Lurt på stripp
Nordmenn på strippeklubb i Øst-Europa er et velkjent fenomen når VISA og Mastercard tar oppsummeringsmøtet sitt på mandag morgen om helgens kortmisbruk. Her er en fersk advarsel fra Wikitravel/USAs Ambassade i Latvia om strippeklubber og barer i Riga:
Bar scams in Latvia
Latvia, and Eastern Europe in general, are home to a number of fraud/extortion scams in bars, run by the local mobs. A common scam, which targets men, begins by coaxing you into a bar, where most often a girl will strike up a conversation with a with you and convince you to buy her a drink. You will then be presented with a bill for several hundred Lats. Don’t worry, the bar will take credit cards – or you might be forced to withdraw money from their handy ATM. If you ask, you will even be presented with a menu and the price listed. The trick to avoiding this scam is not to enter a bar recommeded to you by someone on the street or, if you do, insist on seeing the price of a drink in writing. If not, leave immediately, although this may not be possible if the exit is being blocked by a large bouncer. Here is a list of bars/clubs in Riga the U.S. Embassy specifically warns against visiting (and bars all embassy personnel from visiting):
- “Foxy Lounge” – Terbatas 2; located below the “Fashion Café” in the basement of the “Vegas” casino at the corner of Terbatas and Merkela streets near the flower market.
- “Roxy Klub” – Kalku 24; located near the entrance to Old Town on Kalku street.
- “Lord’s Pub” (formerly “Groks Pub”)—Kalku 22; located next door to Roxy Klub.
- “Puzzle” (formerly “Pink Panther”)—Kalku 22; also located next door to Groks Pub.
- “Mary” – Audeju 13; located on the east side of Galleria “Centrs” Mall.
- “DD Bars”
- “Saxon” – Laipu 7; located near “Livu Square” in a small street to the right of restaurant “Steiku Haoss”.
- “Doll House” a.k.a “Zig Zag” – Marstalu 12; located to the right of Reformed Church.
- “Bar Fly” – Vagnera 8; located near “Livu Square” in a small street to the right of “Roxy”, “Groks” and “Pink Panther”.
- “Zephry Bar” – located near Galleria Center in Old Town, near the youth hostel.
- “Mademoiselle Cigar Club” – Valnu street; located in Old Town across from “Lounge 8”.
- “Nobu Sushi” – Grecinieku 28; located in Old Town.
For your own safety, you should not patronize any of these locations. Many are strip bars or locations of prostitution rings. Consider yourself warned.
