DirtyDan

Hello BKK FTers,

I've had merchants in the past write down my full CC number on their copy of the receipt which sketches me out a little - but last night something really uncomfortable happened.

We had an amazing meal at a restaurant in the new EM Quarter Helix and after sending the check back for payment, the waiter returned to the table and asked for PIN. I need to stress that he didn't want the card user to walk over and enter the PIN, he repeatedly insisted we write the PIN down for him to enter. Card owner went over to the terminal and noticed the wait staff had already written ALL the card info down (including dates and security code). They tried to watch the PIN being entered.

Talked to bank afterwards and they had attempted to run the transaction 6 times.

Are we being paranoid by having cancelled the card, or should I just be Mai Pen Rai?

Regards,
DirtyDan


BTW - you all need to go check out the Helix in the EM Quarter - it's amazing!

transpac

While credit card fraud is massive and legendary here in Thailand, based on the detail you provided my guess is that you're dealing with new/untrained staff who were having trouble running your card - is it Thai or foreign? - and so they had twelve staff standing around, texting the boss, kept failing at the authorization (the 6 tries), gabbing back and forth, maybe they needed their store PIN, but got confused and asked you for a "PIN"?

I'd chalk it up to incompetence/language rather than attempted fraud, but that's just my best guess.

EM Quartier is very Hi-So, I felt like my bank balance was being drained as I walked through, just as an entry fee. Even middle class locals get a chuckle out of the place - I was at a funeral/wake recently and a group was talking about how, for lack of a better translated word, pretentious it is.

EM Quartier is a new mall which opened at Phrom Phong BTS on 27 March 2015, and is part of The Mall Group's empire (they also are revamping Emporium across the road).

http://www.theemdistrict.com/index.php

I guess The Helix is the name of the food area? http://www.theemdistrict.com/dining-group.php?id=1 (load more to see all).

Emack & Bolio's, someone must have gone to MIT or Harvard? I've seen an E&B in Central World too. Amazing given that all Thais are lactose intolerant.

They also have a Croissant Taiyaki which is all the rage now - and pretty good.

Dr. HFH

Huh?

SpannerSpinner

Ability to digest lactose as an adult is something that only recently (~10,000years) evolved in humans, coincident with the act of domesticating cattle. East Asian populations generally have high levels of Lactose intolerance (up to 98% in some groups), people of northern European descent generally do not have this problem (only 5% are lactose intolerant).
Half of Thai adults show lactose intolerance/inability to digest according to the study below, but other sources say 90%+.

Lactose intolerance in Thai adults. [Pubmed]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence

Dr. HFH

How interesting!! I, too, am somewhat (i.e., not completely) lactose intolerant, and of Eastern European descent.

travelfreaks

I use cc for everything in US and many other places, but I pay cash for everything in Thailand except hotels. I even pay for our Patts condo in cash.

BangkokTraveler

Because of things like this, I only use 1-2 credit cards on my frequent trips to Asia and every few months, between trips, I cancel these cards as"lost" or "stolen" and they send me replacements with new card numbers.

aBroadAbroad

I've never seen the card being written down except when the processor is off line and the card is not embossed for the old manual carbon imprint machines.

That said, for those who are not aware, there are still a good many vendors here who give receipts with the ENTIRE CARD NUMBER printed on them. The full card number can appear on the regular cash register receipt as well as the cc transaction receipt. You may want to be careful of this when deciding where you store and/or discard those receipts.

I think we may have to revoke your FT membership. Isn't willfully failing to ALWAYS use miles/points/rebate cards some kind of rules violation?

We have cards we use exclusively for overseas charges because they have no forex, low/no annual fee, AND give a decent cash rebate. We also intentionally keep the limits on those cards relatively low (but high enough to pay our rent every month), and get text and email alerts for every single transaction.

Not a single fraudulent charge in more than 15 years (so far).

imlikeabird

Never encountered a merchant jotting down my cc number down on their copy of the receipt. I don't think this is a common practice in Bangkok. I can relate to you, it sure is something to be uncomfortable about!

DirtyDan

T.I.T.: Purchasing an item at the Emporium mall the other day (the specific electronic item I was looking at was cheaper there than at the Big C - believe it or not!).

After the transaction is run through, I noticed the clerk typing my credit card number into her computer including turning the card over for the CCV - I'm sure nothing malicious, but it's funny they need that data in their system. I guess you just have to watch your statements closely!