Things We Do Not Do - Refused Requests

We have received requests to perform certain activities which we have refused. The following are some of the more common requests we receive which we refuse.

Passwords

As a general policy, we do not obtain and give away peoples' passwords, for these reasons:

• This is an invasion of personal privacy of both the password owner AND their friends and associates who they are communicating with. We have heard many cases where the person who broke in caused major disruption of other peoples' lives for various overly selfish reasons.
• Business or valuable personal information can be stolen
• Personal activities of multiple people can be interfered with

Most of the time, the request is for the password of a girlfriend. We suggest that if you ever hire anyone to get your girlfriend's password, then you not hire a stranger, and you make sure that person does not share the password and email contents to entertain their friends and associates. Of course, your own emails may also be read, but your girlfriend could also be taken advantage of in more serious ways.

There are other, and often better, ways of determining if a lady is tricking a man or promiscuous by his standards, which involve public observation and/or other methods (which we generally do not discuss on the web) which do not include giving away her password to a customer.

You should also consider that most cheating ladies use SMS and phone calls more than emails, and may have more than one email account, so that you could miss a lot of things by relying on an email account.

(Breaking into email accounts of Thai ladies has been going on for many years now, so ladies in Thailand are clued into this.)

Usually, the people who break into the accounts don't really "hack" them (though they might mislead you by claiming to have that skill). Hotmail, Yahoo, and other major services have already taken countermeasures against this, which is why your browser briefly goes into an encrypted secure connection when you click on the Login button. Instead, passwords are now usually obtained by "phishing" methods like spam about logging into your bank or PayPal account for a required update. In the girlfriend scenario, the phisher sends the girlfriend a greeting card link in a nice pretty email, e.g., "You have been sent a greeing card! Click here to read it!" whereby she clicks on it and goes to an external site of the phisher's associates. When she clicks to close the greeting card window, another window pops up with the Hotmail or Yahoo logo saying she was logged out to an external site and asking her to log back into Hotmail or Yahoo. It looks very official.

Of course, the username and password are logged to a file on the phisher's website.

That is actually "deception" or "phishing", not "hacking", but the services which offer this usually mislead you into thinking they have a super computer hacker with their staff. In reality, it is usually outsourced to a professional phisher who is a scammer doing anything for money. He has a log file with a list of usernames and passwords, not just your girlfriend's. Hers is just added to the list. The list may be shared among multiple people in a phishing gang, and several might enjoy reading others' emails, looking at attached photos, and playing games with other peoples lives just out of their own sociopathic egotism (such as sexual predators).

Obviously, we could do phishing ourselves (it doesn't take much skill to steal a Hotmail or Yahoo logo, create a website with a nice greeting card, and provide a login screen when they exit), or worse yet we could outsource it. We don't, because we don't want to have anything to do with phishing. We also know that customers often don't tell us the complete truth about themselves or their intentions if we were to supply a password to them.

We understand that the customer is usually trying to protect themself from becoming the victim of a scamming girlfriend. However, the solution is not to make that a self-fulfilling prophecy by subjecting yourself to professional phishers. There are usually better ways than just checking only their email. Other ways are more reliable and secure.

There are exceptions for when we will obtain a password or otherwise break into a system, but these are neither girlfriend related nor involve a third party system such as Hotmail or Yahoo.

For example, in computer consulting whereby a customer owns the computer and has a problem, or if the Administrator's password is lost, or other business needs which do not violate legal or moral principles, we may proceed. We judge this on a case by case basis.

Sometimes there is a question of whether an employee is abusing their access to confidential company information, such as the purpose of stealing company secrets (e.g., clients, documents) or money, and it is requested of us to determine whether that is indeed the case. This does not necessarily mean that we must reveal the individual's password and the contents of their email and personal files except as concerns the company's business. If your company owns the on-site computer, then we can possibly review their data and tell you. Also, there are other methods which are effective (and often more effective) at determining whether someone is stealing company secrets, because many thieves are careful to not leave a trace on the company computer.

Telephone Call Records, Bank Records

As a strict policy, we do not try to get the call records for third party telephones, nor do we try to get anyone's bank information. The same reasons apply as for passwords, above (scroll up).

Find Someone's Address or Telephone Number

As a general policy, if you want to find out someone's address or telephone number, then we will do so if we gain the person's permission to give out their address or telephone number, and if we are convinced that doing so will not bring harm to the person. Generally, when we find the person, we ask them if it is OK to give the information to the person who hired us. If they ask us to not tell you, there is no refund. We will just report what the person told us, and enough information so that you can verify in your mind that we did indeed locate the person you wanted us to find.

The kinds of customers we do not serve include:

• Stalkers of previous girlfriends
• Potential kidnappers of wealthy people
• Creditors or debt collectors
• Pursuit of criminals

Sometimes, the person we are looking for will want to contact you themselves by email, telephone or post.

Intellectual Property

Though one of the founders of Thailand P.I. previously worked for the US government in intellectual property, we do not deal with intellectual property cases for customers. The best company to deal with this is Quantico, Ltd., which is described and listed on our Links page.

Criminal Activity

We do not get involved in investigations of convicted criminals nor suspected criminal activities nor detection of lawbreaking activities.

We deal only with non-criminal, private investigations.

To deal with anything related to criminal activities, see our Links page for how to get in contact with police agencies and certain other officials. We will have nothing to do with any of that.

Indeed, some cases are terminated or left unsolved for this reason. For example:

Case 1: People-finder. We were tasked to find a lady, given only her photo, nickname, and among other things the bar her sister worked at. He mentioned that the subject was a former bargirl who had started her own import-export business and now lived quite well. We sent a lady agent there, and the people were normally cordial until she showed the photo. One person said the name aloud and everyone suddenly minded their own business, like nobody wanted anything to do with it. It was quite unusual. Eventually, one person told the agent that the subject had been arrested on a major drugs charge, would be in jail for many years, and that her so-called "sister" wasn't a genetic sister. At that point, we told the source "Enough said, we don't want to know any more." We halted the case at that point because we do not intrude into organized crime groups. We don't want to know any more.

Case 2: Husband investigation. A foreign lady with two young schoolgirls asked us to find her husband and find out about his situation. In his home country, during the middle of the night, he had gotten out of bed and never came back. He had apparently packed a few things, left the house, and never gone back. Everyone was confused, and the two daughters were emotionally stressed. Many months and then Christmas had come and gone with still no contact. His wife had a small income teaching physically disadvantaged children. His wife said he was in import-export, but she didn't know any specifics, just generalities. With some good clues from her in-laws, we followed some leads and found him in a social situation. By then, he had an 8 month pregnant Thai girlfriend who was living with him. A matched expat socialized with him as an undercover agent. The expat agent has children, which entered the conversation, and when he asked the subject if he had any children there was an instant "Nope." and the subject carried on in conversation with no further thought, like they were truly forgotten. However, when it became clear that the subject was involved in serious criminal activities with certain shady friends (by his own uncareful talking while a little drunk), we stopped the investigation and walked out. We prepared to report only the pregnant Thai girlfriend and "Nope" response, and that we were halting the case. Our customer, who was updated by SMS continuously, called and after hearing about his "Nope" response and his pregnant girlfriend, in anger started revealing her knowledge of his criminal activities, and we terminated the relationship completely at that point and on the basis of our policy here.

If your subject is known to be involved in serious criminal activities (e.g., gambling, scams, drug trafficking), then don't ask us to do any investigation. If we find out the subject is involved in serious criminal activities, then the investigation is halted immediately at the moment we find out about any serious criminal activities. We do not want to find out any more. Also, we will not divulge any information about serious criminal activities. Further, if you did not tell us about criminal activities in advance of the case despite knowing yourself, i.e., knowingly kept us in the dark about them, then the relationship is ended immediately.

Notably, we have had cases involving girlfriends who we find out are gambling and/or taking drugs. Those are misdemeanors, and we continue to work on those cases. Of course, we don't report them to the police nor anyone else except the customer.

Scams

There are various kinds of tricky ripoff schemes that operate in Thailand, usually Bangkok. These include:

• Stock scams
• Investment scams
• Foreign exchange (forex) scams
• Property scams
• Girlfriend scams
• Job placement scams

Some of these use an organization to systematically scam foreigners out of money. An example is the "boiler room" call centers.

We do not, in any way, investigate these entities, nor do we want to get involved in any way with anyone associated with any of these scams, including any victims. You are on your own.

You may find that not many others are willing to help someone who was tricked, either. There are various reasons for that:

1. Criminals continue to exist in places where they have bought protection.
2. You may have great difficulty proving anything, according to the laws in Thailand or anywhere (especially if the scammers are professionals who relayed money and phone calls between multiple countries).
3. The police are busy managing their duties and dealing with serious crimes, and don't have a lot of time for major evidence collection on behalf of one individual, especially if you fell for a get rich quick scheme or Thai lady scam.
4. Many people in general have only a little sympathy for those who get tricked by clearly questionable schemes. In fact, if the tables were turned, would you help them, really?

We would seriously caution you to refrain from any sort of revenge, especially if you are considering any sort of assault or violence. That will for sure get the attention of the police as well as the authorities in your own home country. Violence is not tolerated in Thai society; for example, many people who were fairly untouchable otherwise have suddenly found themselves incarcerated due to a violent act.

Any kind of assault or violence is one of the stupidest things a person can possibly do in Thailand, or anywhere for that matter.

To deal with bad people, you don't need to lower yourself to being a bad person, too.

If you are committed to seeking justice, then we suggest you go to a firm like Quantico, Ltd., formerly the Bangkok branch of the multinational firm Pinkerton Consulting and Investigative Services, at www.QuanticoLtd.com and talk with its longtime Managing Director, Mr. Rusty Lerner, who we've known since 1995. In Bangkok, they are located in the Sarasin Building on Surasak Rd. near the Surasak Skytrain station. (Surasak Rd. goes between Sathorn and Silom.) It's just a couple of short blocks from the elevated expressway, near the Holiday Inn on Silom. Ring them at (+66-2) 236-8831 for an appointment.

Spying on Competitors, Industrial Espionage, or Faked Due Diligence

Don't ask us to spy on competitors, or please your boss overseas by some faked investigation on due diligence. Don't even ask.

We will not help copycats, ripoff artists or the like, nor do we circulate in those kinds of peer groups / reference groups. We honor entrepreneurs and institutions which honor creative people, work hard for what they've got, and care about others.

It is the kind of people we are in this generation, and the kinds of customers we choose to work for. We've seen many of these kinds of people in the world in our time... and we choose the good side of life to live, and steer away from the worst sides. We can help you find out about the good, the bad, and the ugly -- working to help the good side, or the victim and especially the potential victim. We've seen so much more than most people, and goodness knows there are so many people who need our experience, skills and services.

In general, there are many things we will not get involved with in any way in Thailand. However, we also suggest that you not pursue some kinds of matters using someone else, either, unless you really know what you are doing and have the necessary connections.

Some people try to get even, often out of their own sheer ego mania, including lowering themselves to the same level as another (two wrongs don't make a right; it just makes you wrong, too).

We have a lot of customers who realize they have been scammed, victimized, or otherwise taken advantage of, who then turn to wanting revenge.

If it's the government or a bank or company who cheated you, then that's serious, but if it's a little Thai lady from upcountry, that's different.

If it's some con man systematically scamming tourists or businessmen, then you would be exceptional to not only see it as your moral duty to remove that parasite and menace from society but actually follow up your words with action. Also, you can prosecute for fraud, but for goodness sake, use a lawyer, the police and the courts for this.

Of course, you are quite unlikely to have a significant impact on the human evil in the world by trying to chase down bad people in Thailand who have done bad things to you, and you aren't going to change anyone's personality, but you might put them in your place, and do your part in this world. However, the evil in this world is immense, and your case is just a drop in the bucket. What will you really achieve? Compared to spending that time and energy other wise? Like maybe campaigning for less pollution or greenhouse gases or environmental destruction? The latter are usually a better way to spend your time and effort for society.

There are bigger and more important things in life. Life is too short already. If you want to attain greater happiness or fulfillment of your purpose in life, then we suggest you look at the big picture and get a grip on more important values and interests in life, rather than getting involved in the evil of the world, or getting even with someone who ripped you off. Take it as a challenge and an opportunity to learn some valuable lessons. Along the way, "refuse" to lower yourself to some other people's levels. Move up to higher moral ground.

There are so many bad people in this world, that the only way to get "even" is to lower yourself to their moral level. Everyone gets ripped off many times, sometimes including people you thought were worthy of being friends/lovers to some level of depth but who instead betrayed you. Better to roll with the punches and move on, and definitely not let the bad side of people switch off your good side and switch on your bad side.

Things could be worse. You could have been born into less fortunate circumstances. Take a look around in Thailand, then go look at yourself in the mirror. Watch your greed, check your ego and appreciate your opportunities in life.

Sergeant Schultz: "I see nothing! I know nothing! And I say nothing!"

Anyone who lives in Thailand will find out a lot of things that are happening here, even if they don't want to know. As private investigators, we sometimes unexpectedly find ourselves in a situation where we see or hear some things that we don't want to see or hear -- such as some Thai girlfriend involved with someone in a mafia operation. In these situations, it is best to just turn your back and walk the other way, which is what we call "the Sergeant Schultz routine", as I will explain next:

One of the most popular American TV shows from 1965-1971 was "Hogan's Heroes", a comedy about a World War 2 prisoner of war (POW) camp in Germany holding Americans and Brits as prisoners. However, the prisoners were actually spies who routinely snuck out (escaped) and back in by tunnels, and one of the German soldiers, Sergeant Schultz, would frequently see these actions but pretended not to.

When Sergeant Schultz would see the spies doing their work against the Nazis, the German soldier would immediately turn the other way and say "I see nothing! I know nothing! I say nothing!" or some variation of that. This is the best known line of the TV series, and it stayed popular for 7 years, one of the longest running series of its time. The T-shirt above went on sale 30 years later!

Sergeant Schultz was a German soldier who would say things like "it is just a job” and “I do not like to take sides.” He had an easygoing demeanor, befriended the POWs, liked food and missed his family. He didn't want any trouble, and in fact nobody did. Everyone just did their jobs.

Likewise, in charge of the POW camp was Colonel Klink, and he looked the other way, too. It was understood, without saying, that the Allied POWs would cooperate to make sure that Colonel Klink never got into trouble, and Klink did likewise in return. It was the only POW camp in Germany where the prisoners never escaped ... "officially". Reality was different.

It was made abundantly clear in the show's dialogue that Klink and Schultz were not Nazis but were just Germans caught up in the war against their will and were just doing their job, thought Hitler was crazy and wrong, and had no personal political agenda. They were genuinely good guys and did the right thing even though their jobs sometimes put them in a precarious situation.

More than 30 years later, there are now Hogan's Heroes fan clubs keeping the TV series immortal. In fact, you can buy t-shirts (like the above photo) and can even hear Sergeant Schultz speaking:

http://www.buyersmls.com/americantv/hogan.htm -- hear "I see nothing!" on-line -- a very quick and simple sound bite.

You can also hear the full Sergeant Schultz routine of "I know nothing! I see nothing! And I say nothing!" (takes longer to download, and loads into Windows Media Player)at: http://www.hogansheroesfanclub.com/sounds.php

T-shirt for sale at http://www.emerchandise.com/product/TSHHE0003/s.lg2XSnmG

Of course, in our private investigations, after we do our Sergeant Schultz routine, we return to the office and tell our client that the lady is scamming him, but he doesn't need to know any details about the mafia, nor does anyone else. We did our job for the client, full stop, and the rest is nobody's business, including our own. "This Is Thailand!"

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Thailand Private Investigations,
c/o Lucky Lion Pride Co., Ltd.
Ploymitr Building, Floor 7
81 Sukhumvit soi 2
Klongtoey, Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110
THAILAND

Tel dialed internationally: +66-8-0062-4243 (English speaking mobile)
Tel dialed domestically: 08-0062-4243 (English speaking mobile)

Please note: We have moved our office from Pakkred, Nonthaburi, to the city center within walking distance of the Sukhumvit BTS skytrain line.