Avoiding 'iffy' expats......

[fey]

I only live in Asia so I can wear shorts, a vest top, and flip flops every day.

I don't know why people care about iffy characters anyway. If you're stupid enough to get scammed it's your own fault, but if not just let them get on with their lives.

I've met some shady characters who were obviously dealers in their own country, but when you meet them in a gym setting them come across as nice guys.

I've also met a few people who totally creeped me out and I wanted to get away from them as fast as possible.

I disagree.

When I first set foot on Thai soil I met many farangs of various nationalities giving the semblance of being my potential future best friends. I was the new kid on the block considered ripe for extortion, offered deals on purchasing dodgy land and homes at over inflated prices, asked to lend money, farangs trying to sell me beerbars, trying to get me involved if shady business schemes and loads of other crap. At the time I was naïve and extremely gullible, if not for my wifes family watching out for me I would have probably been bankrupt by now and begging on the streets somewhere destitute. These days, as mentioned, there have been several outfits established that portray themselves as do gooders, working for the welfare and benefit of ex-pats living here, they try to gain the reputations of being credible and trustworthy, some have been involved in scandals over the last few years that in my opinion are the worst offenders of them all and it should be, once bitten 100 times shy.

It is easy for the old hands here who like me have probably learned from experience to blame the victims that fall foul of scammers, but there are many westerners arriving here that perhaps are not lucky like me to have had people watching over them and set them on the right path. Many come here seeking romance and friendships but instead fall prey to the devious and the unscrupulous.

This is why I try to be the Thai visas unofficial guide to survival in Thailand, advice and to make aware of situations that wont be published in the guidebooks

As I have stated many times, do not trust anyone here on face value, Thais, farangs or whoever and treat your money as if it is your lifeblood because in Thailand without money you`re kaput.

Our money is the only thing we have that everybody wants and will go to any measures, lie, steal, cheat and deceive in order to detach us from it, especially here in LOS, the land of scams.

stop giving out your personal info and you wont have to worry about getting scammed

scammers fish for your weakness and bait on that. it is usually greed, fear of health condition, lonliness, the list goes on. needing to be a guide / big brother for the newbie is another big one.

they will strike up a conversation, look for what your worried about (sensitive subjects) and spin a web from there.

your not squat for being here for awhile, new scammers are coming in all the time with new techniques and ideas. dont give out your personsl situation for everyone who asks that you have not built a trust with.

think up some good normal but boring standard responses to the regular questions of where are you from? what do you do? how long sre you staying? etc so you can spit them out and not have to worry about letting these strangers you are not interested in get your personal details. i do this regularly as i am not interested in meeting other men in thailand and sometimes dont want to just remain silent or walk away.

Edited December 25, 2014 by fey

[mitsubishi]

I was a public relations manager for many years based in Spain for a British and Spanish company based in Spain.

During those times we were warned to beware of ex-pats. Spain, Greece and even some South American countries were havens for British, American and European criminals and undesirables. Later the police of different countries began to cooperate and soon those undesirables were easily detected and their activities exposed. These days for Westerners of little wealth, the criminal elements and undesirables, the word is that Thailand and some of it`s neighboring countries is the place to go. Unlike Spain and Greece, Thailand is geographically much further away, farangs now being more common place no longer stand out in the crowd as much as they used to, it has slack law enforcements, their money goes much further here, they can survive on a pittance and after just simply flying into the country farangs can easily hide their activities behind the scenes mostly unchallenged. Also once they arrive here, farangs can be anyone or anything they want people to believe, their past histories are not checked and literally have a freehand to do what they like providing they keep low profiles and don`t bring too many attentions to themselves. Soon after they have settled in they then tell their mates, the water’s fine, come on in. Most of them have never had it so good.

The reasons why farangs here can be extremely unsociable, what I describe as giving the invisible treatment or the unapproachable hostile type stare are two fold. They are either undesirables and of dubious characters themselves therefore prefer to be given a wide berth by other ex-pats or suspect that other farangs they may happen to be sharing the same spaces with when out and about are of dubious characters that amounts to the same responses.

Considering that Thailand, it`s neighbors and the Philippines have become the countries of choice for Western, African and Asian undesirables similar to South America, Spain and Greece back in the 1970s and 1980s, it is wise to be cautious of non Thais here. It is not like living with our fellow countrymen back home where it is easier to pick and choose our friends and the types we prefer to be associated with.

One of the worst scammers I ever met was an American fat pig of a man. We are talking one of the best liars, with a litany of BS stories. I did some checking with one of his contacts and he confirmed it. He specialized in scam business investments. He was eventually rumbled though ( ) and his business fell to sht. Last time I heard he ended up in Cambodia living in some sleaze-pit of a bar.

The funny thing was this was not some desperate guy but someone with a military pension each month and he still pushed his luck.

[finy]

I only live in Asia so I can wear shorts, a vest top, and flip flops every day.

I don't know why people care about iffy characters anyway. If you're stupid enough to get scammed it's your own fault, but if not just let them get on with their lives.

I've met some shady characters who were obviously dealers in their own country, but when you meet them in a gym setting them come across as nice guys.

I've also met a few people who totally creeped me out and I wanted to get away from them as fast as possible.

I disagree.

When I first set foot on Thai soil I met many farangs of various nationalities giving the semblance of being my potential future best friends. I was the new kid on the block considered ripe for extortion, offered deals on purchasing dodgy land and homes at over inflated prices, asked to lend money, farangs trying to sell me beerbars, trying to get me involved if shady business schemes and loads of other crap. At the time I was naïve and extremely gullible, if not for my wife’s family watching out for me I would have probably been bankrupt by now and begging on the streets somewhere destitute. These days, as mentioned, there have been several outfits established that portray themselves as do gooders, working for the welfare and benefit of ex-pats living here, they try to gain the reputations of being credible and trustworthy, some have been involved in scandals over the last few years that in my opinion are the worst offenders of them all and it should be, once bitten 100 times shy.

It is easy for the old hands here who like me have probably learned from experience to blame the victims that fall foul of scammers, but there are many westerners arriving here that perhaps are not lucky like me to have had people watching over them and set them on the right path. Many come here seeking romance and friendships but instead fall prey to the devious and the unscrupulous.

This is why I try to be the Thai visa’s unofficial guide to survival in Thailand, advice and to make aware of situations that won’t be published in the guidebooks

As I have stated many times, do not trust anyone here on face value, Thais, farangs or whoever and treat your money as if it is your lifeblood because in Thailand without money you`re kaput.

Our money is the only thing we have that everybody wants and will go to any measures, lie, steal, cheat and deceive in order to detach us from it, especially here in LOS, the land of scams.

as he said: " If you're stupid enough to get scammed it's your own fault".

naive and gullible certainly qualifies!

Yes, I do agree there are those that are beyond all help and hopeless cases or in other words the losers who never learn by their mistakes or from the experiences of others. But there are also those that will take advantage of the inexperienced and let us admit, we were all naive sometime in our lives, no one is born streetwise and savvy, most of us have to live and learn, sometimes the hard way.

I think I know what you're trying to say, but it's definitely someone's own fault if they get scammed and can't get their money back.

I've been scammed in Thailand and I think most people have too, but the 'stupid' part will kick in depending on how big the scam was.

[redandyellow]

all manner of lowest common denominator farang wash up on Thai shores - me too

[ATF]

I have traveled the world and lived in a few different countries. Been Thailand 20 years. I would have to say that I have never met such low life people than here. American, British, Iranian and Thai are the worst I have seen but I am sure all countries have their share represented in this land of scams and liars.

I would normally trust people and not think badly of anyone but have learned the hard way that you can't do same here. Trust no one but be friendly. Expect the unexpected ....

You should stop hanging out in the Rotary Club.

[chrisinth]

Don't start partnerships, buy property or take out insurance policies from barstools.

That is sound advice OP, no matter how the other person is dressed..............................

Edit: Reading back, I didn't mean doing business with barstools per se, but the people sitting on them. Apologize for any confusion in recognizing the threat...............

Edited December 26, 2014 by chrisinth

[DLock]

Stay away from any foreigner that is not gainfully employed...as well as finical advisors, recruiters, time share salesman and ex special forces.

I have a handful of trusted guys that are good friends and straight-up.

Apart from them, I rarely engage in long conversations with foreigners, make up stories about what I really do and don't hang out in dodgy bars.

...but yes, in my early days, I was scammed.

[bendejo]

It's a matter of turf.

The dodgy expats out here are usually Brits and Ozzies.

The Yank grifters usually stay in the same hemisphere, south of the border. They like Phillipines too. I haven't been to Costa RIca in a while, but it was full of them in the 1990s. I've even seen African-American conmen working the African-American tourists in Rio and other places in Brazil ("yo, bother!").

As for dodgy Canadians I've had the misfortune to meet too many in the US. One place I worked the immigration dept came in a raid to nab one, his fake Social Security (gov't benefits) number gave him away.

Many towns in Indonesia will have a resident Dutchman, if you stay in such a place he'll find you, and he'll have something to tell you about.

But what of the other Europeans? I get the impression they just travel from country to country running their scams.

The Nigerians like it here too. Even in the 1970s.

[eldragon]

Avoiding iffy expats? Seems pretty easy. Most of the questionable ones won't make eye contact.

[geronimo]

@David could you and your bunch of merry jokers who have nothing to ad to this topic but inane drivel from dusk till go back to poster of the year topic.

Its been locked

[Stradavarius37]

Avoid "iffy" Expats? Right'o time to log off then

[lovelomsak]

Excellent point Mr. Toad. I hadn't thought about it in those terms, but yes, having been involved in these type of clubs in my home country, I've been a little surprised with what I've heard about them in the beach resort areas of Thailand.

I've heard other expats say this happens in other expat parts of the world, too -- in Spain, the Middle East, etc. It seems to be a British problem, where British con men gather to try to pry money out of their fellow countrymen. Maybe has something to do with the way their pension system works. Doesn't much matter with U.S. expats -- we're going to owe Uncle Sam taxes no matter where we live.

The first I've heard of it being a British problem, in fact most organisation's in the UK ie round table etc do lots of charitable work. As drummond was mentioned you will find he's at war with a yank who uses organisation's to network.

Agreed Khun Scully ... that comment does have a whiff of British (UK) Bashing about it.

.

Yes it does and it is good to see.donot you think.

[bob009]

There is a constant debate as to what constitutes the 'right' of 'wrong' type of expat.
How does one differentiate?
The standard gauge is based on appearances insofar as blokes in shorts, tattoos and Singha vests, Flip-flops (thongs for the corkheads); however I've known too many villains in suits over the years to know better than to not apply looks when weighing a person up.
When we get new staff in the office I tell them not to get involved with groups like the 'rotarians' or various 'expat clubs' and whatnot.
They always seem to be run by villains who wind up being written up by Drummond often as a front for their scams and rip off schemes. They always seem to me to be an attempt to present an illusion of respectability for all manner of broke, low paid, low income expats striving for a degree of respectability in their otherwise desperate lives.
To be honest you're better off finding a decent expat boozer with a good crowd. Even there you can soon wheedle out who are the 'iffy' characters and who are the 'straight arrows' if you have an ounce of common sense or street smarts.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

In Reply To this:

Every country has their good and bad in Thailand. You choose your own friends and acquaintances nobody forces them onto you. So you can suss the iffy ones out fairly quickly as soon as they start asking about money and how much pension you get. My answer to all as well as the Thais is enough. There are no get rich quickly schemes so don’t get involved. Friend earn you trust it’s not given.
As for the crooks and villains some of them can be good friends, if they don’t get you involved and it’s just social friendship. I have always found the one’s to avoid are the over the top all smile’s and sucking up to you. That I don’t trust.

[Beetlejuice]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

[chiang mai]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

Yes, three of them, all of ten years standing, tried and tested.

[NancyL]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

My goodness Beetlejuice, you see only the worst in people, don't you? As much as you like to downplay my involvement with www.LannaCareNet.org, I've had opportunity to see many "farang best friend" relationships here -- of the best kind. (as much as I dislike the word "farang"). It's not uncommon for us to receive a call from some who says "my friend has just be admitted to hospital and I'd like to help but I don't know what to do". or "a Thai lady who works with me at my school has a foreign husband who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's refusing to get it treated and she's asking me for advice. Can you help?", or "I have a friend who wants to return to his home country for medical treatment and I don't know if he's really able to fly on an airplane. Can you help with arrangements" etc.

Thailand is full of expats who help other expats.

Edited December 26, 2014 by NancyL

[rayongchelsea]

Yes. I have fantastic Farang friends. I have many good thai acquaintances but you cannot have a friendship like you have with another foreigner.

I also help other foreigners 5 this year ( along with my retired lawyer )

1. One foreigner in dispute with another foreigner.

2. Pre- nup.

3. 3 separated or wishing to separate - the situations these guys get themselves into is surprising, all decent blokes.

There is a very myopic view of Thailand on here, we don't all meet in bars, although frequent them and why not it's our culture.

I was fortunate that these are work colleagues for many years.

[AYJAYDEE]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

i have a few of them. dont you? why?

[Beetlejuice]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

My goodness Beetlejuice, you see only the worst in people, don't you? As much as you like to downplay my involvement with www.LannaCareNet.org, I've had opportunity to see many "farang best friend" relationships here -- of the best kind. (as much as I dislike the word "farang"). It's not uncommon for us to receive a call from some who says "my friend has just be admitted to hospital and I'd like to help but I don't know what to do". or "a Thai lady who works with me at my school has a foreign husband who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's refusing to get it treated and she's asking me for advice. Can you help?", or "I have a friend who wants to return to his home country for medical treatment and I don't know if he's really able to fly on an airplane. Can you help with arrangements" etc.

Thailand is full of expats who help other expats.

Firstly my question is only an appraisal, out of interest, no more, no less. In answer to another poster`s question, I do have 3 long term close farang friends.

You do keep frequently reminding us of these outfits you have set up and all the good work you are doing. Perhaps you would like to become known as Chiang Mai`s answer to Mother Teresa? But as I have said many times previous I am not impressed for reasons that I have stated.

My advice is to make your outfits sponsors here on Thai visa and become officially registered rather than use these forums to plug your businesses and than perhaps I will view you with credibility.

Edited December 26, 2014 by Beetlejuice

[mrtoad]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

Yes, i have a few BJ. I guess though a lot depends on who you associate with, and of course where you really come from.

You seem to have a bitter view of foreigners, maybe a reflection of yourself.

[AYJAYDEE]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

My goodness Beetlejuice, you see only the worst in people, don't you? As much as you like to downplay my involvement with www.LannaCareNet.org, I've had opportunity to see many "farang best friend" relationships here -- of the best kind. (as much as I dislike the word "farang"). It's not uncommon for us to receive a call from some who says "my friend has just be admitted to hospital and I'd like to help but I don't know what to do". or "a Thai lady who works with me at my school has a foreign husband who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's refusing to get it treated and she's asking me for advice. Can you help?", or "I have a friend who wants to return to his home country for medical treatment and I don't know if he's really able to fly on an airplane. Can you help with arrangements" etc.

Thailand is full of expats who help other expats.

Firstly my question is only an appraisal, out of interest, no more, no less. In answer to another poster`s question, I do have 3 long term close farang friends.

You do keep frequently reminding us of these outfits you have set up and all the good work you are doing. Perhaps you would like to become known as Chiang Mai`s answer to Mother Teresa? But as I have said many times previous I am not impressed for reasons that I have stated.

My advice is to make your outfits sponsors here on Thai visa and become officially registered rather than use these forums to plug your businesses and than perhaps I will view you with credibility.

you mean her services arent free??

[Beetlejuice]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

Yes, i have a few BJ. I guess though a lot depends on who you associate with, and of course where you really come from.

You seem to have a bitter view of foreigners, maybe a reflection of yourself.

I have detailed my views in my previous posts on the thread, I suggest you read them.

Not bitter, but I am particular with whom I associate with in Thailand and again have given my reasons in my previous posts. As for where anyone comes from, I fail to see the meaning?

[ATF]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

My goodness Beetlejuice, you see only the worst in people, don't you? As much as you like to downplay my involvement with www.LannaCareNet.org, I've had opportunity to see many "farang best friend" relationships here -- of the best kind. (as much as I dislike the word "farang"). It's not uncommon for us to receive a call from some who says "my friend has just be admitted to hospital and I'd like to help but I don't know what to do". or "a Thai lady who works with me at my school has a foreign husband who has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but he's refusing to get it treated and she's asking me for advice. Can you help?", or "I have a friend who wants to return to his home country for medical treatment and I don't know if he's really able to fly on an airplane. Can you help with arrangements" etc.

Thailand is full of expats who help other expats.

Firstly my question is only an appraisal, out of interest, no more, no less. In answer to another poster`s question, I do have 3 long term close farang friends.

You do keep frequently reminding us of these outfits you have set up and all the good work you are doing. Perhaps you would like to become known as Chiang Mai`s answer to Mother Teresa? But as I have said many times previous I am not impressed for reasons that I have stated.

My advice is to make your outfits sponsors here on Thai visa and become officially registered rather than use these forums to plug your businesses and than perhaps I will view you with credibility.

She's a Digital Pikester BJ her vids are all over You Tube. You need to get down to CM Rotary Club and find out what's really going on.

[NeverSure]

She's a Digital Pikester BJ her vids are all over You Tube. You need to get down to CM Rotary Club and find out what's really going on.

No offense meant, but I don't know what you mean. I'd never heard the word "pikester" so I asked google for the definition. I figured it must be a Brit or Aussie or something term. Google doesn't know either.

Seriously, no offense meant. I just would like to know what you were cautioning about. Thanks.

Did you mean:

definition Pilaster

definition Pester

definition Polestar

[hhgz]

"The standard gauge is based on appearances..."

For you, apparently. If you're going to go out of your way of anyone who isn't exactly the same as you, you should stay home.

[mrtoad]

Here is a question:

Does anyone of you have a farang best friend, meaning of any nationality and actually met here in Thailand that you could honestly say would trust without any doubts? Other than just bar buddies or those you meet up with at times for a chat and a bit of conversation.

Yes, i have a few BJ. I guess though a lot depends on who you associate with, and of course where you really come from.

You seem to have a bitter view of foreigners, maybe a reflection of yourself.

I have detailed my views in my previous posts on the thread, I suggest you read them.

Not bitter, but I am particular with whom I associate with in Thailand and again have given my reasons in my previous posts. As for where anyone comes from, I fail to see the meaning?

it obviously went over your head

[NancyL]

Of course the services of www.LannaCareNet.org are at no charge. We don't have funds available to give to clients, however. Take some time and look at the website. The problem is that Beetlejuice can't cite one instance of malfeasance. I've tried to send him a PM to discuss this issue in the past, but he has his PM function turned off. I didn't even know it was possible for someone to turn off their PM function!

Yes, clients have been referred to LCN thru Thai Visa. There have been situations where people turn to this forum asking for help; they don't know where to turn to help a neighbor or a friend. I've contacted them and been able to get them in touch with the appropriate resources. In some cases, we've saved lives. Not me, mind you. But the resources of the organization have allowed a friend to save another friend's life. That's the power of Thai Visa.

As for AFT, he's got a burr under his saddle about the CM Rotary clubs. I challenged him for details in another thread and said I'd check it out and if it proved to be true, I'd be "man enough" to come on TV and admit there is (or was) a problem. Then he backed down. Something about it was long ago and the people involved are dead and he doesn't wish to stir up trouble or whatever. Instead, I guess, it's just easier to sit back and throw stones from behind his keyboard. Yes, I encourage you to do exactly what he says and get down to CM Int'l Rotary Club and see what's going on. They're helping a whole lot of Thai, Burmese and hill tribe people.

Edited December 27, 2014 by NancyL

[NancyL]

You know, I really should save the previous post as a Word document so I can just paste it next time I have to respond to another attack from Beetlejuice and his friends . ilk. Edit: by his own admission Beetlejuice doesn't have friends. I doubt Beetlejuice and and AFT know each other.

Edited December 27, 2014 by NancyL

[mrtoad]

You know, I really should save the previous post as a Word document so I can just paste it next time I have to respond to another attack from Beetlejuice and his friends . ilk. Edit: by his own admission Beetlejuice doesn't have friends. I doubt Beetlejuice and and AFT know each other.

Didn't Allan Hall endorse you yesterday?

[Beetlejuice]

Of course the services of www.LannaCareNet.org are at no charge. We don't have funds available to give to clients, however. Take some time and look at the website. The problem is that Beetlejuice can't cite one instance of malfeasance. I've tried to send him a PM to discuss this issue in the past, but he has his PM function turned off. I didn't even know it was possible for someone to turn off their PM function!

Yes, clients have been referred to LCN thru Thai Visa. There have been situations where people turn to this forum asking for help; they don't know where to turn to help a neighbor or a friend. I've contacted them and been able to get them in touch with the appropriate resources. In some cases, we've saved lives. Not me, mind you. But the resources of the organization have allowed a friend to save another friend's life. That's the power of Thai Visa.

As for AFT, he's got a burr under his saddle about the CM Rotary clubs. I challenged him for details in another thread and said I'd check it out and if it proved to be true, I'd be "man enough" to come on TV and admit there is (or was) a problem. Then he backed down. Something about it was long ago and the people involved are dead and he doesn't wish to stir up trouble or whatever. Instead, I guess, it's just easier to sit back and throw stones from behind his keyboard. Yes, I encourage you to do exactly what he says and get down to CM Int'l Rotary Club and see what's going on. They're helping a whole lot of Thai, Burmese and hill tribe people.

If you or anyone else becomes involved with peoples personal and private affairs, that you do according to your own admissions, and there are discrepancies, even if with good intentions, and someone makes accusations, whether true or false, you could find yourself having to defend yourself to the law and not just to a few posters here on Thai visa. The same applies if any one of your team conducts criminal activities or scams people.

It is not if but when this will happen that not only leaves those you supposedly help but also yourselves vulnerable while your outfits are in their present formats.