Thai girlfriend scams in Pattaya

Published: December 31, 2021 - Reading time: 9 minutes
» Updated: June 15, 2024

Are you looking for a girlfriend in Pattaya, or are you already dating a Thai girl that lives in Pattaya? Women from around Thailand travel to Pattaya for work and to meet foreign boyfriends. It has been said that there is nowhere in the world quite the same as Pattaya, for several different reasons.

Although this article focuses on ladies that work in Pattaya, it can also apply if your girlfriend lives in Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Samui, or any ‘tourist destination’ in Thailand which has a popular nightlife scene.

This article aims to shed light on some of the more common Thai girlfriend scams which we see in Pattaya and at other popular destinations in Thailand. You may read this article thinking that it could never happen to you, many guys that fall victim to scams harbour this sort of mentality. 

Being aware of common tricks and learning to ask questions can go a long way. If you believe that you are being scammed then a private detective can often help to find answers for you.

Bar girl scams in Pattaya

If your girlfriend is working at a bar in Pattaya then the odds that she will cheat on you and service other clients are extremely high. Many ladies will tell their boyfriends that they ‘never leave the bar with customers’, and in many cases their boyfriends actually believe this.

Most bar girls are great at concealing their activities from their boyfriends, after all, it’s their job. Whether a bar girl calls you from the toilet of her customer’s hotel room to explain that she is ‘tired and going to bed’, or her ‘battery died’ and she wasn’t able to contact you for several hours… If your girlfriend works at a bar then don’t expect to find out if she is with other men unless you are actually in Thailand. 

It can be easy to fool your partner, even if you are speaking to them through the internet every day. How would you ever find out unless you are in Thailand seeing what is going on with your own eyes?

Bar girls are aware that their profession makes them unappealing to some foreigners, which is why they often conceal their work when searching for boyfriends through internet dating sites and apps.

If the lady is openly working in a bar (beer bar, or go-go bar, massage parlour, etc), then she will simply claim not to see any other customers. The reality of the situation is usually different.

We have seen many cases where our clients believed that their girlfriend had a ‘normal job’ in Pattaya however they were actually working full time at a bar. Other ladies may have regular jobs but ‘freelance’ at one of the many nightclubs or beer bars in Pattaya during the evenings and night time.

Internet dating a girl that lives in Pattaya

Many ladies that use internet dating will continue to meet with men until they have found a truly ‘serious relationship’ and a man that is able to support them adequately. If you have never met your Thai girlfriend in real life, or if you are not supporting her financially (and she is in a bad position financially), then the odds of this happening will be considerably higher.

In Thai culture, many do not recognize a relationship as legitimate until a wedding has taken place. If you are not married to your Thai girlfriend and she perceives that your relationship with her is not serious, then she might continue to date other guys until a serious enough relationship materialises.

Another factor with internet dating is that you do not truly know the history and activities of your partner. For example, in one case we were asked to investigate a Thai lady that was attending university. It turned out that she was working at a bar in Pattaya.

In another case a lady that was internet dating a foreign man told him that she worked full time at a coffee shop. It turned out that she was not working at the coffee shop and instead worked at a bar... She used photos of herself wearing a barista uniform on social media to make the lie convincing.

Once a guy has fallen in love with a lady that he met through internet dating, he will be less likely to question the truthfulness of anything she says, telling lies can become extremely easy. 

Multiple boyfriend scams

The so-called multiple boyfriend scam is one of the oldest tricks in the book. For ladies that are working in bars, or any establishment where they meet foreigners on a regular basis, forging relationships and finding boyfriends can be easier than you might think. 

If a lady is young and good looking (or even if she’s not!) it can often be easy for a beautiful woman to find half a dozen foreigners that are eager to be with her - the internet can help to make finding customers even easier.

Every man will believe that he is the only guy in her life. Perhaps some of these men will send her an ‘allowance’ every month, some others might only buy her gifts occasionally or help out with money sometimes… Others may just fly over to Thailand and spend a lot of money on her during their vacations here.

We have even seen cases where a lady will have an older guy (or guys) sending her money, while she is living with a much younger foreign man that is perhaps easier on the eyes but in a worse position financially.

This type of scam is usually run in a very ‘long haul’ type of way… A lady will not start asking you for money right off the bat. She is more likely to speak with you regularly for several months or even years; eventually she may need help with money, and by this point your feelings for her will be strong enough that you don’t question what you are being told. 

Fake identity scams

Fake identity scams are romance scams whereby the scam artist will steal another person’s identity. They will typically scrape photos from a victim’s social media pages and then use those photos claiming the victim to be themselves.

Fake identity scams have erupted globally alongside the growth of internet dating, and we often see romance scams which involve fake identities.

If you are speaking to a person over the internet and have never met them in real life then how can you ever really be sure who you are speaking to? We have seen many cases where our clients found it hard to believe that they have been scammed. Without seeking help, they may have spent more months or even years believing themselves to be in a relationship with a person that does not really exist. 

The perpetrators of fake identity scams are often not based in Thailand – you may find yourself speaking to a random person in an unknown country. You may think that something like this could never happen to you, but the unfortunate reality is that it does happen to many victims each year.

If you have any doubts about the identity of your partner then feel free to get in touch with us, we can help to verify their story and make sure that everything is as it should be.

We can help

PattayaPI are a leading detective agency based in Pattaya and covering most areas of Thailand.

If you suspect that your partner could be scamming or cheating on you then feel free to get in touch with one of our experienced team members – we offer free quotes for all work and all contact with us is strictly private & confidential. Please include as much information as possible with your inquiry so that we are able to understand your case and offer a quote if we are able to help.

Visit the PattayaPI Homepage for more information.