Travel scamsNightlife
Nightlife scams
40 reported in 30 countries. How each works and how to avoid it.
- FranceVery commonBar invitation with hidden service feesA person outside pressures you to enter a bar for a quick look. After you order a drink, a woman joins you for a short conversation. The bill then includes a large fee for her company. Bouncers may intimidate you into paying.Paris
- ItalyOccasionalTargeting drunk or disoriented bar visitorsPetty criminals hang around bars popular with foreign visitors. They look for people who are drunk or disoriented and easier to take advantage of.
- TürkiyeOccasionalTickets for a made-up special club partyA ticket tout claims that a pub or club has a special party that night, with a big name attending. The promised event does not exist.Bodrum
- MexicoOccasionalExtra drinks added to your billSome staff add drinks you did not order to your bill, especially when you have lost track of your drinking or spending.
- United KingdomOccasionalSoho clip jointsA woman befriends a visitor, often a man travelling alone, and suggests a bar or club with a show. After only a drink or two, the venue presents a bill for hundreds of pounds. Bouncers may lock the visitor inside, use force or escort them to an ATM.London
- GreeceCommonFriendly stranger bar scamA friendly stranger approaches a traveller, usually a man alone at night, and suggests a bar. At the bar, women join them and order expensive drinks, often champagne. The traveller receives a huge bill. Men then appear to pressure or threaten him into paying. This is the most commonly reported major scam against travellers.Athens
- JapanOccasionalStreet touts and inflated bar billsSomeone on the street urges you to enter a bar or club. Once inside, you may face very high entry charges or drink prices. Tokyo's Roppongi and Kabukichō have specific warnings about this. Some hostess bars in Hiroshima's Nagarekawa may also overcharge. Staff also approach visitors outside host and hostess bars around Kyoto's Kiyamachi, though overcharging there is not specifically described.Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto
- JapanOccasionalDrink drugging followed by large chargesSome visitors have reported being drugged and then charged for drinks they do not remember ordering. These are extreme cases.Tokyo
- JapanOccasionalFree-entry clubs that pressure you to buy drinksA club has no entry fee, but staff repeatedly pressure you to buy drinks. The final cost can be as high as visiting a club with an entry fee.Tokyo
- PolandCommonStrip-club invitations, spiked drinks and large billsStreet promoters invite visitors into strip clubs, often with a free first drink. Reports include drinks spiked with intoxicants and customers receiving extremely high bills.Gdańsk
- PolandOccasionalThe bar-girl shared-taxi lureAn English-speaking woman offers a drink or cigarette, then asks you to walk her to her car. She says a friend inside has her keys and suggests sharing a taxi to her home for 70 zł. Following her leaves you going to an unknown address and may expose you to harm or further scams.Warsaw
- CroatiaCommonStrip-club overcharging and payment threatsStrip clubs can charge extreme prices for drinks. Foreign visitors have been charged €2,000 for a bottle of champagne. Bouncers may use threats or violence when customers say they cannot pay.
- VietnamOccasionalTaxi-recommended bar with an inflated billA taxi driver earns commission for bringing visitors to a venue. Staff quote reasonable prices at entry, but the final bill includes extravagant charges.
- IndonesiaOccasionalKaraoke bars and health clubs hiding their real businessSome places presented as karaoke bars or health clubs are actually brothels. A visitor may enter expecting ordinary karaoke or health services.Jakarta, Bandung
- Czech RepublicOccasionalOverpriced nightclub entry and drinksSome clubs charge high prices despite being empty or offering a poor experience. High prices alone do not prove fraud, but visitors can spend far more than expected.Prague
- Czech RepublicOccasionalDrink spiking followed by robberyA drink is spiked, leaving the victim vulnerable to robbery.
- HungaryOccasionalExtreme bills at erotic and topless barsVisitors face extremely high bills and pressure to pay. Váci utca is specifically flagged as a place to avoid these venues.Budapest
- GeorgiaCommonHuge bar bills and forced paymentSome bars, clubs and restaurants present an enormous bill for only a few drinks. Tourists are then forced to pay. This is a serious risk in this particular area.Tbilisi
- GeorgiaOccasionalShort change in cheap barsA bar returns less change than you are owed after a cash payment.Tbilisi
- UzbekistanOccasionalUnsolicited nightlife invitationAn unknown local offers to show you the nightlife. The exact scam or loss is not specified, but accepting these offers is warned against.
- BrazilCommonTheft by a visitor taken back to your roomA person taken back to a room steals valuables. Reports often involve foreign men and sex workers, though the person's role may not be obvious. Some victims are drugged. Others are robbed while heavily affected by alcohol or drugs.Fortaleza
- ArgentinaCommonFree presentation or massage trapA street recruiter offers an "apresentación" or a supposedly free encounter with massage girls. Inside, people physically block your exit until you pay a large sum.Buenos Aires
- PeruOccasionalBricheros at a traveller barThere is a warning to watch out for bricheros at this bar, but no specific scam method is described.Arequipa
- ChileOccasionalDrink spikingSomeone adds a substance to a drink without the drinker's knowledge. Reports of spiked drinks have increased.
- NepalOccasionalStreet touts leading visitors to dance barsA stranger offers to take a visitor to a dance bar. Tourists have been ripped off after going inside. The exact billing trick is not specified.Kathmandu
- LaosOccasionalPressure to take a late-night tuk-tukWhen the bar closes, guests are pushed towards tuk-tuks going to a bowling alley outside town. The described concern is pressure to join an onward ride; no specific fare fraud is established.Luang Prabang
- CyprusVery commonPushy nightlife promoters and free-drink offersPromoters approach people with offers of free shots, drinks or club deals. Some are very persistent and may grab you to get your attention. Deals can be genuine, but the friendly approach is aimed at getting you to spend money.Ayia Napa
- CyprusOccasionalUnspecified bar scamsSome bar scams are reported, but their methods are not described. They may be less of a problem in Nicosia than at beach resorts.Nicosia
- CyprusOccasionalMisleading cabaret brandingMany venues called cabarets are brothels associated with organised crime. Visitors expecting a conventional entertainment show may misunderstand what the venue offers. No specific billing scam is described.
- EstoniaCommonInflated club bills and hidden feesSome clubs make money by charging tourists very high drink prices and adding hidden fees. Visitors who order without checking prices can receive a huge bill.Tallinn
- LatviaCommonBar invitation and drink-bill extortionA stranger starts a conversation and invites you to a favourite bar. Another version starts through a dating app, sometimes with a move from a reputable venue to the scam bar. The scam often targets men. A drink can bring a bill of as much as €100. Staff may demand card payment or force you to use an ATM. A bouncer may block the exit. The menu may already show the inflated price.Riga
- SerbiaOccasionalProvocation into a bar or club fightA hostile person tries to draw you or your group into an argument. This can be a setup by local thugs looking for a fight. The chance of encountering it is described as very low.Belgrade
- UgandaOccasionalDrink spiking followed by theftThere have been reports of drinks being spiked. Victims have then had cash, phones, credit cards and bank cheques stolen.Kampala
- BangladeshOccasionalHigh prices at hotel barsSome hotel bars charge exaggerated prices. High prices alone do not establish fraud, but ordering without checking can lead to an expensive bill.
- BeninCommonVery high nightclub beer pricesBeer in nightclubs can cost far more than in local pubs. This is a high-price risk; a hidden-charge scheme is not described.
- RussiaCommonBar invitations leading to a huge billWomen approach a visitor and suggest drinks, sometimes offering to pay at first. After building trust in other bars, they claim the planned club is closed and lead the visitor elsewhere. Food and drinks arrive without a menu, followed by an excessive bill.Saint Petersburg
Reviewed by @snuck