10 warning signs to look for in your Thai girlfriend or wife

March 3, 2018 - Reading time: 10 minutes

Thousands of foreign guys visit Thailand each year and form romantic relationships with Thai women. If you are one of those men, then you should be aware of signs and things to look for in your Thai girlfriend. Thai culture and Thailand are very different to countries in the Western world, so we have compiled these top 10 warning signs we think are a good starting point if you suspect that your partner might be cheating on you.

If you are falling in love with a Thai woman, then you should be diligent and make sure that you are not falling victim to infidelity or a romance scam. Some Thai women, especially those working in the nightlife scene, seek to take advantage of foreign men. If you see multiple warning signs listed in this article in your girlfriend, then this would indicate that perhaps she is not a “good girl”.

1. She constantly talks about money or asks you for money

A good Thai woman would never request money from a man she is just starting a relationship with; this is not an appropriate sign when you are still getting to know each other and should act as a red flag. Common excuses for money can include: her parent’s buffalo is sick, she needs money for her family's medical bills, home improvement, debt repayments or even just help paying for rent and food... Many Thai women that have been involved with the sex industry are especially good liars and know how to get money from foreign men!

However, we should note that many Thai women are aware that asking for cash early on in a relationship will be seen as a red flag. They may wait and play the long game, slowly build up to a situation where you are asked to help them out with extra cash, or until you are in a position where you feel that you should help.

2. She spends a lot of time in bars

Alcohol is tolerated in Thai society and culture, but responsibly so. Most people in Thailand wouldn't consider spending night after night sat on a bar stool getting wasted. If you're looking for a party animal and someone to have a casual time with, this could suit you. But if you're looking for a serious, stable relationship, maybe this isn't the person for you. If your girlfriend is working at a bar in Thailand then this is another story altogether... Most of the bar girls investigated by us are found to be cheating on their foreign boyfriends. Learn more on our bar girl investigations page.

Many women that hang around nightclubs, bars, or discos, in Thailand are in-fact freelancers. These ladies will stay out drinking night after night in order to find customers who they can get paid to spend time with. If your Thai girlfriend is spending a lot of time in nightlife venues or drinking alcohol, then this should act as a big red flag.

3. She has tattoos

While this point in itself doesn't automatically make someone a bad person, tattoos on women are very much frowned on in Thai society. Tattooed women have become synonymous with the sex industry in Thailand with bar girls and go-go dancers frequently sporting ink. Outside of the night life and in normal society, women with tattoos carry a stigma and this should raise another red flag against your Thai partner. While attitudes towards tattoos in Thailand are slowly changing, ink on your Thai girlfriend could be a sign that she is, or was, involved in the sex industry. For more information about tattoos, read our blog post Thai women with tattoos.

4. She smokes cigarettes

Good women that haven't been involved in the sex industry night life don't tend to use tobacco in Thailand. Smoking cigarettes is very common with ladies working in shady beer bars and can be a sign of a troublesome past. Smoking cigarettes is not a good sign and you should encourage your Thai girlfriend to quit smoking, for her own health if nothing else.

5. She wears a large amount of gold

Gold is worn in Thailand and used as an investment as it can easily be pawned or sold when falling on hard times. Thai gold is of a very high purity (usually 23 karat) and has a distinctive yellow colour. However, it should be worn tastefully with no more than a couple of items, for example one necklace and 2 rings.

If someone is wearing multiple thick gold chains or rings worth thousands of dollars, they could be seen as flaunting their wealth and showing off. This isn't an attractive trait and could be a sign they are used to a very expensive lifestyle, or that they have had many foreign guys send them money. If your Thai girlfriend is wearing thousands of dollars’ worth of gold, then ask yourself how she was able to save the money to purchase her jewellery.

6. Her English is very good but she never attended university

Public schools in Thailand do not tend to teach a high level of English, if at all. If you're dating someone that speaks English but never attended university or English classes, this could be a sign that they've learned the English they speak by hanging out with foreigners in bars and other seedy places.

Ladies that work at nightlife areas in Thailand tend to develop “bar girl English”, where they speak enough English to communicate simple phrases but use incorrect grammar. Some people find this type of broken English difficult to understand.

7. She swears a lot

A good, respectable Thai woman, cares about how other people perceive her and would not use English swear words when speaking to their boyfriend or anyone else in public. You might find it amusing if your darling swears like a drunken sailor, but this is definitely not a good thing and highly taboo in Thai culture. Most Thai women will speak as politely as possible and not adopt swear words.

8. She says that all Thai men are "no good"

With every group of people in the world there are good and bad, and Thai men are no exception to this. While there may be cases of domestic violence or abuse in Thailand, it's just not true that all Thai men are bad. Thai men typically respect their girlfriends or wives in the same way that you would expect with a Western relationship. If a woman tells you that "all Thai men are no good" perhaps this is a sign that Thai men just don't like her, and maybe there is a reason for them to feel this way.

9. She is constantly on the phone texting while spending time with you

It is never a good trait if your girlfriend or the lady you're dating is constantly using her phone and texting while you're together. This type of behaviour is disrespectful and shows that you’re not deserving of her full attention. You should become extremely suspicious if she hides her phone screen from you or walks away from you to secretly speak with people in English in the toilet or somewhere else... No matter the excuses, these are huge red flags that the woman could actively be in a relationship with another man. If your girlfriend is very concerned with texting on her phone, and especially if she hides her phone screen when you try to look, this is a big red flag that perhaps you’re not the only man in her life.

10. She is involved with illegal drugs

This by far the most serious warning sign to look for in your prospective partner in Thailand. Drug use and drug dealing is extremely taboo in the kingdom. There are 35 crimes that can earn you a death sentence in Thailand with drug trafficking being on that list. If you encounter anyone involved with illegal drugs in Thailand the best thing to do is walk away. While low-level type drug use might be tolerated in your home country, in Thailand there are extremely severe penalties for recreational drug use. If your Thai girlfriend dabbles in the drug scene this should be seen as a major warning sign.

Check your Thai girlfriend

As a leading detective agency based in Thailand, we have exposed hundreds of Thai women that were found to be cheating on their partners. Romance scams can take many forms, with fake university students, women who claim to work regular jobs but that actually work in the bar scene, and many other cases.

Here are some of the most common services that we provide in order to check Thai girlfriends:

1. Background checks

Background checks are a good starting point to check your Thai girlfriend and can help you to avoid making costly mistakes. We can check a lady’s marital history, children, employment, education, and many other different factors. We offer standard and enhanced background checks depending on the needs of our client. Read more on our background checks page. 

2. Personal surveillance

Personal surveillance is perhaps the most typical service provided by private investigators. We can track, follow and monitor people, collecting images and reporting back to our client with the results. Is she visiting other men late at night? Does she flirt with customers or colleagues while at work? Are men visiting her at home? These are the types of questions that surveillance typically answers.

3. Decoy service

Our decoy service provides a discreet and cost effective method of checking your Thai girlfriend and is most suited to ladies working in bars, go-gos, massage parlours, hotels, and any customer service oriented job. Most of the bar girls investigated by us are found to continue sleeping with other men while their boyfriends are living abroad - in these cases our decoy service can provide a clear answer to our clients. We offer free quotes for all work. Please feel free to get in touch with us and see how we can help in your case.

Learn more about Pattaya private investigators.