---
title: "Bar and Restaurant Scams Abroad: How to Spot and Avoid Them"
description: "Bar and restaurant scams abroad: how inflated bills, touts and drink spiking work, where official advice warns, and what to do if you are overcharged."
url: "https://travelshifu.com/guides/bar-and-restaurant-scams-abroad/"
category: "Trip Planning"
author: "Kaiser Khan"
date_published: "2026-10-16"
date_modified: "2026-10-16"
source: "TravelShifu"
---

# Bar and Restaurant Scams Abroad: How to Spot and Avoid Them

Bar and restaurant scams abroad: how inflated bills, touts and drink spiking work, where official advice warns, and what to do if you are overcharged.

> No affiliate links: TravelShifu earns nothing from this guide. Government advice pages and news reports are linked as editorial sources, not endorsements.

## How do bar and restaurant scams abroad work?

A friendly stranger, met in the street, at a hotel bar or through a dating app, suggests a venue they know. Food and drinks arrive without clear prices, the bill is far higher than normal, the companion leaves, and you are pressed to pay, sometimes by being walked to a cash machine.

Australia’s government describes the classic version in [Türkiye](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/turkiye): friendly English-speaking strangers take visitors to a bar for food or drinks, then an inflated bill arrives, often thousands of dollars, with threats of violence if it is not paid. Smartraveller says these scams are regularly reported, particularly in İstanbul. In [China](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/china) the invitation is to a teahouse, massage, café or bar, sometimes framed as a chance to practise English, and travellers are not allowed to leave until they pay by credit card. Smartraveller’s [France page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/france) warns about strangers offering a free drink or show at a private club, after which foreigners have had large sums taken from their cards before being allowed to leave.

Pressure to pay can be physical. The [FCDO’s Hungary advice](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/hungary/safety-and-security) says tourists have been taken to cashpoints with demands for the money to pay the bill, and [Smartraveller’s Japan page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/japan) describes victims being taken to ATMs and forced to withdraw large sums while affected by drink spiking. The invitation can also come from a dating app: [Khaleej Times reported on 23 September 2025](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-nightclub-scam-bumble-date) that several readers in Dubai said a match had suggested a particular hotel bar or club, where they faced bills of thousands of dirhams; one said he had reported it to Dubai Police.

Touts and drivers can play the same role as the friendly stranger. The FCDO says some taxi drivers in Hungary receive a commission to recommend certain bars, clubs and restaurants, and its [Japan advice](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/safety-and-security) warns that street touts in Tokyo often misrepresent the services an establishment offers. Drink spiking, covered below, can happen alongside any of these scams or on its own.

## How do touts, unpriced menus and dishes sold by weight inflate a bill?

A tout or driver steers you to a venue, staff take your order without showing prices, dishes you did not order appear, or fish is priced by weight and the total comes as a shock. Ask for a priced menu, confirm the price of anything sold by weight before it is cooked, and refuse unordered items.

Smartraveller’s [guide to scams that affect travellers](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/while-overseas/protecting-yourself-crime/scams-affect-travellers) says bars and restaurants can overcharge by inviting you to order without first seeing prices, or by bringing food you did not order and charging for it when you try to leave. The FCDO tells visitors to Hungary to be wary of establishments where menus do not properly display prices, and to check menus before ordering and bills before paying. In Japan, it advises seeing a menu with prices before you enter a bar or restaurant, keeping track of what you order and confirming the admission price at clubs.

Pricing by weight is not a scam in itself, but it can produce a bill nobody expected. The [New Straits Times reported in March 2026](https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/03/1404967/genting-highlands-restaurant-under-probe-over-rm902-patin-dish) that 13 tourists in Genting Highlands, Malaysia, were charged RM902 for a fish listed at RM33.80 per 100g; the trade ministry asked the restaurant for its cost details, and the owner accepted that communication about the total had been insufficient. Ask for the weight and the total before the kitchen starts.

Touts deserve particular care. The FCDO says street touts in Tokyo, known as kyakuhiki, approach visitors in English, and warns that you may face an entry charge, so do not go in on the promise of a free drink or a quick look, as you may not be free to leave. Smartraveller’s [Hungary page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/hungary) suggests not asking taxi drivers to recommend a bar, club or restaurant, because some receive commissions.

## What are the warning signs of a bar scam?

Be wary when someone you have just met insists on a particular venue, a tout or driver offers to take you somewhere, there is no priced menu, drinks are ordered for you, or you are promised a free drink or special deal. Pressure to stay, pay or hand over your card is a clear red flag.

Smartraveller’s [Japan advice](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/japan) recommends caution about accepting drinks or invitations to bars or clubs from strangers or recent acquaintances, and its [Hungary page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/hungary) warns about drivers or friendly strangers who invite you to clubs. In [Poland](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/poland), it reports an increasing number of travellers scammed with drink spiking and credit card overcharging in venues frequented by tourists, particularly those that entice people in with special deals.

None of these signs proves a scam on its own; plenty of honest bars have offers or staff outside. What matters is control. If you cannot see prices, cannot leave easily or are not choosing what you order, check the price, settle up for what you have had or walk away before the bill grows.

- A new acquaintance, tout or driver chooses the venue, often somewhere you could not find again.
- There is no menu, or the menu does not show prices.
- Drinks or dishes arrive that you did not order, or your companion keeps ordering expensive items.
- Your card is taken out of your sight, or staff want you to settle the bill at an ATM.
- You suddenly feel unwell or far more drunk than you should, which can be a sign of spiking.

## Where does official travel advice warn about bar scams and drink spiking?

UK and Australian government advice describes bar or bill scams in İstanbul, Hungary, Poland, China, Tokyo and Osaka, and France, high nightclub charges in Prague, and drink spiking in places including Budapest, Bali, Rome and Thailand’s tourist areas. A place missing from the table is not necessarily safe; check the current advice before you travel.

We list a place only where the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or Australia’s Smartraveller service mentions the problem on its current page, checked on 16 October 2026. Most warnings cover a whole country; we name a city only when the official page does. Police and emergency numbers come from each FCDO “Getting help” page, or from Smartraveller where it gives a tourist police line.

Several destinations travellers ask about do not appear for bar-bill scams. On the pages we checked, the FCDO and Smartraveller warn about drink spiking in Thailand, Indonesia, Italy and the United Arab Emirates, but not about inflated bar bills there, and Greece has only a general Smartraveller note that tourist scams can involve restaurants. Dubai’s dating-app bar bills have been reported by [Khaleej Times](https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-nightclub-scam-bumble-date) rather than in official advice, so the UAE row shows only what the FCDO says.

In EU countries, 112 is the European emergency number, available everywhere in the EU free of charge, according to the [European Commission](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/112). Save the local police and tourist police numbers in your phone before a night out.

| Place | What official advice says | Police or emergency number | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| İstanbul, Türkiye | Friendly strangers take visitors to a bar; an inflated bill follows, with threats of violence. Smartraveller says this is regularly reported, particularly in İstanbul. The FCDO says be wary of strangers offering to take you to a restaurant or nightclub, and that food and drink they offer could be spiked. | 112 (police); İstanbul Tourist Police +90 212 527 4503 | [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/turkiye), [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/safety-and-security) |
| Budapest and Hungary | Some bars, clubs and restaurants charge high amounts; tourists taken to cashpoints to pay; some taxi drivers paid commission; menus without proper prices; drink spiking, particularly in Budapest’s bars. | 112 | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/hungary/safety-and-security), [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/hungary) |
| Prague, Czechia | Prague city police, quoted by the FCDO: nightclub consumption charges are often high, and losing a consumption card before paying carries high penalties. Risk of drink spiking in bars and clubs. | 112; Prague police station, Jungmannovo namesti 9, open 24 hours | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/czechia/safety-and-security) |
| Poland | Visitors overcharged when paying for drinks by card at the end of the night; people robbed after spiked drinks in bars and clubs. Smartraveller reports more cases in tourist venues that entice people in with special deals. | 997 (police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/poland/safety-and-security), [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/poland) |
| China | The “tea tasting” or “massage” scam in tourist areas: friendly strangers invite you to a bar, to drink tea or for a massage, then a large fee is demanded, sometimes followed by threats, violence or card fraud. Smartraveller says travellers are kept until they pay by card. | 110 (police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/safety-and-security), [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/china) |
| Tokyo and Osaka, Japan | Drink spiking and credit card fraud; Japanese police list Kabukicho, Roppongi, Shibuya and Ikebukuro in Tokyo as high-risk; do not follow street touts. Smartraveller adds Osaka’s Shinsaibashi, Namba and Dotonbori, overcharging and forced ATM withdrawals. | 110 (police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/japan/safety-and-security), [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/japan) |
| France | Smartraveller: be wary of strangers who invite you for a free drink or show at a private club; foreigners have had large amounts taken from their cards before being allowed to leave. The FCDO advises buying your own drinks and keeping them in sight. | 17 (police) or 112 | [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/france), [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/france/getting-help) |
| Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands, Indonesia | Drink spiking linked to sexual assault; methanol poisoning from drinks bought in licensed bars, shops and hotels in tourist areas. No bar-bill scam warning. | 110 (police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia/safety-and-security) |
| Thailand | Drink spiking and drug-assisted sexual assault in tourist areas. No bar-bill scam warning on the FCDO or Smartraveller page. | 191 (police); 1155 (tourist police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/thailand/getting-help), [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/thailand) |
| Rome, Milan, Florence and Naples, Italy | Smartraveller: tourists robbed and assaulted after spiked food or drinks; in Rome, many incidents in bars and restaurants in the city centre. No bar-bill scam warning. | 112 (police) | [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy), [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/getting-help) |
| Athens and Greece | Smartraveller: tourist scams can involve taxis, hotels, restaurants and vehicle hire, and there is a risk of drink spiking. The FCDO notes restaurants must by law provide an itemised bill. | 112; Athens Tourist Police +30 210 322 2230 | [Smartraveller](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/greece), [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/safety-and-security) |
| United Arab Emirates | The FCDO says criminals can spike drinks, and that non-payment of bills, including hotel bills, can lead to a prison sentence, a fine or both. No bar-bill scam warning. | 999 (police) | [FCDO](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates/safety-and-security) |

## How do you avoid bar and restaurant scams when travelling?

Choose the bar or restaurant yourself, check a priced menu before you sit down, order your own drinks and watch them being poured, and pay as you go or check a running tab. Keep your card in sight, carry only what you need for the night, and decline invitations to venues a new acquaintance picks.

Most of this comes straight from official advice. The FCDO tells visitors to Japan to see a priced menu before entering and to keep track of what they order; its Hungary page says check menus before ordering and bills before paying, use taxis from a reputable local company and keep cards in sight when paying in shops and restaurants. Smartraveller adds reading reviews of the bars and restaurants you plan to visit, and never accepting food you did not order without confirming whether you will be charged for it.

Plan the end of the night too. Pick venues you can find again, agree how you will get home and book transport through an app or an official rank. In Japan, the FCDO suggests securing your finances against fraudulent transactions and leaving spare cash, cards and valuables at your accommodation, which limits what can be taken in one evening.

If a date or new friend suggests a venue, propose a busy place you have chosen instead and see how they respond. Our [solo female travel safety guide](/guides/solo-female-travel-safety-guide) has more on night-time transport and staying safe alone.

- Choose the venue yourself and look up recent reviews before you go.
- Ask for a menu with prices; for anything sold by weight, agree the weight and total first.
- Buy your own drinks, watch them being made and never leave them unattended.
- Pay per round, or ask to see the running bill regularly, and check every line before paying.
- Keep your card in sight and turn on instant spending alerts in your banking app.

## What should you do if you think your drink has been spiked?

Tell someone you trust straight away, get to a safe place and seek medical help, especially if symptoms get worse. Methanol poisoning can look like heavy drinking but can kill, so get urgent treatment if you suspect it. Report spiking to the police when you feel able, and ask for a written report.

Smartraveller’s advice is to stay alert, never leave food or drinks alone and watch your drink being mixed; if you feel unwell, tell your friends immediately, get to a safe place and get medical help if needed. Its [Thailand page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/thailand) adds staying with people you trust in bars and nightclubs and being cautious about leaving a venue with someone you have just met.

Methanol is a separate danger. The FCDO’s [Indonesia advice](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/indonesia/safety-and-security) says methanol poisoning cases have come from drinks bought in licensed bars, shops and hotels in tourist areas, that even small amounts can kill, and that methanol cannot be identified by taste or smell. Smartraveller’s [Türkiye page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/turkiye) says symptoms can resemble drinking too much, and advises drinking only branded, sealed drinks.

Being spiked is never the victim’s fault. Keep the venue name, time and any receipts, and report it when you can; Smartraveller recommends always getting a police report when you report a crime. The FCDO “Getting help” page for each country lists the local emergency number.

## What should you do if a bar overcharges you or pressures you to pay?

Put your safety first. Ask for an itemised bill, do not sign anything you dispute, and call the police or tourist police using the number in official advice. If you must pay to leave safely, pay by card rather than cash, keep the receipt and photos, then contact your bank and, if you need help, your embassy.

Smartraveller’s [Hungary page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/hungary) notes that disputes about overcharging can lead to violence, and its [general scams guide](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/while-overseas/protecting-yourself-crime/scams-affect-travellers) says to get away from the person or venue first, then report the crime to local police and ask for a police report, contact your bank to block cards and call your travel insurer. The FCDO says to report incidents in Hungary to the police. In Greece, restaurants must by law provide an itemised bill.

Do not simply walk out without paying. In some countries that can make you the person in trouble: the FCDO’s [UAE advice](https://gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/united-arab-emirates/safety-and-security) says non-payment of bills, including hotel bills, can result in a prison sentence, a fine or both. Asking for the police to resolve the dispute is safer than leaving, and paying by card leaves a record. Keep the bill, photograph the menu or price board, and note the time, venue name and address.

Your embassy can help in limited ways. The FCDO says it can provide contact details for local police and medical services, may sometimes accompany you to report a crime and can give details of local lawyers, but cannot investigate crimes, pay your bills or give you money. British nationals can call +44 20 7008 5000 at any time ([FCDO consular guidance](https://gov.uk/guidance/consular-assistance-how-the-foreign-commonwealth-development-office-provides-support)); Australians can call the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305. If your passport went missing in the confusion, see [what to do if you lose your passport abroad](/guides/what-to-do-if-you-lose-your-passport-abroad).

## Can your bank refund a scam bar bill paid by card?

Sometimes. In the UK, a chargeback lets you challenge a debit or credit card payment through your bank, usually within about 120 days, but banks do not have to raise one and claims can fail. US credit card holders can dispute billing errors in writing within 60 days. Cash and bank transfers are much harder to recover.

The [Financial Ombudsman Service](https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/credit-borrowing-money/goods-services-bought-credit) explains that a chargeback lets you challenge and “claw back” a card payment in certain circumstances, with each card scheme setting its own rules. You usually have around 120 days to raise one about goods or services, but a bank does not have to raise a chargeback and it can fail. For credit card purchases with a cash price over £100 and up to £30,000, section 75 may also apply, so ask your card provider.

In the US, the [Federal Trade Commission](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/using-credit-cards-and-disputing-charges) says the Fair Credit Billing Act lets you dispute credit card billing errors, including charges for things you did not accept or that were not delivered as agreed; your letter must reach the issuer within 60 days of the first bill showing the error. Whether a bill you paid under pressure qualifies depends on your issuer and the facts, so explain exactly what happened. The FTC also notes that scammers ask for payment in ways that make it hard to get money back, such as [wire transfers and gift cards](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-romance-scams).

Call your bank as soon as you are safe and ask it to block the card if it was taken or copied. Smartraveller’s [Poland page](https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/poland) gives the same order: report the incident to the police and contact your bank immediately. A police report, the itemised bill and photos of the prices all help when you explain the dispute.

## Does travel insurance cover bar scams and overcharging?

Do not count on it. We found no official guidance saying standard travel insurance repays an inflated bar bill, and the FCDO notes that most policies exclude events after excessive alcohol or recreational drugs. Medical treatment, assault or theft may be treated differently, so read your policy wording and call the insurer’s emergency line.

The FCDO’s [travel insurance guidance](https://gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-insurance) says most policies do not cover events that happen after you have drunk excessive alcohol or taken recreational drugs, and tells travellers to read the small print and any exclusion clauses. Being spiked is not the same as choosing to drink heavily, so tell your insurer and any doctor exactly what happened.

Before a trip, look at three parts of your policy: personal money and theft, medical expenses, and the general exclusions. After a scam, Smartraveller advises contacting your travel insurer, noting that most have a 24-hour emergency number, and always getting a police report, which helps support any claim. Our guide to [reading a travel insurance policy](/guides/how-to-read-travel-insurance-policy) shows where these clauses sit, and our [travel insurance comparison](/guides/best-travel-insurance) explains cover levels.

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