Here We Go Again - Another Large Theft from Hotel Safe

[Gaybutton]

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE:

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400,000 Baht Room Safe Theft at Central Pattaya Hotel

 

Late on Friday Night, Police Lieutenant Colonel Wirawoot from Pattaya Police Station was called to the Pattaya Place Guest House located in Soi 13 off Pattaya Third Road to investigate the theft of a safe-box from a room occupied by a German Tourist. Officers were directed to room number 301 on 3rd floor and met with Mr. Hans Gunter aged 68.

 

He returned to his room after a night out and realized his door was open and the room safe had disappeared. Inside was 150,000 Baht and 5,000 Euro’s along with Mr. Gunter’s passport and plane ticket along with personal items. Khun Sooksak aged 32, the owner of the guesthouse explained that a middle-eastern man had checked in but did not complete any registration documents. He was assigned room number 302 which is opposite the victims room.

 

Although the man had not checked out, his room was found to be empty apart from a single shirt in the wardrobe. Police have received a description of the suspect and they will attempt to locate and arrest him and recover the stolen items for Mr. Gunter.

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I've lost count of how many similar stories there have been over the years. You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe. Repeat after me: You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe. You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe.

 

Is there anyone who still doesn't get that and can't figure out why you don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe?

[Guest tdperhs]

You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe.

At the risk of offending a very close and respected friend, I have to take that advice one step farther. Do not leave valuable and critical items in any safe. Even in your home. By its very nature, a safe is an UN-safe place to keep valuables (Most hotel and home safes can be dismounted in three to five minutes and have only 2,000 permutations. Its existence is a notice to thieves that "This is where the loot is." BT150,000 and EU 5,000 is a ridiculous amount to carry in cash. Why not just wear a sign that says, "Rob here."

I am suspicious of another part of that report. Did the thief intend to just break into the room and hope he hit the jackpot? Bear in mind that the robber paid money up front to get his room. Who invests that kind of money on a speculation? No thief who does not have some information that a significant amount of money can be found at the location would waste his time and money.

Es tut mir leit, mein Herr. Sie haben ihre Gelt im Pattaya verloren. Viele gluek.(Enschulegen Sie, bitte. Ich habe kein umlaut).

[Guest]

1 Hotel safes are often not fixed down at all or held down by very short 3/4" screws into chipboard. One tug & it's gone.

 

2 Try searching for how to open a safe with a potato on You Tube.

 

However, in hotels with good reputations & when one has visitors, I think the safe has a role for storing cameras & modest sums of cash.

 

A poll run on the Sawatdee forum indicated 88% had never had a problem with hotel safes, 7% didn't use them and 4% had encountered thefts.

 

Also, it's quite easy to open a savings account in Thailand.

[Gaybutton]

A poll run on the Sawatdee forum indicated 88% had never had a problem with hotel safes, 7% didn't use them and 4% had encountered thefts.

The vast majority of people have never been hit by a car when trying to cross a street, but that doesn't negate the necessity of looking both ways first.

 

However, in hotels with good reputations & when one has visitors, I think the safe has a role for storing cameras & modest sums of cash.

I agree. To me, the purpose of the room safe is to have a place to store valuables while you have a 'guest' in the room with you. Other than that I think there simply is too much risk involved storing large amounts of cash and valuables in a safe.

 

While according to that poll only 4% of those who responded were victims of theft, how would you like to be one of the people within that 4%? No thank you very much. When I'm traveling I'll stick to travel checks and debit cards. So, I'll pay the 150 baht. Given the choice of losing 150 baht per transaction or risking the loss of 400,000 cash, it doesn't take much thinking to figure out the preferable choice.

 

I have yet to understand why people keep such large amounts of cash anywhere other than in a bank account.

 

Usually it turns out that the thieves were aware of the fact that large amounts of cash were being kept in a particular safe in a hotel or in one's home. How do they know? The only two ways that I'm coming up with would be if the theft victim told people that he's got that much cash or if the thieves hang out in banks, look for potential victims who withdraw large amounts of cash, and then follow them. How else do they know? I have yet to ever read a story about a thief who stole an empty safe.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

"Khun Sooksak aged 32, the owner of the guesthouse explained that a middle-eastern man had checked in but did not complete any registration documents. He was assigned room number 302 which is opposite the victims room."

 

Isn't this strange that the guy did not complete any registration docs.? It sounds like an inside job to me.

[Guest joseph44]

"Khun Sooksak aged 32, the owner of the guesthouse explained that a middle-eastern man had checked in but did not complete any registration documents. He was assigned room number 302 which is opposite the victims room."

 

Isn't this strange that the guy did not complete any registration docs.? It sounds like an inside job to me.

Last night 1 a.m. I woke up because someone tried to open my door. In fact he/she succeeded, but luckily I did use the extra hinge (whatever it name is!). The person closed the door and left, leaving behind his her helmet including motorbike keys ???

I found the helmet this morning when I left my room and gave it to the security guard. He smiled as if he knew who the helmet belonged to.

 

I wrote an email to the manager in order to find out who was at my door at 1 a.m. and how it could happen.

 

Nobody has a key of my room; there is a key-card system in place along with cctv-system. I think it's some drunk twat trying to enter the wrong room, leaving me with the question: How could a locked room be opened??

 

Just in case: I took all valuables with me this morning. Wonder how my condo looks tonight when I return home!!

[Guest fountainhall]

While according to that poll only 4% of those who responded were victims of theft, how would you like to be one of the people within that 4%? No thank you very much. When I'm traveling I'll stick to travel checks and debit cards . . . Usually it turns out that the thieves were aware of the fact that large amounts of cash were being kept in a particular safe in a hotel or in one's home

For much of my working life, I have spent an average of at least 90 nights in hotels each year. If I am on a long trip visiting several countries, I always carry around some cash of the various countries and bills of some other major currency in addition to credit cards. In recent years, I have always used hotel room safes - only occasionally the hotel‘s safe deposit rooms. I have never been robbed and, touch wood, will be lucky in future. Perhaps fortunately, I am able to stay in hotels with pretty good security systems where it would be hard, but not impossible, to get into rooms and haul out a safe without being detected.

 

But from the comments in this post, touching wood may not be enough as my luck should be running out. To try to avoid that, I never keep everything of value in the safe. Believing that that is the first place a thief will look, I have a hardshell case with two types of built-in lock. Some go in there. Of course a thief could easily carry the case out of a room, but I reckon he’d assume he had found everything if he’d succeeded in opening the safe and found a few bills. And there are other ways of distributing smaller items – stuffed into sneakers, etc. A security expert would probably cringe, but so far it has worked.

 

That apart, however, there are occasionally times when I have to use larger amounts of cash and neither traveller’s cheques nor credit cards are accepted. For example, later this year I will spend a lot of time in South America staying in a mix of hotels and nice guesthouses. The latter are all top of their respective tripadviser lists and so I am confident they are quality establishments. However, they only take US$ or € cash – no credit cards and no local currency. Since I am covering several countries, I cannot see how opening a bank account in one will help – even if it is possible for a non-resident to do that. Does anyone know of any way I can access US$ cash there by using a credit card or traveller’s cheques?

 

I am suspicious of another part of that report. Did the thief intend to just break into the room and hope he hit the jackpot? Bear in mind that the robber paid money up front to get his room. Who invests that kind of money on a speculation? No thief who does not have some information that a significant amount of money can be found at the location would waste his time and money

I am 100% certain the thief knew exactly what he was after. As GB pointed out, perhaps he had seen the guy carrying the cash or heard him bragging about it.

 

Isn't this strange that the guy did not complete any registration docs.? It sounds like an inside job to me

Not only strange, it is against the law.

[Gaybutton]

Isn't this strange that the guy did not complete any registration docs.? It sounds like an inside job to me.

Even if it was an inside job, how would anyone have known that this particular person was carrying enough cash to make it worthwhile to break into his room and steal the safe? Unless he was stupid enough to flash the cash or open his mouth about it, I don't see how anyone would have known which room to hit.

 

Also, what became of the safe? Unless the thief broke it open and then abandoned it while he was still in the venue, how did he get it out of the place without arousing suspicion? I suppose there are any number of ways he could have done it (if indeed it was a 'he'), but he still would have had to risk being caught with it.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

My guess is that when he got his credit card out to book into the hotel, the clerk or someone else saw the money. By virtue of the fact that the thief was able to take the safe out of the hotel without arousing suspicion makes me convinced it was an inside job.

[Gaybutton]

My guess is that when he got his credit card out to book into the hotel, the clerk or someone else saw the money.

Perhaps, but it would have to be quite a large wallet to be able to hold 400,000 baht.

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Maybe it was a man's handbag.

[Guest fountainhall]

And there are other ways of distributing smaller items – stuffed into sneakers, etc. A security expert would probably cringe, but so far it has worked

I feel I have to amplify this comment or other posters will rightly have a go at me for leaving valuables where, for example, hotel housekeeping staff could find them. When I refer to sneakers, you will know that most have quite a thick sole in them which can be quite tricky to take out. That I find is a good place to put a few bills. Stuff a sock on top and I have never had anything go missing - yet. I also sometimes stuff a few bills into used socks which I then put into a drawer along with my other dirty washing. Since I never use hotel laundries, there's no chance the bills will end up in the washing machine.

 

By splitting my cash between the hotel safe, my double-locked heavy duty suitcase and a few other places, I reckon at worst I will lose a small amount of my cash, if any.

 

Incidentally, I was chatting the other day with a friend who works in a relatively small 5-star Bangkok hotel. We were talking about the hotel's policy re joiners (no problem as long as they are not too scruffily dressed). He asked me how many security cameras they have. I had no clue, but guessed there would be a couple on each floor, one in each lift, a few in the car park and a few on the lobby and restaurant floors - somewhere between 40 and 60. Wrong! They have 300!

[Bob]

Somewhat related to some of the comments, how many of you guys actually have your credit card information (card number and the information on the backside of the card as to where to call in case of a problem or theft) written down in case it's needed? I've got the info on a word document on my laptop but, of course, have never had to make use of it. And, with my luck, some day somebody will steal both the laptop and the credit cards.....

[Guest Astrrro]

My gut feeling is that he robbed himself to collect insurance money.

[Guest]

My gut feeling is that he robbed himself to collect insurance money.

 

Very unlikely given the middle eastern gentleman who checked in, without registering AND THEN DISAPPEARED.

 

Odd how this guy was given a room directly opposite, knew the cash was there AND managed to smuggle a safe out of the hotel, without ever providing any evidence of registration.

I wouldn't want to stay at a hotel like that. In fact, I would advocate boycotting such places to encourage survival of only the hotels with reasonable security measures.

 

Actually, I don't recall reading about any cases of theft from safes in the popular Pattaya gay hotels, so why not stick to these?

[Guest fountainhall]

how many of you guys actually have your credit card information (card number and the information on the backside of the card as to where to call in case of a problem or theft) written down in case it's needed?

Anyone who travels is crazy not to have this information readily available. I had my wallet stolen at the airport in Barcelona. The credit card numbers were in my organiser and I was on the hotline phone within minutes. All were cancelled, I got replacements very quickly and nothing had been charged to them. I recommend that if you have more than one credit card, keep one apart from your wallet so you have access to some credit if the wallet disappears.

[Gaybutton]

Anyone who travels is crazy not to have this information readily available.

I think the most reliable way is to send the information to yourself in an Email. That way, even if you lose everything you can still easily retrieve your information from your Email.

 

Also, it doesn't hurt to put a copy of your passport and other ID information on an Email to yourself as well. If you are ever unfortunate enough to lose your passport, the more ID evidence you can give to the embassy, the easier it is to get a new passport. If you have copies on your Email, all you need to retrieve the copies is an Internet shop and a printer.

[Guest]

1 You could store copies of credit card details on Google Documents (obviously excluding passwords & the REALLY confidential stuff).

 

2 For about 50 baht, the tailors around the back of Tuk Com will fit an extra concealed pocket on the inside of your trousers. That reduces the risk of pick pocketing significantly.

 

3 I must also get better at finding really sneaky hiding places for stuff.

[Gaybutton]

3 I must also get better at finding really sneaky hiding places for stuff.

I know a good place for you to hide your money . . . my bank account.

[Guest fountainhall]

I think the most reliable way is to send the information to yourself in an Email . . . Also, it doesn't hurt to put a copy of your passport and other ID information on an Email to yourself as well.

I have heard that emails are not totally secure and that - theoretically, at least - someone could hack into them. So I never send such sensitive information unless I slightly disguise it. With credit cards, I suggest you have two emails for each card - the first with digits 1, 3, 5 etc. and the other with digits 2, 4, 6 etc. Yes, an astute hacker could still work out the full number, but I think it extremely unlikely they'd bother.

 

I also agree everyone should have a copy of their passport details. I have two, but not on emails. I copy the details page and the Thai visa page, place them back-to-back and then get two copies laminated. One comes with me and is always kept apart from the passport itself. The other I send to a relative.

 

After reading this post and my earlier one about stuffing bills into sneakers and dirty washing, I can already hear someone asking why I am much more careful about credit cards and passports than money. It's just the way it's worked out for me over the years, I guess.

[Guest chiangmaidude]

Even if it was an inside job, how would anyone have known that this particular person was carrying enough cash to make it worthwhile to break into his room and steal the safe?

 

A tiny spy cam can easily be installed just about anywhere these days and go unnoticed. Only stay at very reputable places...

[Gaybutton]

A tiny spy cam can easily be installed just about anywhere these days and go unnoticed. Only stay at very reputable places...

I never thought of that. Good point.

[Guest]

A tiny spy cam can easily be installed just about anywhere these days and go unnoticed. Only stay at very reputable places...

 

I need to stay somewhere that permits my disreputable visitors .

 

 

1 Where possible, I prefer to stay at places recommended on these forums. I don't recall reading ANY reports of thefts at the common gay guesthouses. If going elsewhere in Asia, I like to check the reports on Trip Advisor etc.

 

2 Also, take note of the hotel concerned here & boycott it. Also, if this happens to you, spread the news on Trip Advisor & other sites. Hurting hotels in the pocket is the only way to ensure they improve their security.

[Guest chiangmaidude]

My habit when traveling is to stay at a reputable place, and conduct my disreputable picnics of joy at lesser hotels.

[Guest beachlover]

You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe. Repeat after me: You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe. You don't keep large amounts of money in a hotel safe.

 

LOL... ok ok.

 

I agree. To me, the purpose of the room safe is to have a place to store valuables while you have a 'guest' in the room with you. Other than that I think there simply is too much risk involved storing large amounts of cash and valuables in a safe.

 

Yeah, I agree. It's for convenient short-term security storage. I keep anything really valuable locked in my suit case.

 

I have yet to understand why people keep such large amounts of cash anywhere other than in a bank account.

 

I often travel with $2k to $3k in cash but I keep it locked and hidden in various locations deep inside my suitcase and bag. Sometimes it's just easier to have a big wad of cash.

 

Last night 1 a.m. I woke up because someone tried to open my door. In fact he/she succeeded, but luckily I did use the extra hinge (whatever it name is!). The person closed the door and left, leaving behind his her helmet including motorbike keys ???

I found the helmet this morning when I left my room and gave it to the security guard. He smiled as if he knew who the helmet belonged to.

 

God, that sounds dodgy. I would have pursued that further. What kind of place was this?

 

By splitting my cash between the hotel safe, my double-locked heavy duty suitcase and a few other places, I reckon at worst I will lose a small amount of my cash, if any.

 

Yeah, that's what I do. Some in the wallet. Some for immediate use in the safe. The rest in the suit case. And a small reserve in the day bag.

 

Somewhat related to some of the comments, how many of you guys actually have your credit card information (card number and the information on the backside of the card as to where to call in case of a problem or theft) written down in case it's needed? I've got the info on a word document on my laptop but, of course, have never had to make use of it. And, with my luck, some day somebody will steal both the laptop and the credit cards.....

 

I know my credit card, account numbers along with my bank's phone number (although you could look this up in two seconds on their website) by memory.

 

I can already hear someone asking why I am much more careful about credit cards and passports than money. It's just the way it's worked out for me over the years, I guess.

 

That makes sense... much more of a pain in the arse to lose cards and passports than cash, which is easily replaced (depending on how much).