Passport details given away with new Information Forms

[Peter OS]

Submitted my Visa renewal form at Pattaya Immigration today.

When leaving I was given new "Additional Information Forms" to be completed with future Visa or other related immigration service.

This is not a problem, however to my surprise the back-side of these forms is a copy of other peoples Passport details.

Immigration appear to be re-using the blank side of previous applications for these new forms.

Surely this a breach of basic security, giving away copy's of other peoples passports which include photo and passport numbers.

 

[Jingthing]

Yep, they're doing that. What are you gonna do about it?

 

[ubonjoe]

Not the first time this has been reported and discussed many times. It happens at most if not all offices.

[Jingthing]

Bottom line. Expectation of privacy in Thailand -- nonexistent. 

[impulse]

Yet we'll hand our passport over to any hotel or $$$ exchange booth that asks to make a copy of it...

 

In Thailand, I use my Thai DL.  But in every other country

[Jack Mountain]

Since when did they started to hand out this form at Pattaya immigration? Been there a week ago for 90-day reporting but got nothing.

[Jingthing]

It's inconsistent. Expect it probably for extensions.

[KarenBravo]

Been going on at Phuket immigration for years.

[phetphet]

I wonder if Immigration would accept photocopies of documents such as passport if they were "crossed" with something like "For Immigration ONLY", or "Extension of Stay ONLY".

Edited October 31, 2016 by phetphet

[ubonjoe]

8 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I wonder if Immigration would accept photocopies of documents such as passport if they were "crossed" with something like "For Immigration ONLY", or "Extension of Stay ONLY".

It was suggested to put a diagonal line on the back of the copies you submit but never heard if anybody tried it.

The copies that are reused are ones they probably they didn't want or need. Best to just to give them exactly what is required that way there are none to be reused.

[Eff1n2ret]

10 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I wonder if Immigration would accept photocopies of documents such as passport if they were "crossed" with something like "For Immigration ONLY", or "Extension of Stay ONLY".

My wife always crosses photocopies of anything she has to submit to various different authorities/organisations. However, if the problem is the re-use of the reverse side of photocopies, the solution is either, as ubonjoe suggests, to deface the reverse side in some way or to submit double-sided photcopies of all documents.

[jerojero]

My wife always crosses photocopies of anything she has to submit to various different authorities/organisations. However, if the problem is the re-use of the reverse side of photocopies, the solution is either, as ubonjoe suggests, to deface the reverse side in some way or to submit double-sided photcopies of all documents.

Double-sided copies sounds like a great idea.

[thai3]

Who cares, nobody ever looks at this rubbish anyway once it's in the pile

[Eff1n2ret]

6 minutes ago, thai3 said:

Who cares, nobody ever looks at this rubbish anyway once it's in the pile

I don't really like the idea of Thai Immigration handing my full name, nationality, date & place of birth and passport number to a third party. Identity theft is a massive problem.

[ubonjoe]

31 minutes ago, jerojero said:

Double-sided copies sounds like a great idea.

Perhaps it it was the same thing on both sides. Immigration normally will not accept 2 sided copies.

[MartinL]

1 hour ago, phetphet said:

I wonder if Immigration would accept photocopies of documents such as passport if they were "crossed" with something like "For Immigration ONLY", or "Extension of Stay ONLY".

 

I overprint every document I give to immigration (other than their own forms), whether or not it has personal & useful information, with something like "IMMIGRATION 31/10/2016". Never had any comeback from Khon Kaen Immigration.

[JAS21]

53 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Perhaps it it was the same thing on both sides. Immigration normally will not accept 2 sided copies.

I double side for my by post 90Day report to Nonthaburi... no problems so far

[OJAS]

4 hours ago, phetphet said:

I wonder if Immigration would accept photocopies of documents such as passport if they were "crossed" with something like "For Immigration ONLY", or "Extension of Stay ONLY".

 

4 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

It was suggested to put a diagonal line on the back of the copies you submit but never heard if anybody tried it.

The copies that are reused are ones they probably they didn't want or need. Best to just to give them exactly what is required that way there are none to be reused.

 

4 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

My wife always crosses photocopies of anything she has to submit to various different authorities/organisations. However, if the problem is the re-use of the reverse side of photocopies, the solution is either, as ubonjoe suggests, to deface the reverse side in some way or to submit double-sided photcopies of all documents.

 

I only think that we need to take precautions against passport copies being "recycled" by our local immigration office in the case of the photopage. Remaining passport pages containing stamps do not even identify us by name, let alone contain any other personal info which might be useful to potential fraudsters (as does not the TM6 departure card which Immigration usually also ask for copies of).

 

In my case I have prepared a Word document containing the words PASSPORT PHOTOPAGE OVERLEAF (in upper case), which, if printed on the reverse of a photopage copy is perfectly lined up with the PDF scan of the image. I intend to try this out on Rayong Immigration when I submit my next 90-day report by mail in a fortnight's time - although, in fairness to them, I have never experienced any incidence of them providing me with a 90-day confirmation slip printed on the back of someone else's passport photopage.

[naboo]

Every page of a British passport has the passport number on, though not sure how much use a passport number could be.

[Maestro]

13 hours ago, impulse said:

Yet we'll hand our passport over to any hotel or $$$ exchange booth that asks to make a copy of it...

 

But you don't expect the hotel or the currency exchange booth to give the copy of your passport to other guests or customers, do you?

[Baerboxer]

14 hours ago, Eff1n2ret said:

I don't really like the idea of Thai Immigration handing my full name, nationality, date & place of birth and passport number to a third party. Identity theft is a massive problem.

 

Yep. But it won't affect them, and your're only a farang, so they couldn't give a monkey's chuff.

 

Nicer to be green and recycling!

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, Maestro said:

 

But you don't expect the hotel or the currency exchange booth to give the copy of your passport to other guests or customers, do you?

 

He doesn't know, and neither do you or me or anyone. We just trust them - or stay / change money somewhere else.

[SaintLouisBlues]

I'm surprised they don't sell them to the false-passport factories on Khaosan Rd

[ubonjoe]

5 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

I'm surprised they don't sell them to the false-passport factories on Khaosan Rd

And what would anybody be able do with a copy of the passport.

[GordonP]

I carried out my annual extension to the Retirement last Thursday and although I had a preprepared a Foreign National National form I was neither asked for it or requested to complete one.

[GordonP]

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

And what would anybody be able do with a copy of the passport.

In the wrong hands it's a big step towards hacking an account or identity theft.

[IAMHERE]

When I do a Retiree renewal There is a lot of photo copies I give with their Form. I'd imagine they use the backs of all these supporting documents rather than throw them away. Rental agreements, passport pages mostly; hate the thought that they get reused and given to someone else.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

I'm surprised they don't sell them to the false-passport factories on Khaosan Rd

 

1 hour ago, ubonjoe said:

And what would anybody be able do with a copy of the passport.

 

16 minutes ago, GordonP said:

In the wrong hands it's a big step towards hacking an account or identity theft.

If you read the post I was replying to you would understand what I meant.

Not sure how having a copy of your passport photo page would lead to hacking or identity theft.

If you have a good password and security for any online accounts it would be hard to use the info.

Not sure about your home country but for mine the passport number would be of no use to somebody wanting to steal your identity. 

[ubonjoe]

2 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

When I do a Retiree renewal There is a lot of photo copies I give with their Form. I'd imagine they use the backs of all these supporting documents rather than throw them away. Rental agreements, passport pages mostly; hate the thought that they get reused and given to someone else.

All the copies you attach to an application form stay with it. They only remove copies they don't need or want.

As I wrote before never give them more than what is required to prevent there being any that can be recycled.

[SaintLouisBlues]

25 minutes ago, GordonP said:

In the wrong hands it's a big step towards hacking an account or identity theft.

There are a number of online finance sites (eg. Transferwise and Skrill) that ask that you verify your identity with a scan of your passport. Pretty simple if Immigration has already kindly supplied you with a copy of someone else's