Man used gay dating app to steal from foreigners

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

A 29-year-old man who picked up gay foreigners on dating apps and slept with them in hotel rooms has been charged with stealing from his "lovers".

Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang on Friday announced the arrest of Sirawit on a warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court. He did not give a surname for the suspect.

He said police had received complaints from several foreigners that a Thai man using a pseudonym had approached them via dating chat apps for gays, such as Grindr, Blued, Romeo, Aloha and Homet. The man slept with them in hotel rooms, then stole from them.

Investigators learned that the suspect stayed at a condominium room in Chong Nonsi area.  He was arrested, and about 10 bank account books and cash cards were seized from his room.

During questioning, Sirawit admitted preying on wealthy foreign men. He approached them using a pseudonym. After persuading them to sleep with him in hotel rooms, he tricked them into revealing the passwords for the internet banking apps they used. 

He then used them to transfer money into his own bank accounts.

He also drugged some of his victims and stole their cash and other valuables.

He admitted to police he had  been doing it for more than a year.

Pol Lt Gen Sompong said the man had stolen from at least 10 foreign men, making off with more than one million baht.

The suspect was held in police custody for legal action.

Continues with photos

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2104487/man-used-gay-dating-app-to-steal-from-foreigners

[Londoner]

I'd like to know more. What "trick" could have persuaded anyone to give up a password?  

[spoon]

The article mentioned drug, so i guess thats one of the trick. Other than that, perhaps some sort of blackmail or violence?

[Jasper]

one million baht!

 

[PeterRS]

Why would anyone in a time of extreme financial distress be so careless as to invite into his home or hotel room a total stranger just because he wants sex? How does he know what might happen? Even in a high end hotel, if he gets past security what is going to happen if he pulls out a gun or a knife and demands your cash and other valuables? Or drugs your drink when you are in the shower? In cheaper hotels there might be little or no security when he arrives. If he departs when you are in a drugged stupor, the chances are he will never be caught and you can say goodbye to what he has stolen.

[spoon]

11 hours ago, Jasper said:

one million baht!

 

Luckily he is not my type, and im not in thailand.

2 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Why would anyone in a time of extreme financial distress be so careless as to invite into his home or hotel room a total stranger just because he wants sex? How does he know what might happen? Even in a high end hotel, if he gets past security what is going to happen if he pulls out a gun or a knife and demands your cash and other valuables? Or drugs your drink when you are in the shower? In cheaper hotels there might be little or no security when he arrives. If he departs when you are in a drugged stupor, the chances are he will never be caught and you can say goodbye to what he has stolen.

Those who used grindr to find boys are basically inviting strangers to come to their place for sex. I guess if one want to avoid this, bars and massage places are the best option. On the other side of the story, ive known a boy who had been cheated by customer as well, where the customer didnt pay him after the service. He was brought to the door when the customer suddenly said he forgot something, and closed the door on him. 

[Guest]

Worrying about this in Thailand is rather like worrying about getting eaten by sharks.   It's highly unlikely to happen, but that doesn't stop people worrying about the sharks.

Such reports are very rare.

 

[anddy]

21 hours ago, reader said:

such as Grindr, Blued, Romeo, Aloha and Homet

one learns something new every day: never heard of "Aloha" app.... Anyone here?

18 hours ago, Londoner said:

I'd like to know more. What "trick" could have persuaded anyone to give up a password?  

+1 

[reader]

I believe that this occurs more often than we learn about because many victims are frequently reluctant to report them to police for the obvious reasons.

Given what we know from what police do say in the article and accompanying graphic, the suspect admits that he "had stolen from at least 10 foreign men, making off with more than one million baht. " We also know that he used multiple apps. If he admits to 10, how many did he not admit to?

As to how he managed to trick and manipulate his victims, I think Spoon has suggested the possible ways (i.e.,drugs, blackmail, violence).

I'm much more comfortable taking a stranger to my room from one of the bars or massage shops. Taking someone from the apps, or chance met elsewhere, involves certain inherent risks. Granted, the large majority of these affairs do not end up like ones described above. That is, however, of little comfort to victims of those which do go south

These events may be infrequent but are not rarities. The article discusses just one person who committed multiple crimes and says nothing about those who have done the same but have not been apprehended.

Caveat emptor.

[ishfahan2]

Thailand is quite unique in how few problems i have had of this kind as I have never had anything go missing while there is a boy in my room. 

I used to go to Prague where a few small things have disappeared and i have caught a couple of boy being nosy. 

Now I still act the way I did in Prague so there is never anything easy to find in the room and I always shower with the door open, also not drinking while looking for boys helps.

Only in thailand have I had a boy come back asking if I had given him too much money because i had tipped him a little extra. ( 500 baht more than usual)

[Guest]

Yes, I would be more careful in Europe.  

As for Thailand, I suspect such problems are rare.   

If major problems were more common, I'd like to think we'd hear about it on these forums.  After all, if you were scammed, wouldn't you want to spread the word to make it more difficult to repeat the scam ?

[reader]

3 hours ago, z909 said:

If major problems were more common, I'd like to think we'd hear about it on these forums. 

You just did hear about 10 of them.

3 hours ago, z909 said:

After all, if you were scammed, wouldn't you want to spread the word to make it more difficult to repeat the scam ?

Not necessarily. Members are more likely to offer comments about a disappointing meal, lousy hotel experience or a bad flight. But when it comes to being humiliated and scammed by another man they'd invited to their room for the promise of sex, not so much.

It's akin to admitting to "how could I have been so dumb?" Or, even more threatening to the male ego, "how could I allow another man to take advantage of me?"

Many may choose to keep quiet about it and chalk it up to experience.

This news hopefully serves as a wake up call to all of us impatiently waiting for an opportunity to return. The overwhelming majority of guys we meet will never be a problem but we have to be mindful of the risks of inviting strangers into our rooms. We all have to have our mental check lists: some things can turn out to be too good to be true.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, reader said:

It's akin to admitting to "how could I have been so dumb?" Or, even more threatening to the male ego, "how could I allow another man to take advantage of me?"

Yes, I suppose the influence of ego on thought processes & posting are more common than they should be.    

We see it on discussion boards when people sustain an argument long after facts have been posted which disprove their claims.  Instead of increasing credibility by politely admitting an error, they do the exact opposite, sustaining an argument & sometimes being rude with it.

However, for people who are really concerned about ego, remember he who has never made a mistake is lying and perhaps it's better to do the right thing by warning others.   

So far I've posted details of all my problematic encounters, although the worst of them amount to a bottle of whiskey going AWOL from the hotel mini bar, same cash going from a hotel safe in Cambodia and having to walk across the street to hotel reception wearing only a towel in Prague, after getting locked out of my room (after ejecting someone from my room).   I'd like to think I would still do this for something more embarrassing, but that remains to be tested. 

[reader]

1 hour ago, z909 said:

Instead of increasing credibility by politely admitting an error, they do the exact opposite, sustaining an argument & sometimes being rude with it.

Oh, you mean like yourself of course. You automatically assume that anything you post has to be the only accurate information on the topic.

You always demand to have the final word. Sorry, z, but it would be impolite if I neglected to point our your error.

Please don't go paranoid now and think I'm being rude.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, reader said:

Oh, you mean like yourself of course. You automatically assume that anything you post has to be the only accurate information on the topic.

You always demand to have the final word. Sorry, z, but it would be impolite if I neglected to point our your error.

If someone points out a factual error and they are correct, I accept it, hopefully with good grace.   

If someone makes an factually incorrect challenge to something I've posted, I'm perfectly entitled to reply and explain why.  

Now exactly what error are you pointing out ?      

 

 

 

[Ruthrieston]

My worst ever experience was nine years ago. I was drunk, late evening, and I invited a young gentleman from a chat site to visit my condo. On arrival we were sharing a drink when his phone rang, he chatted a while. When I asked he said it was his ladyboy friend who was downstairs and she could wait for him. Of course I said, please invite her up and she can have a drink while we play in my bedroom. (Stop laughing you lot!). At some point I heard my front door closing, went out to find my laptop computer, iPod, speaker all missing. I went crazy, dragged the young man downstairs and asked our security man to help me. He berated my visitor and the call was made, five minutes later the ladyboy rushed past sitting on the back of another person's motorbike, and threw down a bag which contained my iPod and speaker, but no laptop which is what I really wanted back. So the police were called, a large fat gentleman bursting out of his brown uniform arrived and was informed by the security man what was going on. He took the young gentleman round the back, and when they returned the young man had quite a few cuts and bruises and a black eye. Another phone call and the ladyboy again raced past on the back of a motorbike and threw down a bag with my laptop inside. By now it must have been four in the morning and I was exhausted and just staggered back up to my condo. My big mistake was not rewarding the brown suited chap. The next day I rewarded our security guard, and asked him to pass a reward on to the brown suit. Never again have I invited an unknown person over late at night or after drinking.  

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Ruthrieston said:

My big mistake was not rewarding the brown suited chap.

Thank you.   It's useful to know how efficient policing can be, just in case the need arises.  What's the expected reward ?

[reader]

14 hours ago, z909 said:

Now exactly what error are you pointing out ?     

Your error, my friend, is your belief that having the last word magically makes all your preceding words true.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, reader said:

Your error, my friend, is your belief that having the last word magically makes all your preceding words true.

That is your opinion, not my error.    

I think you got the hump with me after I pointed out the train you described as a monorail actually has wheels at each corner and runs on a pair of tracks, so is not a monorail.   Rather like describing a 4 wheeled car as a motorcycle.    Don't expect anyone else to back down on issues where it's black and white. 

You had the last word in that debate & your diatribe was more a reflection of your personality than mine.  

 

[reader]

OMG, my dear friend, this is truly classic stuff. You're persuaded that it's a monorail and not your ravings that's at issue here?

I suppose I should be flattered by the attention you shower on me. With all the bigger fish you have to fry, you still find so much time for me.

You still have to straighten out the inefficiencies in Thai bureaucracy, educate readers in how to get the cheapest dates on line, classify modes of rail transport, point out the many flaws in the bars and go-go's, and glorify the apps.

It's a good thing you're not paranoid.

 

[Guest]

If there is just one thing I need to do in life, it's to finally learn to never argue with a troll.  

Anyhow, please have the last word with your wonderful analysis:

14 minutes ago, reader said:

OMG, my dear friend, this is truly classic stuff. You're persuaded that it's a monorail and not your ravings that's at issue here?

I suppose I should be flattered by the attention you shower on me. With all the bigger fish you have to fry, you still find so much time for me.

You still have to straighten out the inefficiencies in Thai bureaucracy, educate readers in how to get the cheapest dates on line, classify modes of rail transport, point out the many flaws in the bars and go-go's, and glorify the apps.

It's a good thing you're not paranoid.

 

 

[reader]

The opening post was the news article from the Bangkok Post, my dear friend.

Your post immediately above was your 7th, the most of any respondent in the thread.

And I'm the troll?

[Lucky]

One wishes that @readerand @z909could find a way to stop the bickering here. We coexist with others on the site, and that doesn't necessarily mean liking everyone.

[Guest]

Back to the topic.

We have perhaps >10 victims from just one boy.      If such behaviour was common, I'd expect to hear more reports about issues with other boys.   Either indirectly, or from people who are confident enough to share the experience so that others may avoid it.  In the wider world, we see all sorts of people in the newspapers sharing details of how they lost their life savings etc.

I suspect the risk is low.   Perhaps there have been earlier reports of other incidents, but I don't recall them.  Certainly not as common as the appearance of the "mugging" word in the Latin America section here. 

 

As for giving away security details, there are ways and means.   For example:

On one of my very first trips I suddenly realized I had set the same PIN for the room safe as the ATM cards inside.   There are various ways of cracking room safes, including seeing which buttons are free from dust & trying each permutation of them.   I detoured back to the hotel to set a different PIN for the safe.

If anyone has an unlock PIN for the phone and that's the same as the room safe or ATM cards, then a delinquent guest only needs to see you enter the pin on one device and he's in.  Fingerprint sensors avoid that issue.  

Although if you're asleep or drugged, perhaps fingerprints are still a way into the phone and online banking apps ?

 

 

 

[Travellerdave]

Of course you have to be careful when taking boys back to your hotel or apartment. Once I was robbed because of my carelessness whilst I was staying at the Ambiance some years ago. The room safe was situated near the entrance door from the corridor and there was a further door before the bedroom. I had contacted a very attractive boy from an app for an overnight stay and by the morning everything seemed fine.  I had enjoyed sex several times during the night and before he left I went to the safe, unlocked it and took out some baht from which I gave him his tip. Later as I was leaving the room I noticed I had left the safe door open and on checking the contents found that a $100 bill, left over from a trip to Vietnam was gone. I enquired at the desk and told what had happened and asked whether they knew the boy, but they said he was new to them and gave me quite rightly a lecture about being careful about boys and safes. I checked the app a few times - I think Romeo, but he did not appear.