Philip Crabb Thailand

Hi Bloggers,

I just wanted to put up a special post about Philip Dunne or Philip Crabb, the man who scammed me for $22,500 back in 2013. Just so there's some proper record of him on the internet to warn potential victims off. Of course, it's a long time ago (2013), but you never really forget something like that. It's not just the money, it's also the personal humiliation.

Basically, I bought a franchise for his company Island TEFL in Thailand, thinking I would be running a profitable business in a field I was expert in (TEFL). However, his intention to scam me became clear from quite early on. He immediately started fabricating reasons to put me in "breach of contract". It was almost obsessive. In reality, however, the exact opposite was the truth. He was the one breaking the contract. For example, it turned out that his company was not even registered. He also wanted me to list my franchise as a company fully in my name even though I was only 50% of the franchise.  He was coming up with all kinds of twisted legal bullshit all the time.  Basically, it was the law according to Philip Dunne/Crabb, which in effect meant whatever suited him at any given moment. All completely of his own concoction.

Philip Crabb

He was simply one of the nastiest people I've ever known. He quickly took a dislike to me on a personal level and after that it was just one continual torrent of abuse from him. Constant outbursts of bad temper. Every email he sent me insulted me in some way. For example, he'd call me dumber than I looked, illiterate and even gave me a nickname, Popeye. Just totally unprofessional.  Fortunately, I never met him in person.  In fact, that was the main lesson I learnt from this - never do business with someone you haven't met, because your personal relationship is always of paramount importance, particularly in a small business context.

In the end he didn't even pay me my share of the profits, which should have been about $5,000. Again, completely in breach of contract, as that was the cornerstone of our business agreement. So, the end result was that I effectively paid him $22,500 to be his slave. Quite a deal for him. He pocketed my money, got me to manage and deliver a course for free, and then kept all the profits for himself. Wow!

I could write reams more about this guy and his misdemeanors, but that would be too long for this blog. Apart from being an obvious criminal, this guy clearly has some serious psychological issues and should be on the psychiatrist's couch. His pompous moralising and pseudo-intellectuality are just a couple of examples of his twisted psyche. Not to mention being a complete sociopath.

Of course, being in Thailand, it was almost impossible to get any legal redress. So, readers, please do be warned about these kinds of scam in developing countries.

Please do also feel free to email me if you want any more information about this particular man.