DSI targets Briton over Hua Hin property scam

[buksida]

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is looking into five illegal housing estate projects allegedly owned by a British national through a Thai nominee in Hua Hin district.

The foreigner violated the foreign business law and evaded taxes as no permit was obtained for the housing projects, the DSI said.

DSI deputy director-general Pakorn Sucheevakun said his department received complaints from 18 parties, which included Thais and foreigners who bought houses from the suspect.

Pol Lt Col Pakorn said the projects are owned and controlled by the British suspect through a Thai nominee whose name was used as a legal entity.

He said this violates the 1999 Foreign Business Act, which prohibits foreigners from land trading and holding construction businesses.

It was among several types of businesses made off-limits to foreigners under the law.

The DSI also alleged that the foreigner and the Thai nominee defrauded customers by using false information to advertise the housing projects.

When customers signed the purchase agreements, it was later found the houses were not what customers were promised in the advertisements, Pol Lt Col Pakorn said.

He noted that some of the construction projects fell behind schedule and properties could not be handed over to customers before a specified deadline.

Pol Lt Col Pakorn said no permission had been sought from the authorities for the housing projects.

As a result, house address numbers could not be issued by officials, which means public utilities could not be supplied, he said.


More: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... using-scam

[europtimiste]

As usual, the honest HH real estates.

[REEM]

Does he have a Scottish surname?

[GroveHillWanderer]

There's a picture of him in the report in the Nation, talking to the guys from DSI. Although it's partly from the side and he's wearing a surgical mask, I suspect someone might recognise him.

[Governor]

There's a picture of him in the report in the Nation, talking to the guys from DSI. Although it's partly from the side and he's wearing a surgical mask, I suspect someone might recognise him.

I read elsewhere that the picture in The Nation is in fact of one of the victims of the scam, not the alleged perpetrator, another forum has posted a retraction and an apology.

[GroveHillWanderer]

There's a picture of him in the report in the Nation, talking to the guys from DSI. Although it's partly from the side and he's wearing a surgical mask, I suspect someone might recognise him.

I read elsewhere that the picture in The Nation is in fact of one of the victims of the scam, not the alleged perpetrator, another forum has posted a retraction and an apology.

OK, that actually makes a little more sense to me. The arrangement of the people in the photo and the body language of the participants didn't look like the typical staged photo-op with the accused.

[GroveHillWanderer]

Just been talking to a friend of mine who's lived in Hua Hin about twenty years and used to work in property development here. He says that if it's who he thinks it is, he's not really a scam artist as such, he's just always been terribly badly organised and has got himself into similar scrapes before where he's been unable to finish developments (the guy under DSI investigation, not my friend).

[nanyang]

he's not really a scam artist as such, he's just always been terribly badly organised and has got himself into similar scrapes before where he's been unable to finish developments.

Your honour!

[Lost]

Does he have a Scottish surname?

Exactly my thoughts when I saw 'Britain - property scam - Hua Hin.'

If it's him he's been scamming it for bloody years. Fair play to wing it for so long. If I'm wrong, I apologise to the Scottish community profoundly and shall not take your countryman's name up so swiftly in the future.