would you put your money ~ LB-69

Yes, definitely always call your bank and credit card companies to inform them your whereabouts and get international numbers to call them in case of emergeny. I learned that from a financial radio talk show before my very first trip to Thailand. One of my cards actually has an international contact number on the back which is very convenient.

Hi guys,

about Cradit Card' frauds I wish to share my experience with the LB-lovers community. It happened last year and it was after I spent one the many trip to Pattaya and LOS I did in the last 2 and half years, when I used my Visa as usual f.o.p.

A few days after my return home, I tried to use it again ( actually I was at Thai Airways office to buy my next trip ticket ..) the card was refused ! Of course I had no clue whatsover.
But things moved quickly.. the next day, I was working and I received an warning sms from Visa ( this service is free in Italy) advising me that a few moments before, an authorization has been asked by Electronic Shop LTD in HongKong to charge my card for EUR 478 .!! Wow .. I almost fainted.. Shocked

To cut a long story short, it took me a police report, copy of all my passport pages , declaration etc.etc. faxes, letters phone calls.. but, in the end, I have to say I was not charged at all and my card was replaced in 1 or 2 weeks. Lucky ? maybe.. Embarassed

Conclusion: I still use my C/C , wherever I go, but I follow it up the cashier, always, (hoping) to check what's going on ..

Don't mean to discourage nobody( not many alternatives in sight and cash is not "the" solution..) I keep going back and forth but .. I'm just a little more careful on the subject,

thanks for taking your time to read all above,

cheers

Moderator Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2513

Credit card and identity fraud is a real problem worldwide. I wouldn't worry too much but it always pays to be extra vigilant when on holiday, not because it's Thailand, but because we often become more 'distracted' and lazy when over there.

I know plenty of horror stories of Credit Card fraud and most of them have occured here in the UK rather than in LOS.

There;s not much you can do other than watch your card at all time, don't let people take itr out of your site, and if it gets stuck in an ATM machine, call for assistance and wait by the machine, or call to cancel the card immediately.

One alternative to taking an ATM or credit card is (at least in the US) gaining in popularity. The Cash Card.

The cash card is simply a card which one can purchase and add funds to (like adding minutes to a mobile phone). Once funds are added, the card can be used like a credit card for purchases and cash advances.

The benefit is a totally separate account from your bank. You can add any amount to the card, or even have multiple cards and once the card is exhausted of funds, you can toss it away and move on to the next one (which was locked away in the hotel safe). This way, all of your funds aren't in the same place, and it eliminates the possibility of fradulent action against your bank at home.

After hearing some of the horror stories, I may go this way on my next trip (although I had no problems with my ATM or Credit Card, but with a simple option, why take the chance).

Check it out!!

Automorph

Ladyboy Addict Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 50 Points: 80

Westbam: some excellent advice above. My thoughts are:

Cash in the safe? Depends on the safe. For an in-the-room safe I am comfortable about leaving a few thousand in the safe. For a deposit box I am not comfortable about leaving any cash. But I have found myself taking the risk when I split my cash between the box and my wallet.

The other disadvantage of safety deposit boxes is that if you lose the key the hotel charges a small fortune (like, say, 5000 baht) to replace it.

I prefer to either minimise my cash in hand by either drawing what I need each day (or couple of days) from the atm or changing travellers cheques.

It just occured to me just how convenient the in-room safe actually is. (I stay at the DIG) As soon as I get back to the room I throw my wallet into the safe and never have to worry about any hidden money in the room or behaving in a surreptitious manner in front of the guest.

Credit cards? I would also say take several - if you have several - and keep them separated so they can't all get lost/stolen at once. Notify the cc companies just before you travel, otherwise - if they are any good - they might assume that your cards are being used fraudulently.

Also, it is worth getting a card that does not charge for overseas withdrawals.

Cash cards? sounds like a good idea but I find myself paying for as much as I can with cash - firstly to minimize card fraud and secondly because many small vendors don't do plastic money.

Ultimately, you need to find a personal balance between the inconvenience of going to the atm/bank on a regular basis and the consequences if you lost all the cash you had on you and/or in your room.

Denuk, I was actually suggesting the use of a cash card more in place of the ATM card, than as a credit card.

Like you, I nearly pay exclusively with cash myself (except perhaps my hotel bill or a large purchase from a bigger vendor). With the cash card, I get cash from the ATM, and I don't ever have to sweat about having my bank accounts compromised. Also, should I lose the cash card, I'm out no more than the balance (another good reason for having several of them) on the card, as opposed to having to contact my bank and cancel my ATM or credit card.

Ladyboy Lover Joined: 25 Nov 2007 Posts: 21 Points: 41

Hi Guys !

Am new here, but I had something to say on this thread. I've been to LOS twice so far, and never had any problems (except for the incredible stomach issues the food can sometimes give you). What I would recommend is to take at least a few hundred bucks with you in cash, store it somewhere safe. Hopefully you're staying at a reasonably reputable place. So you can just deposit this in the safety box. This is for those of use who cannot afford a back up credit card. Naturally you keep the credit card in your in room safe or somewhere else.