Scammed into handing over hundreds of thousands of pounds for a dream apartment in Thailand… that I still don’t have: Brit, 70, says ‘scammers’ have failed to hand over title deeds despite paying £346,000
- David Edward, 70, said he bought a Koh Samui apartment in 2016 after a cold call
- At least five others were allegedly ‘swindled’ out of a total of £2.3m
A British businessman says he was swindled into handing over hundreds of thousands of pounds for an apartment in Thailand, but never got the title deeds, meaning he doesn’t legally own the retirement home of his dreams.
David Edward, 70, said a real estate agent cold-called him in 2016 and offered to sell him the apartment unit in the Chaweng Noi district of the idyllic island of Koh Samui.
The businessman said he paid the agent a deposit of 5 million baht (£115,300) and that the rest of the money would be paid upon completion of the sale, a total of 15 million baht (£346,000).
However, David said the agency has not yet been able to transfer title deeds or legal documents, meaning he has no ownership rights to the flat and has not been able to get his money back.
David, who has two young children, said he may not move to the island now and filed a complaint with the police and the Central Bureau of Investigation in Bangkok. No arrests have been made yet.
David Edward, 70, said a real estate agent cold-called him in 2016 and offered to sell him the apartment unit in the Chaweng Noi district of the idyllic island of Koh Samui.
David’s lawyer, Phattakorn Teepaboonrat, said at least five other victims, mostly foreigners unfamiliar with Thai law, had allegedly been scammed by the company.
He said: ‘I am worried about my property and other people’s property as well.
“I bought a property in Thailand when I was in Saudi Arabia a long time ago and I would like to retire in Thailand, but now I have two small children and I have to do what is best for them.”
David claimed the estate agency misled him about the status of the apartment block project on the stunning island, which is a popular destination for tourists.
The company reportedly told him the property was ready to be transferred, but the father learned on April 19 that the complex did not actually have a building permit.
David claimed to have found evidence that the company had defrauded other customers and had even sold or mortgaged land without their consent.
David and Thailand’s consumer representative, Phattakorn Teepaboonrat, went to Thailand’s Central Bureau of Investigation on June 1 to file their formal complaint against the company.
There are at least five other victims of the alleged scam, Teepaboonrat said, most of whom are foreigners unfamiliar with Thai law.
David has filed a complaint with the police and the Bangkok Central Bureau of Investigation, but no arrests have yet been made.
David and consumer representative Phattakorn Teepaboonrat went to the Thailand Central Bureau of Investigation on June 1, 2023 to file a complaint.
He said they had been swindled by the company, with damages amounting to more than 100 million baht (£2.3 million).
The agency is said to have lured them in with promises of tax breaks before forging title deeds.
Phattakorn said: ‘This company offered real estate projects for sale on its website, including certificates of ownership and images of the project, to establish reliability.
‘My client bought two rooms for 15 million baht and although he has already moved out, there has been no transfer of ownership.
“Legally, he doesn’t own them, so he can never rent or sell them and could be removed at any time.”
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