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Cambodia PM stands by hydropower, dismisses critics as 'extremists'
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THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Friday 15 November 2024
UK Pensioners in Thailand Face New Scrutiny Over Pension Fraud File photo courtesy: Salzburg global x-account British pensioners living abroad, including in Thailand, will soon face enhanced scrutiny as UK banking confidentiality is set to change under new legislation targeting pension fraud. Full story: https://aseannow.com/topic/1343598-uk-pensioners-in-thailand-face-new-scrutiny-over-pension-fraud/ -
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UK Pensioners in Thailand Face New Scrutiny Over Pension Fraud
File photo courtesy: Salzburg global x-account British pensioners living abroad, including in Thailand, will soon face enhanced scrutiny as UK banking confidentiality is set to change under new legislation targeting pension fraud. The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, currently under review in the House of Lords, is expected to take effect in early 2025, writes Barry Kenyon for Pattaya Mail. Under the bill, British banks and building societies must share account details with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) where there are suspicions of fraud involving British citizens, both in the UK and overseas. The bill addresses cases of a small minority of British expats allegedly concealing their residence in countries where they are not eligible for inflation-linked increases to their state pensions. While some countries, such as those in the EU and the Philippines, qualify for these annual increases, others - including Thailand and Australia - do not. Currently, around 500,000 British pensioners reside in countries with “frozen” pensions, and the DWP estimates that overpayments due to fraud exceed £100 million. Common tactics include maintaining a UK address for official DWP communications while living abroad. For example, a British pensioner based in Thailand was discovered last year after a neighbour returned a DWP letter with the note, “Lucky Sod Lives in Pattaya.” In another instance, a Bangkok-based pensioner’s deception was uncovered when his wife discovered he was enjoying himself in Bangkok rather than working in Baghdad, as he had claimed. However, Thailand’s advocacy group for ending frozen UK pensions argues that the issue of fraud is minor. A representative claimed that the primary issues are DWP processing errors and the discriminatory policy denying pension increases to expats based on location. Neither the previous Conservative nor the current Labour government has addressed these concerns. Additionally, pensioners have voiced frustrations with the unreliable international postal system. The UK authorities require proof of life certificates every three years to continue payments, but these documents are sent via regular mail, often resulting in lost letters and payment suspensions. Frank Weston, 68, a Pattaya-based pensioner, described the system as “insane and discriminatory” and advocated for a shift to a fully digital process, reported Pattaya Mail. -- 2024-11-14 -
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White Orb Emerges from Ocean Near Kuwait, Sparking Intense UFO Debate in U.S. Congress
Probably some rascally Pakistani nerds up to some sort of joke with a weather balloon. -
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After A Lifetime Of Adventure, Why Is It Now So Hard To Pop Off?
Why not offer him yours? -
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Indian Tourist Assaulted Outside Pattaya Convenience Store
Fight 1 Thai....fight them all. 😆 lol -
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Revealed, Why Kamala Harris Skipped Joe Rogan Interview
Really looks like America dodged a bullet in not electing Harris, eh? -
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Thinking about a sex change before trip to Malaya: Any words of advice?
What exactly is your current sex? And how do you look like now? Would help us to answer your question.
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