Be careful not to respond to a text-message purporting to come from your Thai phone company. The message says that your credit is running low and instructs you to call a fake recharge number.
My girlfriend received one yesterday and, of course, it was a scam. The spoofed text-message was designed to trick her into dialling a premium rate number set up by criminals. Fortunately, she didn’t fall for it but I’m sure that many others did.
Even legitimate Thai companies are very pushy about harvesting cellphone numbers. Being Thai, my girlfriend is a trusting soul so when companies like King Power or the Q-Bar ask for her number, she unhesitatingly gives it to them. Consequently, her handset never stops beeping and it’s now been banished to the kitchen at night. Unsolicited offers on Estee Lauder gift-sets can wait till morning.
As well as bombarding her with infuriating SMS spam, we now know that one of these household-name companies also disclosed her number to criminals.
In Thailand, it makes sense to keep your cellphone number private.
Thailand’s foreign homeowners remain fearful of eviction
Bangkok airport extortion ring exposed
BBC iPlayer: How to watch real UK TV in Thailand
Satellite TV in Thailand: Dump TrueVisions for Astro or Multichoice
Tata Young copies the Susan Boyle look
Plucky kids save drowning puppy