Letter
Here’s another letter from a reader / client who wants to share a personal experience:
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Dear Thailand Investigation readers,
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I am writing this letter for two reasons.
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One is to warn everyone of the increasing incidence of scamming, due to the global financial crisis. It’s a sad fact that while everyone is scrambling to make more money and revitalize their finances, many are taking undue advantage of unsuspecting businessmen, who despite being savvy corporate experts in their own country, do not know much about Thailand’s business environment.
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Before I continue, let me say that I believe that this is a good country, and there are genuine opportunities here for creative and innovative people. I myself, despite being from Europe, have secured a business here, but not without running into problems, which I am sharing with you now in the hope that people will read this and be spared the trouble I went to.
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Michel and his team have actually shared many tips here on how to secure your business venture. I daresay that had I followed these steps from the get go, then I would probably not have needed to hire him and his team in the first place. You have probably surmised that I was a victim of an unscrupulous business partner, who after a fruitful relationship of 4 years, took all our investments and has been in hiding. Without the skills of Michel and company, I probably would not have been able to locate him. The case is still pending, so I may not discuss the details of the case here. I am simply warning all of you to be careful, and not to trust anyone completely with your money. Some of you may say that it won’t happen to you and friends don’t always turn their back on friends. That’s what I said as well before all this happened.
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Don’t be afraid to have everything legalized and written down. If your partner is truly your friend, he or she will understand that it is not just a matter of trust, but also a matter of securing your friendship, as a written, legal document with specific terms that both of you agree on will make for a more professional business relationship between the both of you and will prevent any misunderstandings that may damage your friendship. An agreement gives both of you guidelines on how the business will be run, and money matters will spill over into your friendship.
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The second reason I am writing this is to thank Michel and his team’s effort in locating by former friend and business partner for me. Through their efforts, I was able to catch him and have him be tried for his crimes. I can only hope that at least half of what he stole for me can still be returned. Thank you to the Thailand Investigation team for handling the case discreetly and professionally, and giving me a good result. The discretion was especially important, as I have a reputation as a veteran businessman, and such an incident would have damaged that reputation.
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Thank you.
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Sincerely,
Joe
April 27th, 2009 at 17:50
Oh my God, I thought I was the only one who got fooled by a really good friend! I understand how betrayed and frustrated you feel. I my case, I knew him for more than 2 years, and we never had any problems. So when he proposed that we start a business, I was all ears, as he seemed to be doing well for himself, with a fancy apartment and all. We also had small temporary ventures together, all at his initiation, with both of us making good profits. The difference this time was that the business was supposed to be long term and a large amount had to be invested. Of course, after I said yes, you know the rest of the story. So I agree with Joe, an encourage everyone who’s entering a business to have a legal agreement. Good luck on the letter sender’s case.
April 27th, 2009 at 23:42
John Lassiter
Thank you for posting tips like this and personal stories of people who went through situations like this. It’s really helpful to learn from the articles / post you have, as well as from the personal experiences of the people you’ve helped. It really looks good to me that you try to help people help themselves first before you offer your services. It leaves people empowered with the knowledge that they can do something by themselves and don’t always have to leave everything to chance and luck. Will be sure to refer this site to people I know. Who knows, they might be directly helped by the posts here. More power!
April 28th, 2009 at 00:05
Kevin: No, you are not alone. Many people and really savvy businessmen have fallen victim to problems like these because, really no one’s perfect. Many take advantage of the years they’ve known the victim to prey on his or her trust. I have had several clients who have been victimized by people they thought they knew. Especially for those who hit big, they are willing to invest years because the returns really make up for it. They get so much that they retire after a few years and just very few victims.
John: Thank you for passing by and leaving your thoughts, as well as for referring us. It is much appreciated.
July 14th, 2011 at 13:21
haha Do you think MMA will take over Traditional Martial Arts?