Land Rip Off In Phangan

[hollins]

just a warning to anyone buying or wanting to buy land in koh phangan. i have just been ripped off for quite a large amount of money off a lady posing as a land owner, her name is YING she lives in the area between sri thanu and wok tum, yes i know im a fool but just wanted to warn everyone to steer clear, im going through a process to try and get some money back. she is a short fat woman about 4ft 11 and wears glasses, speaks a little english and usually drives a mitsibushi, also has a small daughter with her all the time

[Rooo]

just a warning to anyone buying or wanting to buy land in koh phangan. i have just been ripped off for quite a large amount of money off a lady posing as a land owner, her name is YING she lives in the area between sri thanu and wok tum, yes i know im a fool but just wanted to warn everyone to steer clear, im going through a process to try and get some money back. she is a short fat woman about 4ft 11 and wears glasses, speaks a little english and usually drives a mitsibushi, also has a small daughter with her all the time

Hollins, can you elaborate on that please.

[Nawtilus]

Yeah, come on. How much did she bamboozle out of you and how...we all need to know as a learning experience.

[Dragonman]

It would be interesting to know how you are trying to get your money back. Legal advice would be that this appears a criminal act of fraud, before any civil action, and as such should be a police matter.

[poorfarang]

How about some details instead of just pointing the finger

[hollins]

How about some details instead of just pointing the finger

i had been dealing with this lady for 2 years now and in a deal we were due to complete she has taken over 2 million baht and has been in the process of trying to change land deeds i have into her name with help of others, i dont want to go into any more details as i cant at this point, but i thought i would post this on here of course poorfarang feel welcome to give her a ring, i was only trying to warn people. she left the island this morning

[Nawtilus]

Are you Thai...you mention land deeds you have in your name !!!

Why did/would you give her 2 million baht ?? was she changing the land deed status for you ?? 2 mil sounds a bit much for this.....you see we need the information to help you.

We are not gossip seeking sad lonley individuals that want to pick your story to pieces, we want to help you.

[lazyguy]

just a warning to anyone buying or wanting to buy land in koh phangan. i have just been ripped off for quite a large amount of money off a lady posing as a land owner, her name is YING she lives in the area between sri thanu and wok tum, yes i know im a fool but just wanted to warn everyone to steer clear, im going through a process to try and get some money back. she is a short fat woman about 4ft 11 and wears glasses, speaks a little english and usually drives a mitsibushi, also has a small daughter with her all the time

So, what do we learn from this?

If you want to buy land in Thailand better trust a reputated agent. Maybe you pay some percent more than you would pay straight to the land owner but this saves you the hassle and prevents you from being ripped-off.

BTW, I know the lady. She is always friendly and very social. She once told me that she is dealing with land but as I am not in this business I gave a shit on this part of our conversation.

Good luck by solving your problem!

[jdinasia]

wouldn't a good lawyer have solved this from the beginning?

Before giving over 400k baht much less 2,000,000 I'd have had a lawyer working for me making sure that the land titles were clear and protecting my interests!

Edited May 22, 2006 by jdinasia

[womble]

using an agent does not protect you at all. The agent will not check the land titles, it is up to yourself to carry out your own due dilligence and this is where a reputable lawyer comes in .

Before handing over any cash you should check the land titles at the land office, then you can have a simple agreement to sell signed when you pay an initial holding deposit this can be very simple and need only be one page with a few clauses. You can use this whilst a proper sales agreement is drawn up and when that is signed you can hand over a full deposit. The rest of the $ should be handed over on the day you transfer the land.

I'm sorry that you lost money, but would you buy land or a house in your own country without a lawyer?

It amazes me just how many people come to a country where they can't speak the language or read any of the documents, yet they still buy without the use of a lawyer.

That is why there are so many cases of rip offs.

[Nepal4me]

just a warning to anyone buying or wanting to buy land in koh phangan. i have just been ripped off for quite a large amount of money off a lady posing as a land owner, her name is YING she lives in the area between sri thanu and wok tum, yes i know im a fool but just wanted to warn everyone to steer clear, im going through a process to try and get some money back. she is a short fat woman about 4ft 11 and wears glasses, speaks a little english and usually drives a mitsibushi, also has a small daughter with her all the time

This does not ring true at all. First you won't provide details other than you were ripped off by a 4'11" fat lady named Ying.

With even a little effort, I mean a very little effort in doing minimal research you will not get ripped off. You are either a windup artist or calling you a fool would be an insult to fools.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

That's a little over-the-top, don't you think, Nepal4u?

There's no need for that at all.

[Nepal4me]

That's a little over-the-top, don't you think, Nepal4u?

There's no need for that at all.

I don't know Khun Judo, maybe a bit over the top but come on.....it's just not very realistic. I don't like to see anybody get ripped off but this post just seems silly. It has to be a windup. I mean just read thru it, "yeah I gave some short fat lady 2 million baht, I know I'm a fool". Dude, are you 12 years old? Why not have a lawyer look at it? I'm actually somewhat familiar with the Samui and Phangnam market to some degree. Scams do abound, I'm no brain surgeon but just do a search on TV if nothing else. Losing 2 mil this way really is beyond foolish.

BTW, MMA rules!

[KhunMarco]

That's a little over-the-top, don't you think, Nepal4u?

There's no need for that at all.

I don't know Khun Judo, maybe a bit over the top but come on.....it's just not very realistic. I don't like to see anybody get ripped off but this post just seems silly. It has to be a windup. I mean just read thru it, "yeah I gave some short fat lady 2 million baht, I know I'm a fool". Dude, are you 12 years old? Why not have a lawyer look at it? I'm actually somewhat familiar with the Samui and Phangnam market to some degree. Scams do abound, I'm no brain surgeon but just do a search on TV if nothing else. Losing 2 mil this way really is beyond foolish.

BTW, MMA rules!

You mean the guy who sold me the big Buddha statue was not for real? Darn

[somchai jones]

I just hope this guy who says he's been ripped off is making it up.

If he is genuine and simply trying to warn others, it's a shame that he's been met with nothing but a lot of glib replies from all the 'perfect' people.

Oh well....

[Thaipwriter]

she is a short fat woman about 4ft 11 and wears glasses, speaks a little english.

Was she in the movie "Poltergiest"?

I think i know her

[The Coder]

While the responses have been entertaining, I think this type of scam is more common than people might think. Even though you might see due diligence as a no brainer, there are a lot of trusting souls out there who don't know what due diligence means. It's unlikely for scammed people to step forward and announce how foolish they were. Let's face it, behind every nigerian email we laugh at are people getting rich off these things even today.

[Jiu-Jitsu]

I met someone on Samui who lost a lot more than that.

Would you ridicule him to his face, Nepal4u?

Even if you are right, you still come off looking stupid and insensitive.

I'm sure that your mother told you that if you haven't got something good to say..... say nothing.

We can talk about MMA on another thread.

[girlx]

hmmm... i don't know about the OP but it's true there are a lot of fools on Koh Phangan... the biggest & most popular scam going here is when a farang meets a nice thai, they become friends, and the thai "gives" the farang some land so they can build a bungalow to live in for the rest of their lives on this beautiful island. of course as soon as the farang's visa runs out or he has to run home and restock on cash, the thai grabs the house or shop and starts renting it out for profit, and the farang returns to find someone else living in his house and refusing to leave.

come on people! agents and lawyers are common sense.

[KhunMarco]

hmmm... i don't know about the OP but it's true there are a lot of fools on Koh Phangan... the biggest & most popular scam going here is when a farang meets a nice thai, they become friends, and the thai "gives" the farang some land so they can build a bungalow to live in for the rest of their lives on this beautiful island. of course as soon as the farang's visa runs out or he has to run home and restock on cash, the thai grabs the house or shop and starts renting it out for profit, and the farang returns to find someone else living in his house and refusing to leave.

come on people! agents and lawyers are common sense.

If these morons don't deserve to be ripped off i don't know what... call me insensitive , cynical SOB, but that's what I think and that what' I'd say in their face, believe it or not.

Stupidity at this level is just irritating.

Can't really say about the OP, he was quite vague imo and rereading his 1st post he admitted to be foolish , at least he learnt his lesson

Edited May 25, 2006 by KhunMarco

[LaoPo]

OP Hollins:

""Last Active 2006-05-21 14:34:27""

LaoPo

[Nepal4me]

If these morons don't deserve to be ripped off i don't know what... call me insensitive , cynical SOB, but that's what I think and that what' I'd say in their face, believe it or not.

Stupidity at this level is just irritating.

Khun Judo.......... sic 'em

[sbk]

OP Hollins:

""Last Active 2006-05-21 14:34:27""

LaoPo

Maybe he's friends with PhanganPirate, he of the post and run fame .

Can't understand people who post nasty stories about others online and then don't stick around .

[digitele]

To all, my 2 cents worth.

After being in and out of Thailand and 10+ years resident, here's an interesting FACT:

All of the Islands are generally classified as agricultural areas by the Land Department.

Chanotes are rare because of this classification. The authorities (Central) want to keep the developers out and many "upgrades" are totally false and the Land Department is weeding them out. Now as corruption abounds and Farang are the lowest hanging fruit...well you get the picture.

The thing to do is, check the local land department and check the land ownership with lawyer. Then get a proper lease hold. Anything else is illegal, technically. Last you can get the "structure" recorded in your name. This is actually cheaper and safer. Who wants a Chanote in someone else's

name? For what benefit? So that the Thai citizen can get a loan with a bank for what's really your property?

The Land Department where I live have explained to me many times, this type of land is not ever going to be upgraded to Chanote, regardless of how much money you pay that local land department. It is illegal period. I seen a lot of projects on the net now and read the fine print.

The first deposit of 100K Baht is not refundable etc. Pretty good scam, but real people are getting burned. Well enough for now. Anyone want real advise PM me. I'll be in my island house with my blue book.

[Nawtilus]

Its a dog eat dog world, there is a pecking order and some farang with not much common sense are on the bottom of the order, under the uneducated island coconut farmer even.

Its just like in the wild, the stronger survive and prosper, the weak and injured get pecked off and so the species becomes stronger when the weaker genes are gone.

[Gary A]

The sooner people realise that they CAN'T legally own property the sooner this type of thing will stop. A bogus company to own a house is illegal and if you want to own a house it will have to be in your wife's name. If you don't trust your wife far enough to put the house in her name buy a condo BEFORE you get married.