How important is a "bankbook" ??

[Peterplay]

For me a bankbook that you update once in a while has always been a kind of reminder, a service by the (SIAM in this case, I assume every bank has this system or is that a wrong assumption?) bank that shows you what money you have taken or deposited. Nobody obliges you to update it and the amount in the book could be drastically different from the actual amount in your account. So what importance does it have, especially if you have internet access to your account.

Well, I lost my book, I am 98% sure, hence pretty sure that I left it at the branche in Carrefour, but they didn’t know there. I went to the bank head office in Udon where my account runs to ask for a new book. No way, I first had to report to the police and get a document there before they wanted to contemplate giving me a new book.

I can understand that you need to report the loss of an important document like a pp or something that involves money to be lost or gained from insurance. But this never-up-to-date bankbook, go to the police ??
I felt this was a pretty ridiculous thing and I am now contemplating just emptying my account in due time and leave it as it is.

Do you feel my irritation was/is justified, or is there a good reason to involve the police?

By the way, it is not a BIG drama for me, I am just curious if I am overseeing some important something which makes my irritation unjust.

[UdonExpat]

The bankbook is necessary to make withdrawals over the daily ATM limit.

Theoretically, someone could withdraw your money with the book. Of course, they would need to be able to forge your signature and have fake ID with your name. If there is a lot of money in the account it might be worth the effort. They can easily update the book to find out how much is in the account.

The bank is being reasonable in requiring a police report. It helps to protect both of you.

Of course, your plan to empty the account would protect you from any monetary loss, but not necessarily the use of your bankbook in some kind of fraudulent activity. I don't know if you would have any liability for its fraudulent use because you failed to report the loss to the police. There are probably any number of scams that can be run with a bankbook.

[parrot]

I lost my driver's license several years ago (left it at the bank). I had to obtain a police report before the folks at Noonsoon would issue a new one. (2 weeks after I got the new one, I received the old one in the mail....complements of the nice teller at BKK bank who sent it to the address on the license).

Speaking of bankbooks........I had multiple accounts when I was in the US, but didn't have bank books for any of them. I think they went away with carbon paper.

[Mr Natural]

I would report the lost bankbook or empty the account.

I was a bit shocked the last time I took out a large amount of cash from my bank here in Thailand. I put the withdrawl slip, my bankbook and my passport on the counter, and the teller did not even look at my passport!

This my just be a one-time oversite, but it shows me it could be possible for someone to withdraw your money using just the bankbook!

[Welshboy]

As I am not a resident in Thailand. Every time there is a transaction on my Thai bank account, my G/F gets a text message on her phone. This is good for me. Because, if there was a transaction when I am out of the country, she can go straight to the bank & inform them that I am in the UK.
NO I am not as stupid as to leave here my bank book or card.

[Peterplay]

@Udonexpat,
Good input, I need it to get larger soms of money. Which by itself is pretty stupid, if you have a pincard with a pinnumber and a passport, why would you need a bankbook with old information inside? They can check the account in the office.

Anyway, this time there is only 5000 baht in the account.

Maybe I mellow down and go to the police after all instead of emptying it. (The police station is not my favourate place, certainly not after I had to pay 500 baht because I double parked 3 seconds (almost literally) in town to let somebody out.)
After all, it's their system and who am I to challenge it ?

What upsets me as well is that even at the head office it's hard to see somebody who speaks a bit English.

Have all banks a bankbook system ?

[wynnsiensheng]

IN Thailand, I htink all banks have bank books. It's possible, although I do not know for sure, that a police report is required so that there is an official record that the book has been stolen, just in case you are the one attempting fraudulent action. By making the police report yourself, if it ever comes to light that you had, in fact, not innocently lost the book, you would not have the ability to argue that there had just been a misunderstanding between you and the bank. That the information in the book is not up to date, is not the issue, it's whether it has or has not been innocently lost, something that is important if it is misused at a later date.

I think some insurance companies require a similar thing for theft claims.

[Texpat]

2010 -- paper bank books...?

Next you'll be telling us they have some cockamamie house registration scheme to keep track of everybody.

[rick]

You can still get pass books for some accounts in UK. great for the senior citizens who do not like machines.

[parrot]

"Next you'll be telling us they have some cockamamie house registration scheme to keep track of everybody."

I'm not sure about that, but I do know they still use typewriters and carbon paper here. And, try to find a student that doesn't have a whiteout pen in his/her bookbag.

[MALC]

can anyone please tell me if one can get or where a safety deposit box in udon thanks malc