A hotel guest was robbed by a fake housekeeper, and I’m kind of surprised that someone would fall for this?
Four Points by Sheraton guest robbed while in room
This incident happened at the Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham (in Washington) on July 18, 2021. A victim had rented a room at the hotel, and shortly after checking in there was a knock at her door. The guest stated that the woman at the door claimed to be from housekeeping, and wanted to make sure all of the appropriate amenities were in the room.
The victim allowed the woman into the room, let her walk around freely, and didn’t watch her while she was in there. It was later determined that while in the room, the victim’s keys, wallet, credit cards, and roughly $2,300 in cash, were stolen.
There’s so much that’s confusing here:
- Am I the only one who keeps an eye on people in the room, even if they’re actual hotel employees?
- How big of a guest room are we talking about that this thief was able to steal so many different things without being noticed?
- One has to wonder if this guest was somehow specifically targeted, since she happened to have $2,300 in cash; most people don’t carry nearly that much cash
- This seems like a high-risk theft, since there are typically cameras in hotels and limited exits
This incident reminded me of something that happened to me at a London hotel in 2016, where three kids forced their way into my room as soon as I checked in. They ended up stealing a wireless device (not belonging to me).
How was the thief caught?
A 37-year-old woman was later identified as the thief, based on fingerprints left in the room. Furthermore, hotel video surveillance showed footage of someone that resembled her. However, she wasn’t caught until January 10, 2022 (several months later), when she was spotted at Winco, “where she had been permanently banned from entering.”
At that point it was determined that there were warrants out for her arrest. The police officer told the woman to turn off her car, but she put it in reverse and drove off. There was then a police chase that involved driving over 100mph, and she was eventually caught.
She has now been charged with second-degree burglary, second-degree theft, first-degree criminal impersonation, and attempting to allude police. She was released on $10,000 bail on February 25, 2022.
Bottom line
A Four Points by Sheraton guest in Washington was robbed by a person posing as a housekeeper. The fake housekeeper claimed to be checking on the guest’s room, but stole $2,300 in cash, among other things. It’s hard to imagine that someone would fall for something like this, but perhaps the thief was convincing.
What do you make of this fake housekeeping robbery?
(Tip of the hat to View from the Wing)
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