The International Schools Review Forum

The international teaching world is small enough that those with ambition in the field are going to want to build up a good reputation and a lot of contacts. That golden reputation and those contact are going to earn you far more in life than a credit card scam. As someone already said, when the school learned of your scam they would leak the juicy gossip to your former colleagues and notify your new place of employment. You might actually be more likely to get more sympathy with acts that are morally worse, but everyone despises a petty thief and loves to see them suffer.

Let's assume this hypothetical IT is never going to go to the ME.

Anything stopping them from doing a runner? Credit cards still easy to get outside the ME?

A bit of online research suggests you can get quite a fair bit of credit in SG and HK. If our hypothetical IT found themselves in one of those countries, they could earn themselves a nice little end of contract bonus, no?

@SJ is correct but this is the kingdom, its one of the few regions that requires an exit visa.

@Nathan61 could potentially be right. There are a lot of factors, debt is a reality of life and depending where you are the consequences could be nothing to severe.

@interteach

My apologies as @WT123 indicated it was a typo, @Joe30 is from the UK not the US.

@Joe30

No, theres nothing keeping an IT from doing a runner unless you are in a region that requires an exit visa or permission, but if your pulling a runner you arent leaving your just going on holiday and not returning.

Again, depends on the region in some regions its very challenging on anything less than PR, and in others its common, a lot depends on the IS and what they organize for new ITs.

Yes, SG and HK are regions that generally are more generous with their credit lines, in the realm of starting limits closer to $10K. If you were leaving and never coming back you could make a substantial "impromptu debarkation bonus".

When I lived in Singapore on an employment pass (work permit), I applied for a Singapore American Express card. The best credit card decision I ever made.

When I returned to the States to spend a year teaching at a school in Vermont,while still maintaining a home in Singapore, I had no stateside credit card. When I went to try and buy a car, the car salesman did a credit check on me. He told me that there is no record of me ever having credit. That's what living in Singapore for 25 years does to you.

I needed a credit card, but no credit card company would except me, since I had no credit history. An American Express card issued in any country is the only credit card that is transferable to a comparable US American Express. If you are overseas, try and get the American Express issues in that country. VISA or Mastercard issued by the bank in the country you are in will not be recognized in the US if you want to get a comparable US version.

Rob

@Rob

Thats exactly what the LW is asking, can they go OS, get a CC, max out the limit and then leave the country without the debt following them. Your credit profile in the UK (England) is based off your NIN, not your passport number which combined with your RC in the OS region is what identifies your credit profile OS.

Just remember that what is true may not be in the future. Something that is not a problem in the next two years may come back and bite you in eight years.

Certainly some good information in this thread for IT's who fancy making a bit more money. Think it should really be part of the research an IT does when deciding on a new country.

Anyone who screws a bank over is more likely to get me buying them a beer rather than judging them negatively. The banks hosed the people in 2008, so it's only right and just that they get shafted at any opportunity possible in return. Never forget.

Do statues of limitations exist in the Asia/Eastern Europe/Latin America regions? I know in the UK if you don't pay anything for 6 years and they don't get a court judgement, the debt is wiped.

Joe30 - debt and criminal case - stealing - if they come on here and you are somehow found out, you now have intent. That's now a felony theft.

@Joe30

Yes, statute of limitations exist in criminal actions and time baring in civil actions, and they vary across region, which is of far to great a scope for me to address in one topic. It would likely be the longest post Id have on record. However as per the previous discussion.
In SG civil actions for recovery of a contract (such as a CC, or other debt note) are time barred after 6 years. For criminal actions there is no statute of limitations and the criminal penalty for such an offense would likely be 1 year plus fine for fraud (cheating).
In HK civil actions for recovery of commercial transactions (such as CC or other debt note) are time barred after 6 years. For criminal actions the statute of limitations is 10 years for obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception with a maximum penalty of 10 years plus fine.

The issue of severity as addressed by @SJ are moot in these cases. In HK the offense as described above is already considered an indictable offense which is equivalent to a felony, prior intent is not relevant. In SG its possible fraud (simple cheating) could be aggravated fraud (aggravated cheating), but intent is already assumed in the lessor simple cheating offense.

And once convicted of a felony, good luck with any IT job - and if you lie and get caught, goodbye to you ASAP.

@SJ

Thats fear mongering. The probability of a felony level conviction is very, very, very, very, very, very, very low.

@PG so is the chance of (a) being hit by a car; (b) breaking your leg; (c) getting struck by lightning

But all of those happen to people every day or so.

@SJ

No its not. Those events all have vastly different probabilities. The one thats closest to a felony conviction in this scenario would be getting hit by lightning.

@PG - do you deny that people get hit by lightning then? Bad actions on your part CAN come back and bite you. I have seen it happen. Better to be on the up and up. Joe30 - if you are honestly looking to rack up credit card debt and do a runner - I am glad I (a) don't know you; and (b) don't work with you.

@SJ

Do you understand that probability and possibility are very different things?