.

[kimchibob]

My Chase Credit Card was stolen in Aug. I called Chase and they cancelled the stolen card and sent me a new one to my address here in Thailand. Received it in about a week. No fax or any other type of correspondence required. They also told me that they would cover up to $1500 of purchases on the stolen card. Fortunately, no charges were made.

Edited January 1, 2014 by kimchibob

[fstarbkk]

Just an additional tip: Skype is free for 800 numbers in the US. As long as you have access to any computer with Skype, you can call chase directly and talk with them. I have done this on a number of occasions.

Most recently I called chase (via Skype) about 6 months ago, when my ATM/debit card was about to expire. They sent me a replacement to my Thai address within a few working days.

[akentryan]

One caveat, Prior to January 1, 2014 I had deposited, every other month, a hard copy check at UOB Pattaya and the funds were available in 14-16 days. Cost 324 baht. UOB then changed their way of processing the check and it now takes 40+ days. I went to Chase Online and enrolled in the wire transfer service offered, Thay sent an "activation" code to my US phone number which was relayed to me in Thailand. Completed the enrollment and scheduled a transfer of $5,000 to my account at Bangkok Bank. Next morning I received an e-mail telling me the wire transfer was not made. I then tried to log-in to see my accounts and was notified that my acount was blocked due to "suspicious" activities. Called the US phone number given and got a very nice service rep. The phone connection was absolute horrible because 1)I am starting to lose my hearing 2) I suspect the rep has a headset with the mike too far from his mouth 3) my lousy phone sets. Anyway, after about 45 minutes I was able to answer enough security questions and he unblocked my account, I went back in and rescheduled the wire transfer. The next day I got a repeat of the "wire did not go through" and "account blocked." Have since on I have tried on four occasions to get my account unblocked without success, Part of the problem is the call center is in San Antonio and the reps are all non-native Englsh speakers meaning they are fluent in Spanglish or Texican. My pleas for the rep to speak slowly and enunciate the words clearly were totally ignored. Each call took about an hour and yielded nothing. One supervisor actually told me I must take a photo-ID to the branch where I opened the account. I explained again that I was on the other side of world and it made absolutely no difference. Just finshed my final call this afternoon and the rep said I must call the branch where I opened the account and the branch would authorize the unblocking of the account. Here I sit with no way get money as the rep informed me the credit cards, the debit card and hard copy checks would probably all be rejected. I have payments coming due on credit cards and I have no way to make them. I will call the branch tonight but expect nothing to come of it. I will mail the branch hard copy checks for the payments on the credit card and let them reject if they will. What a mess!