500000 Baht Missing from Couple's Thai Bank Account - Bank Refuses to be Held Liable

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS:

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HALF A MILLION BAHT MISSING FROM DUTCH COUPLE‘S PATTAYA BANK ACCOUNT

 

A Dutch couple living in Pattaya claims that over half a million baht is missing from their bank account at the Kasikorn Bank.

 

At 10:00 am. on 21st December2008, after reporting the matter to Pattaya police investigator Pol. Lt. Col. Wanlop Kungtaratip, Mr. Frank Bouwmeester, [44] and Mrs. Johanna Doorn [66], a Dutch couple residing at 102 / 6, Moo 11, Nongprue, Banglamung, made a complaint to the media that 500,525 Baht had been removed from their bank account during the course of 2 days in July 2008.

 

Mrs. Doorn , the owner of the Bank account, said she had been a customer of the South Pattaya branch of Kasikorn Bank for more than 8 years. She had an ATM Card for her convenience to withdraw cash up to a maximum of about 20,000 baht a day. On the 1st July this year, she had transferred 7000 baht to her son at Nongkai through the bank ATM service.

 

On the 3rd July she tried to withdraw cash from the ATM but it was rejected with a "wrong pin code" message. At first she thought that the machine was faulty so she tried another, but received the same response.

 

The couple then went to the Kasikorn Bank, South Pattaya branch, where their original account was issued. They told the story to the bank officer and also asked for a new card since the old one was 8 years old.

 

While waiting for their new card, they asked for an updated statement from their bank book and were shocked to find out that over half a million baht was missing from their previous balance of 1.5 million baht. Transactions involving the missing funds were recorded during the 2nd and the 3rd of July 2008.

 

The bank officer told them to stay calm and said that they would be informed once more details of the transactions had been found.

 

On the 5th July, they checked their account again at an ATM and were shocked to find that a further 49,000 baht had been withdrawn while the ATM card was still in their possession and they were allowed to withdraw only 20,000 baht a day.

 

They once again visited the bank, where the officer told them not to worry, and the money should be refunded to their account again on the following day, but this never happened.

 

The couple decided to meet the bank manager of the South Pattaya branch, Mr. Waigoon Kriengsakpong, who, after listening to their complaints, found out that the money had been transferred via an ATM in Hatyai , Songklah to somebody's account in Surathani and Kalasin.

 

The couple claimed that they did not have any Thai friends or relatives in Thailand. However, Mr. Waigoon promised to refer their case to the head office in Bangkok as soon as possible.

 

Mrs. Doorn said that on the 18th December, the assistant director of customer service from the bank head office, Mr. Chaiyasit Jindacharin, had called them and informed that the bank could not replace the missing funds to their account. He also added that there was the possibility her husband may have given the ATM card to somebody to withdraw the money. She thought that this was a terrible excuse and that they should have checked the receiver's account.

 

"I have retired and bought a 10 million baht house in Thailand and I've been a long time customer with the bank for more than 8 years. My husband is always with me and he has shown no signs of unfaithful behaviour. Now that we have a problem, instead of responding fast and seriously checking the system, they choose to transfer the fault to the customer. I don't understand why Thai banks have such a terrible system. I have reported this to the police and complained to the media to protect my own rights" she finally added.

 

[Guest fountainhall]

This lady must be crazy. A half million Baht is discovered missing from the account on 3rd July. A further 40,000 disappears 2 days later. She is allegedly given assurances that the funds will be recredited (oh really??), but gets - and presumably asks for - nothing in writing. It would appear she then unbelievably sits around and waits almost 5 1/2 months before learning that the bank will do nothing.

 

Is this lady real? If that amount of money went missing from my account, I'd cancel cards, change account numbers and passwords etc. etc., call in the police and a lawyer. It's tempting to think that with the difference in ages the husband has been doing more than having a fling. But then many of us who contribute to this board are in relationships with equally wide age differences - so I withraw the remark.

[Guest Steve1903]

Banks are bastards in these situations. I was victim of identity fraud and when i explained to the bank why the fault could not possibly come from my end they still said it was none of their doing. I hate banks, bankers, insurance companies and the rest of that sector. They are thieving scum, nothing more, nothing less.

[Guest fountainhall]

Banks are bastards in these situations. I was victim of identity fraud and when i explained to the bank why the fault could not possibly come from my end they still said it was none of their doing

 

I once had my UK bank unilaterally stop all my standing orders - for insurance policies, memberships, investments etc. I was living abroad and it took me too two months to realise what had happened. The bank almost immediately admitted liability, restored all the monthly payments and deposited 25 pounds as a good will gesture - 25 pounds!

 

However, at least Steve1903 and I noticed an anomaly and did something about it. From what we read, this lady just sat around on her f---y blithely trusting a bank without any attempt to get the assurances in writing, any attempt to involve the police in what was surely some kind of fraud, any attempt to involve a lawyer. That seems idiotic to me.