Beware of passport scam targeting British nationals in Thailand warns UK Foreign Office

The British Foreign Office issued a warning to both UK residents and expats in Thailand about a passport scam that is currently targeting British nationals in the kingdom.

Fraudsters are attempting to capitalize on the recent strikes by government workers in the UK, which have caused delays in passport renewals, by promising to bypass the three-month waiting period for a fee.

The scam involves fake websites such as UK-renewpassport.net and emails from similar-named sources promising to expedite the passport renewal process through international money transfer systems like Western Union, Pattaya Mail reported.

The British Foreign Office is advising British nationals in Thailand who want to renew their passports not to fall into a trap and deal only with authorized application centres in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

The scams in Thailand are similar to those already identified by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) in the UK, where many Brits have been tricked into believing they can get bargain-basement air tickets or cheap foreign holidays. However, in Thailand, the scams appear to target expat Brits who specifically want to renew their passports quickly.

Full Story: https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/crime/b ... ign-office

Still a better service than the British Embassy by the sound of it! (but I'm guessing they just pocket the cash & do a runner?)

Spigzy wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 7:16 pm Still a better service than the British Embassy by the sound of it! (but I'm guessing they just pocket the cash & do a runner?)

Unfortunately, (although I know you were joking... ) you are probably right. In my dealings with the British Embassy in Bangkok, I'm convinced that they're not there to help the British citizens in Thailand but make money from them. It's seems like a lucrative business, charging exorbitant rates for what appears to be simple and brief services before putting down some more hoops for you to jump through. Sometimes it's hard to even find a human to attend to you and you often have to fill in an online questionnaires on their computers first. Good luck also finding a British native who knows what you are talking about.

Glad to get that rant off my chest.