Phuket - American caught with fake ‘visa’

**dirtydog** · 09-11-2006, 03:48 PM

Thursday, November 9, 2006
American caught with fake ‘visa’

PHUKET CITY: Following an American man being caught with a fake permit-to-stay stamp in his work permit application, the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) has warned all foreign workers – and the companies that employ them – to remember that forgery of Immigration stamps and documents is a serious crime.

At the “Governor Meets the Press” meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall earlier this week, PPEO Chief Boonchoke Maneechote announced that people found guilty of producing Immigration stamp forgeries will be prosecuted, with offenders facing from six months to five years in prison, a fine of 1,000 to 10,000 baht or both.

The warning followed the September 19 discovery of a forged permit-to stay stamp in a work permit application of American Jeremy Loud. The application was submitted to the PPEO by Phuket Visa & Accounting service.

Boonchoke said that Loud, 33, requested a permit to work for DPic Imaging Ltd Partnership.

The American had granted a power-of-attorney to the manager of Phuket Visa & Accounting to apply for the work permit on his behalf.

When the applicant went to pick up the work permit, however, a PPEO officer noted that copies of the applicant’s permit-to-stay stamp failed to match the stamps in Loud’s passport.

The office therefore refused to issue the work permit, contacted Phuket Visa & Accounting to inform them of the apparent fraud, and reported the matter to police.

Nattasorn “Somjet” Eadkanan, Managing Director Phuket Visa & Accounting, confirmed that he had already been questioned by police over the matter.

He had hired a “freelance” agent named “Nong Man” to handle the work permit application on the company’s behalf.

“We hired him because we were busy and he had a perfect record with other jobs we gave him in the past. So when he prepared the documents for me, I signed them all without checking every page and submitted them myself to the Employment Office,” he said.

Neither himself nor the American had any way of knowing that the application contained copies of fake permit-to-stay stamp, he said.

Efforts to contact Nong Man at his Phuket Villa California home or by telephone have thus far proved successful, he said.

Somjet confirmed that Nong Man was a civilian and not a Thai government officer.

“I think he knows he has been found out,” said Somjet.

In 2004 a Phuket-based visa and accounting company came under the microscope for being involved in obtaining fake permit-to-stay stamps marked as issued at Sadao Immigration Office.

An internal investigation by Immigration into the fake stamps was inconclusive.

phuket gazette

**aging one** · 09-11-2006, 04:13 PM

So is the Yank at fault or not. It seems he would be in the clear.

**Begbie** · 09-11-2006, 04:18 PM

Don't think he's in the clear as the passport is his so I'm sure immigration will regard him as the perpretrator. If he lucky he won't get blacklisted and return on a new passport.

**Little Chuchok** · 09-11-2006, 04:41 PM

^Unless you changs your name and DOB, how can you return on a new passport, and not get caught?Computers do cross reference and display all photos taken when you previously entered the country....

**Begbie** · 09-11-2006, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by Little Chuchok

^Unless you changs your name and DOB, how can you return on a new passport, and not get caught?Computers do cross reference and display all photos taken when you previously entered the country....

They've stopped taking your foto at Chiang mai airport.

**ChiangMai noon** · 09-11-2006, 04:51 PM

Originally Posted by Begbie

If he lucky he won't give CMN a new passport.

Have to agree with that one.

**Begbie** · 09-11-2006, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by Begbie

If he's lucky he won't give CMN a new passport.

Have to agree with that one.

Well you could always "borrow"' one of your customers passports and swap the picture.

**Begbie** · 09-11-2006, 05:00 PM

This isn't too distant from the situation a while back where travel agents were getting "fake" exit and entry stamps for people who hadn't actually left the country. I understand the fee was around 1500baht. When the immigration clamped down they didn't arrest the travel agents, instead they deported the foreigners.

diaw · 09-11-2006, 05:03 PM

I must say, that with all this nonsense going on at the moment, foreigners are left looking like a bunch of scoundrels.

The Thai folks are really going to get pissed off just now & begin giving us a hard time. The good always get lumped with the rubbish, unfortunately.

**keda** · 10-11-2006, 05:26 AM

Originally Posted by Begbie

This isn't too distant from the situation a while back where travel agents were getting "fake" exit and entry stamps for people who hadn't actually left the country. I understand the fee was around 1500baht. When the immigration clamped down they didn't arrest the travel agents, instead they deported the foreigners.

As a newbie I was about to book for a visa run when some Brit at a popular visa shop said he could attend to it for 2k, all legal and above board. Bit naive of course, ended up with a fake Malaysian stamp, discovered only after he was later arrested, and immediately took the opportunity to visit the UK for a new passport.

DIY for me since then, deal direct with whoever has the docs or stamps I want, and without feathery expats intercepting the action for a fee.

**NickA** · 10-11-2006, 07:24 AM

I'm guessing the visa guy and the American both decided to use the fake stamp and now they're blaming it on the other guy who nobody will be able to find.....in the end they have to blame the American or all farangs would have to do would be to pay a Thai "fall guy" for anything wrong they do, non?

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