The scam involving Bangkok hotels and how they steal money from working girls has been going on for years. Here at WoWasis, to our knowledge, it’s a topic that’s never been reported. Like all scams, though, it should be reported as the first step in correcting it. But unlike most scams that affect other people, there’s something many people can and should do to stop this one. Here’s how it works…
The scam involves hotel desk personnel and the female entertainment providers that visit a male customer’s room for companionship services. Upon entering the hotel, these women must relinquish their Thai national identification cards or, if non-Thai citizens, their passports. The ladies then go to a given man’s room, provide companionship services, then leave. They usually leave the man’s room unaccompanied. When they arrive at the desk to reclaim their identification cards or passports, they are forced to pay 100 or 200 baht to the person at the desk, usually a member of hotel security. No pay, no ID. The lady has no one to complain to, so must pay this bribe to get her ID back. The security man would never do this in the presence of a hotel guest. It only occurs when she’s unaccompanied by a man. It happens at virtually every hotel in Bangkok. Probably yours is one of them.
This scam, incidentally often works in conjunction with “joiner fees,” charged to the desk for bringing a female guest up to his room.
Men who avail themselves of companionship services, therefore, can stop these women from being scammed and exploited simply by accompanying them from their rooms, back to the desk where their IDs are held, and making sure they get them returned, bribe free.
While researching this story, we found not a single man that knew this con existed or was prevalent. The women we interviewed, though all did, but were surprised that the men were not aware of it. It’s one of the best-kept secrets in Thailand. it no longer has to, or should, be that way.
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