Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, as we are making this video if you will as sort of a public service announcement to retirees here in Thailand. Unfortunately, a bunch of what I can only describe as tax-stamp pimps, basically charlatans who are in gross contravention of Thai law regarding restricted occupations - especially as it regards tax consultation - have come to Thailand and basically caused all kinds of problems by claiming all sorts of nonsense regarding Thai Tax Policy. They have no business doing so because it's a restricted occupation to Thai nationals. I don't understand why they are over here doing it at all. For example, as I have discussed in other videos, is it the American IRS's policy to intervene illegally in Thai Tax Policy matters? It's a good question. That being said, it's then caused sort of the knock-on effect of a bunch of scammers who see those people scamming, now they are trying to scam retirees because there is consternation created in the retiree community regarding Thai Tax ID numbers and how it interacts with their ability to live in Thailand, and this is causing problems. I've done an alert on this already, but I don't think it can be said enough to retirees. First of all very much calm down. The vast majority of you do not need to worry about anything as it pertains to the Thai Tax System. Meanwhile, please, don't give any relevant information regarding your banking details, your personal information, your personal identification information - either your Tax ID number or not - don't give any of that information to anyone on the phone regardless of what they say. 

It should also be pointed out, as I have talked about in other videos, Thai Immigration is not requiring tax documentation for their purposes. So, if anybody calls you up and says, "oh we need this because we need to deal with something with Thai Immigration or with your taxes," don't listen, okay? They're probably a scammer. If you are really talking to somebody from the Revenue Department in Thailand, you are going to know it because you are probably going to be in the Revenue Department from Thailand. They are not going to call you up with this stuff. If they have a real problem with you, they are going to come to you in person, okay? You're not going to get a call from somebody saying, "give us all your relevant tax details over the phone", okay? And I'm not saying this to cause anybody any further consternation. If anything, I'm trying to say to people, "hey, calm down, you don't need to share this stuff", and also this is the kind of stuff that comes from whipped-up hysteria; these are the kind of detrimental knock on effects that come from whipping up hysteria in the community regarding tax liability that people don't necessarily have. 

So that being said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Pattaya Mail, that's pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Pattaya retirees targeted in latest in scam calls scandal. Quoting directly: "Two British retiree expats have sounded the alarm about the latest fraud to try an empty their Thai Bank Accounts. They told Pattaya Mail they separately received phone calls claiming to be from the Thai Revenue Department informing them that they may not need to register for a TIN (Tax Identification Number) provided routine checks are made now to insure their exemption." So all that is nonsense. First of all, as we have discussed in other videos, you probably don't even need a Thai Tax Identification number. Unfortunately, these foreign tax stamp-pimps have come in here to Thailand and they are whipping people up and do frankly a frenzy over needing to get a Thai Tax ID number they probably don't need. As I've discussed in other videos, the vast majority of folks here in Thailand, especially retirees, are not going to need anything to do with Thai Taxes. They don't owe anything, they just, they don't need to interact at all. As we've also discussed, Thai Immigration has and I quote: "no plans", as we discussed in another video, "has no plans to make banking documentation" well banking documentation is a different thing, "tax documentation an integral part to extending Visa status".

So, anybody calling for any reason pertaining to Immigration or the Tax Authorities that's calling you and saying oh we need all this information because of immigration or tax or some combination thereof, don't listen to them, hang up the phone, just ignore them completely. Again, if you are dealing with Thai Revenue Department, you'll know it. You will probably be in their office, or they are going to be right in your face, the same with Thai Immigration. So anybody that is calling up these retirees, first of all you are scumbags and I hope you all kill yourselves, but aside from that, anybody that's calling up these people they just need to be hung up on and ignored.