Have some fun for $200? Insurance agent opens up about being sexually harassed by prospective client

Rude and entitled customers are the bane of every sales professional's life. But one insurance agent's prospective client overstepped all the boundaries when he allegedly badgered her for "some fun" in return for his business.

While the man who propositioned her after a business meeting at his home was given a verbal warning by the police, financial consultant Betty Chan feels more should be done, she told AsiaOne on Wednesday (Aug 19).

Chan, 28, had met the man to discuss financial plans on Aug 16, she shared in a series of Instagram Stories the next day. 

The appointment, which took place at his one-room flat, had gone routinely until the man asked her if she wanted to "have some fun", she recalled.

Thinking that she had misheard him, she jokingly asked if his house had a playground.

But he persisted, she said, asking her once more to "have some fun with [him] in the room at the back".

"I started looking around the room and I saw that the wooden doors were closed.

"Knowing that if I had screamed, no one would hear, I felt myself trembling."

Gathering her composure, she responded firmly that she was only at his house "as a professional".

But even after her repeated rejections, the man did not back down — he went as far as to offer her $150, and later $200 for sexual favours and even promised to "sign all the plans" she had proposed, she said.

Her uneasiness only intensified when her phone calls to her boyfriend went unanswered.

Fortunately, she was able to get to the doors, which were unlocked, and flee the apartment.

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In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged on Aug 17.

However, the matter was concluded with the man only receiving a "stern verbal warning", Chan said. 

"I don't think it's enough," she lamented. "In my point of view, in Singapore, if you litter, you at least get fined. For this kind of thing, no."

Chan, who has been in the insurance industry for over a year, shared that such encounters are "very, very common".

She and her colleagues have had clients try to offer them money or sign plans for sexual favours and they are usually able to swiftly shut down such proposals.

However, this was her worst encounter as the man was "very persistent" and she was alone, she said.

It took "much thought" for her to decide to share her story, she said, but she hopes that by speaking up, others can learn from her experience and those who have gone through the same thing would know that they are not alone.

Sexual harassment from clients not new issue

The issue of clients or prospects behaving inappropriately is certainly not new.

Back in 2014, Azuar Ahamad was convicted of raping and sexually assaulting eight women and molesting another 14, many of whom were sales executives.

Dubbed by the prosecution as "the worst serial rapist" in Singapore, Azuar would pose as a prospective client and take advantage of the women after spiking their drinks.

While comprehensive statistics on sexual assault are hard to come by as many sexual assault cases go unreported, figures from Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) suggest the workplace sexual harassment is still an issue of concern.

Of the 808 cases Aware's Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) saw in 2018, 21 per cent involved perpetrators who had gotten to know the victims through their workplace.

While sexual harassment can occur anywhere, workplace harassment, including advances from clients, is "particularly egregious" as it can involve the abuse of power and affect a person's livelihood, Aware said.

For practical and emotional support, victims can approach Aware's SACC and Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory (WHDA) service.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com