The "buy me a drink" scam — also called a clip joint or hostess-bar scam — turns a friendly invitation into an enormous bill. A sociable local strikes up a conversation, asks where you're from, and suggests a nearby bar or café. Once you're inside, others join you, drinks keep arriving, and at the end you're handed a wildly inflated bill and pressured — sometimes intimidated — into paying it. The defense is one firm rule: don't follow a stranger to a venue you didn't choose.
How the "Buy Me a Drink" Scam Works
It begins with a warm, unsolicited approach on the street or near a tourist sight — someone friendly who chats, compliments your country, and knows "a great little place" nearby. Inside, the trap springs: hosts or hostesses join your table, more rounds appear that you didn't clearly order, and the prices are never shown. When the bill comes it's enormous, far beyond anything posted, and staff or a doorman make it clear you won't be leaving until it's paid. Some venues also run your card for an inflated amount or add charges you never agreed to. The friendliness was the bait; the bill is the business.
Where You'll Encounter It
It's a worldwide classic of nightlife districts:
- Athens: in some central nightlife areas, where a "friendly local" steers visitors to a specific bar.
- Bangkok, Tokyo, and other Asian capitals: long-running hostess-bar and "tea house" versions.
- Across Europe: clip joints operate in the nightlife zones of many big tourist cities.
The Red Flags
- A stranger approaches you first, is unusually friendly, and suggests a specific bar.
- Others — often women — join your table soon after you arrive.
- No prices are shown, and staff are vague when you ask.
- Drinks keep coming that you didn't clearly order.
How to Avoid It
Don't let a stranger pick the venue. If someone you've just met insists on taking you somewhere "great," decline and choose your own well-reviewed bar instead. Once anywhere, ask to see prices before you order and don't accept drinks you didn't request. If you find yourself in a clip joint, the safest course is usually to stay calm, avoid a physical confrontation, pay by card if you must (so you can dispute it later) rather than handing over large cash, and leave — then report it. Your safety matters far more than the money in the moment.
What to Do if You're Caught Out
If you were forced into an inflated charge, contact your bank or card issuer promptly to dispute it — paying by card rather than cash is exactly what makes that possible. Report the venue to local police; in Greece you can also call the Tourist Police (1571), and dial 112 across the EU in an emergency. Our guide on what to do after a scam covers the follow-up steps.
See the full destination guides for every scam you'll meet on the ground, area by area.
Tourist scams in Athens →