Fake visa from agents

[JackThompson]

OP, what did your friend get arrested for to do 56 days in the Hilton?

Usually if it is just an immigration issue he would be held in the IDC.

And not released on bail.

he was arrested for visa, that was issued 2 days before him to some canadian, spend 2 days in police station then 56 in prison

it was tourist visa not extension of stay

Some people have a strange notion that "their passport" is different than "them" - such that "the passport" is what is given visas, extentions, is-banned, etc. The "new passport / start over" at the nearby consulates for Tourist Visas is the only case where this is remotely true.

Basic rule to the new folks: You cannot get a Tourist Visa from within Thailand. You cannot "send" your passport to the border for a visa-exempt entry. It is "You" who must physically hop in and out of the country.

It is unfortunate that we cannot pay ~6000 Baht every 90 days at the local immigration office for permission to stay. That would provide enough income to fund the best public schools in the world. Instead, we spend that money on buses, planes, and food and hotels in other countries. Sad, but this is just how it is.

Also, regarding extensions-of-stay, which you can get in-country. I would not accept one from any "agent" unless I went with them to immigration and witnessed an Imm-Officer take my passport and return it with the new extention added. A good agent today, facing a personal money-crisis, could become a bad-agent tomorrow - or anyone in his chain.

[PattayaBoy]

i know its wrong, but many people uses this agents and somehow they gets geniue visas without leaving out thailand, dont ask me how it works cuz i dont know, and must be legit cuz know guy going out and back again no prob.

[PattayaBoy]

Man got visa from agents in Thailand, and after 2 weeks got arrested outside his condo, locked in police cell and then did 56 days in Bangkok Hilton, now on bail waiting court case.

Just out of the blue, he was arrested in front of his condo?

or

Was acting suspicious because he knew he had a fake stamp?

Or

The police were specifically looking for this guy with a fake visa?

they came to arrest him, they knew it

[PattayaBoy]

i remember seeing A LOT of these "visa services" and always wondered about them. they seemed too good to be true, BUT, now that I think about it.....I used one in Vietnam and it worked fine. I scared the guy by taking his picture, smiling as I said, "Just in case I never see you again." But I know the visa runs to Laos and Myanmar so I wouldn't use one...

There are thousands of scams...it's funny, I left my glasses at an agent's place and hours later I went back and the 150 USD sunglasses were there. so i used them for cambodia and i got scammed at the border for about 50 bucks (on cambodia border, but i blame everyone). actually, i only blame myself. idiot. it was money exchange. looked so fake and i fell for it....idiot, again.

There are a lot of Visa services -- that are OK to use, they have operated for years....I have used them in the past for different reasons----I dot have to now. There was a thread on here, that was stopped---because although many of these places are not issuing fake visa's its still not 100% legal to go through them & not the IM-office.

Many people use them for the 1 year extension as they don't have the required funds in the bank, & also a pension (from some countries doesn't cover the amount)....

I can not quite get a grip on the OPs story--some of it is a little odd--but he wont be in the BKK Hilton.

56 days ? what embassy is he with?. Has a charge been brought.? Has he made any appearance in court ?

yeh he said to me bkk hilton but he mean some sort of prison, so i guess IDC, but 56 days is true, wherever he was.

he is busy now running to lawyers so hard to get hold of him to get any info

but story is geniue

[PattayaBoy]

heres similar story from past http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/generationemigration/2014/06/21/banged-up-in-bangkok-after-job-agency-bends-the-visa-rules/

[JackThompson]

Man got visa from agents in Thailand, and after 2 weeks got arrested outside his condo, locked in police cell and then did 56 days in Bangkok Hilton, now on bail waiting court case.

Just out of the blue, he was arrested in front of his condo?

or

Was acting suspicious because he knew he had a fake stamp?

Or

The police were specifically looking for this guy with a fake visa?

they came to arrest him, they knew it

They may not have known he had a fake-visa when they went out to pick him up - on their system it would have looked like he was on overstay. As the guy thought he "was legal" with his visa arrangement, he likely had previously given Immigration his correct address.

Even without the "false-document" charges, he was facing a ban when caught vs turning himself in. There is no 90-day "grace period" on the ban unless you report yourself to Immigration - at an office or at the airport.

[BritTim]

If the same visa number appeared on several TM 7 forms, I could imagine immigration picking up on it and making a point of visiting the passport owners.

I would still be interested in knowing the consulate and border point implicated. Consular officials may or may not have been part of the scam. It is difficult to believe the immigration officials at the border were not.

[OJAS]

If the same visa number appeared on several TM 7 forms, I could imagine immigration picking up on it and making a point of visiting the passport owners.

I would still be interested in knowing the consulate and border point implicated. Consular officials may or may not have been part of the scam. It is difficult to believe the immigration officials at the border were not.

More likely that the "agent" simply trotted round with the OP's pal's passport to a mate of his who is an expert in forgery for the necessary to be done, I think. This would certainly avoid him incurring expenses in travelling to a foreign embassy/consulate or greasing the palms of relevant officials.

This thread is, of course, a salutary reminder of the risks of using so-called "agents" for obtaining visas and extensions of stay.

[dageurreotype]

The cops arrested him near his condo. And the OP still hasn't answered why? If it were a random check, there'd be hundreds of reports of this happening. There aren't. So, what has your chum been up to? Besides having a dodgy visa, that is?

[sead]

The agents can usually be trusted. The know someone working in immigration that takes stamps back home and works extra. Usually it's the officers themselves so it's not fake but with their own signatures. Others get fast line through immigration where they don't even need to take numbers for queue and that's what you paid for. I paid 12000bht for a visa and instead got a work permit lol. So i guess that the work permit officer had his stamps with him this day. Ofc i couldn't go to immigration and complain but i learned from that mistake

[mrfaroukh]

In Pattaya immigration I have read that you should get your visa personally and not by agent. What is the reason to go to an agent and pay lots of extra money to them to get the visa? Well it probably is because you are not entitle to get the visa and you pay the agent to get it for you some other way. So many of them provide you with false passport and you will land in Bangkok Hilton.

[Ian1980]

This visa run owners they just dont do nothing:they just ask you more money to pay someone to let solve your problem without much question:if you are entitle or u no have any visa issues is not fair to use those services.Days ago i wrote about the story of a french guy that,even after 20th March,he was on 2 years overstay(if i remember correct)and using a visa service he clear his overstay,get just 80 days on his passaport as days of overstay,pay the fine of 20.000 bht and the tip(a huge tip)to the immigration officer.

[greenchair]

He thought visa agent offices are licenced to do so.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

He should file a civil complaint against the office that issued the visa. he can file a case directly to the court with a lawyer. No need to go through the police or the public prosecutor as it might hold things up. He should try to get that case heard first. He can do that by sliding his case to a later date. But must have a good excuse. Away up country or something. When filing the civil case, he should request a refund of fees paid. It's a long shot, but he might win. Then he can give the result to the judge.

[ericthai]

The agents can usually be trusted. The know someone working in immigration that takes stamps back home and works extra. Usually it's the officers themselves so it's not fake but with their own signatures. Others get fast line through immigration where they don't even need to take numbers for queue and that's what you paid for. I paid 12000bht for a visa and instead got a work permit lol. So i guess that the work permit officer had his stamps with him this day. Ofc i couldn't go to immigration and complain but i learned from that mistake

You did not get a work permit, as immigration has nothing to do with work permits, work permits are issued by the Ministry of labor which a work permit has nothing to do with visas. The work permit is just that allows you to work, but you need to have a non-imm visa to get a work permit. You might have received a Non-imm B visa.

[BritTim]

In Pattaya immigration I have read that you should get your visa personally and not by agent. What is the reason to go to an agent and pay lots of extra money to them to get the visa? Well it probably is because you are not entitle to get the visa and you pay the agent to get it for you some other way. So many of them provide you with false passport and you will land in Bangkok Hilton.

Pattaya immigration cannot issue you a visa, whether in person or through an agent.

Visas are issued at consulates outside Thailand, and are useless, if acquired illegally, unless paired with a legitimate entry stamp from an airport or land border crossing. A fake entry stamp will always these days be picked up on exit from the country. The immigration computer system is pretty bad, but it does have a record of TM 7 entries.

[thaitero]

In high season when applying extension sometimes you can save hours of waiting and hassle when using agent. This is Pattaya i am talking.

Edited July 22, 2016 by thaitero

[merijn]

i remember seeing A LOT of these "visa services" and always wondered about them. they seemed too good to be true, BUT, now that I think about it.....I used one in Vietnam and it worked fine. I scared the guy by taking his picture, smiling as I said, "Just in case I never see you again." But I know the visa runs to Laos and Myanmar so I wouldn't use one...

There are thousands of scams...it's funny, I left my glasses at an agent's place and hours later I went back and the 150 USD sunglasses were there. so i used them for cambodia and i got scammed at the border for about 50 bucks (on cambodia border, but i blame everyone). actually, i only blame myself. idiot. it was money exchange. looked so fake and i fell for it....idiot, again.

There are a lot of Visa services -- that are OK to use, they have operated for years....I have used them in the past for different reasons----I dot have to now. There was a thread on here, that was stopped---because although many of these places are not issuing fake visa's its still not 100% legal to go through them & not the IM-office.

Many people use them for the 1 year extension as they don't have the required funds in the bank, & also a pension (from some countries doesn't cover the amount)....

I can not quite get a grip on the OPs story--some of it is a little odd--but he wont be in the BKK Hilton.

56 days ? what embassy is he with?. Has a charge been brought.? Has he made any appearance in court ?

You are correct that you can use a agent to get your extension of stay. There is nothing wrong it.

But it is wrong if you use a agent if you don't have the required money.

Also you still have to apply in person as immigration (at most offices i believe) have to take a picture from you when do the application.

[Seraphina]

The cops arrested him near his condo. And the OP still hasn't answered why? If it were a random check, there'd be hundreds of reports of this happening. There aren't. So, what has your chum been up to? Besides having a dodgy visa, that is?

There is something verrry fishy about this entire "story". I'm not at all convinced either the OP or the 'felon' are being truthful. Like you said, there's a good deal of cherry picking here. Why has the OP not said why he was very specifically picked up outside his condo. There's little randomness about that!

Edited July 25, 2016 by Seraphina

[ubonjoe]

Just out of the blue, he was arrested in front of his condo?

or

Was acting suspicious because he knew he had a fake stamp?

Or

The police were specifically looking for this guy with a fake visa?

they came to arrest him, they knew it

The cops arrested him near his condo. And the OP still hasn't answered why? If it were a random check, there'd be hundreds of reports of this happening. There aren't. So, what has your chum been up to? Besides having a dodgy visa, that is?

There is something verrry fishy about this entire "story". I'm not at all convinced either the OP or the 'felon' are being truthful. Like you said, there's a good deal of cherry picking here. Why has the OP not said why he was very specifically picked up outside his condo. There's little randomness about that!

He answered the question in the above quoted post.