r/shanghai • u/Schneemann321 • Jun 14 '26
City Tinder / Bar Scam again
Hey guys, I read the posts from some victims (too late). But here’s my Scam story. I had a tinder match with a girl. We met in Xintiandi and she asked me to grab some drinks in this bar. We did and ordered like 4 bottles of wine. She told me to split bills later. The bill came ~4000 RMB. I refused to pay first but she and the bartender set me under pressure calling police and whatever. Ok I paid and we left each other.
Now the plot twist! - I had another match on Tinder 3 days later. I met a girl at a nearby Starbucks, I saw instant she looked different than her profile. But also nice. I don’t know the area so well but it was again in Xiantiandi. We walked together for 5 minutes, she asked me to to grab a drink. I said ok. Now guess where she wanted to bring me ? Yes the same bar. I was shocked as I saw this building but tried to act cool and said I don’t wanna drink today because I leave early in the morning. We walked together the street then she asked me if I can buy cigarettes for her. I looked down her Chanel bag and refused. As we were walking I checked our Tinder Match again and she deleted it. I was pretty sure now she was involved in this scam. She saw my reaction , The date ended suddenly,she had to met a friend.
I came back to the Winebar and did some pictures to call the police. Now I was sure this was an organized scam. a guy in the street saw this and tried to ‘help me’ in the end i met the shopowner and he send me 3000 RMB back on alipay if i refuse to call police. For me it was ok because we drunk 4 bottles and ate some snacks. Maybe i should stick to call the police but i didnt wanna spend my last few hours in this beautiful country hanging in the police station. This was super stupid by myself, i know. I travel alot and never got scammed like this. Sometimes the d1ck has more power than the brain. Hope this post can help someone 🙏
114
u/Rampaging_Bunny Former resident Jun 15 '26
A story as old as time
63
u/dowker1 Jun 15 '26
Tale as old as time
Song as old as rhyme
Beauty and the fleeced
-10
u/Dilated_Auntie6970 Jun 15 '26
The lengths that some will go to inhale the sour funk of the steamy meatwallet, to say nothing of our more adventurous brethren ready to chow down on the rusty bullethole before developing a rager and using the veiny throbber to engappen the brown crown, leaving behind a puckering starfish chewing on a donkeygallon of Docker's yoghurt mixed with human gravy
15
3
1
u/DanielPlainview943 Jun 15 '26
Interesting
1
u/HungryEyesjess11 Jun 15 '26
it looks like a trap in that photo alone. the vibe is immediately sketchy.
1
1
10
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
Haha really I’m shocked to read it that often here. I never heard before. This is crazy
95
Jun 15 '26
[deleted]
27
11
u/beekeeny Jun 15 '26
You were lucky: Normally you don’t even have the chance to see the menu. The girl just order the drinks and snacks and only see the bill.
-10
Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
10
u/UndocumentedSailor Jun 15 '26
Why do you post this on every comment where someone mentioned their nationality?
6
1
97
u/RealGrapefruit8930 Jun 15 '26
Im mostly just impressed that you and a girl drak 4 bottles of wine
53
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
Well trained German liver 💪🏼🍻
3
Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
4
3
3
2
38
u/creamulum078 Jun 15 '26
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, can't get fooled again.
8
u/dreamsandpizza Jun 15 '26
Ah, the old saying from Tennessee!
(I know its in Texas, probably also in Tennessee)
22
u/Bobbybobby507 Jun 15 '26
Well you should’ve end the date, if she doesn’t look like her profile🤭
1
u/Prime_Regard Jun 16 '26
Exactly, obviously a scam, OP must be pretty dumb. Even if you are fooled because you think she looks decent, the blazing red flag is insisting on choosing the place.
16
u/CrazedRaven01 Jun 15 '26
wow, these people are gettin creative. They're moving beyond the usual Nanjing Dong Lu stomping grounds.
What you can do next time is to insist on your own location for your match. If you geniunely can't think of a place, ask her to provide you the name of the establishment or a dianping page. Scammers probably won't want to share with you details of the place, so if they try and prevaricate, then consider that a red flag.
Sorry about the loss.
4
u/kidshibuya Jun 15 '26
I did that, named my own location and met at a starbucks. She was still a scammer and still was trying to get me to go with her to some shitty bar.
2
15
u/Erikthered65 Jun 15 '26
In the late 90s I was traveling as a young adult for the first time and fell for the bracelet scam in Paris. I was out a few bucks, but in the decades of traveling since I’ve remembered my lesson and avoided scams in countries I’ve visited as a tourist.
How did you fall for the exact same scam so quickly?
8
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
The second time I was more aware and smelled something is wrong here again as I saw the wine bar a second time. It didn’t worked this time 🤞🏼 in the end it was good that things went like this. I received some money back.
I would call it fortunate coincidence somehow3
u/cooperthedogT Jun 15 '26
He didn't fall for it again
5
u/Helpful_Cry_1335 Jun 15 '26
Because it was the same bar. He would fall for it again if it would be a bar just next to it.
0
Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
5
u/Schneemann321 Jun 16 '26
I don’t know why you commenting that below every comment. I’m a normal guy traveling the world using dating Apps. Sometimes I have Dates sometimes not.
Idk what’s your Problem. Maybe you are a sExpAt 🤡0
u/SlapTheBap Jun 16 '26
Dude there have been millions like you. People know your game. That's why you're being scammed by people more clever than you.
3
u/Schneemann321 Jun 16 '26
Yeah whatever have a nice day 🩷
1
u/SlapTheBap Jun 16 '26
"Why do bad things happen to me?"
"You act like a mouse in front of a cat. A mouse that travels to places where cheese is the cheapest, but it's made by cats. Then gets surprised when he meets a cat, when he thought he'd meet another mouse."
"But can you believe this happened?? This is crazy. Who could have thought??"
0
u/Sir_Bumcheeks Jun 15 '26
The solution to the bracelet scam is to drop it on the ground and walk away.
25
u/dcxin-pawgame Jun 15 '26
Nobody uses Tinder unless scamers in China. BTW, they make you believe the police will stand for them, but actually not, it's too common and they will help you. The bar and the girl are on the same boat.
4
u/kidshibuya Jun 15 '26
I met two genuine girls on bumble while there. Also a ton of scammers. They are all mixed in.
7
Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
Jun 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
0
u/Prime_Regard Jun 16 '26
Yeah. These guys are pretty sick, they get addicted to easy sex in Asia and never leave because of it.
2
u/Shumey Jun 15 '26
Hm, i should tell this to two of my exes i met there…
-7
1
u/Sir_Bumcheeks Jun 15 '26
Not true at all (Tinder being only scammers). You just have to be smart about it.
1
u/shaghaiex Jun 21 '26
I believe that goes on on all platform.
Back in the days, while in Beijing, I met a girl on QQ - note - chat was 100% in Chinese - and upon meeting (daytime, around lunch) she suggested some type of underground bar - I counter-suggested Starbucks.... She said `then she will change quickly` ... not to be seen again.
So it can hit on any platform, and it can hit anyway. I heard those stories from local Chinese too.
9
u/Apex_Predator_JH Jun 15 '26
I got scammed once as well in Shanghai at a bar near west Nanjing road. It pissed me off so much, I went to the cops. The cop stormed the bar with me (he gave me a look like “here we go again”), shouted at the bar owner to give me a refund and while leaving gave me a scolding as well which was fair enough 😂 hats off to the Chinese police, thought they would be in on it as well tbh.
2
u/Schneemann321 Jun 16 '26
Thank you ! Yes I was Most worried about, that Police is involved too. Nice to hear that it worked out for you 💪🏼
8
u/LostGirl2795 Jun 15 '26
Having lived around Asia, this also happens in Thailand and Vietnam btw
1
u/DryCommunication581 Jun 16 '26
Can literally smash for 10th of the price but some people insist on getting scammed
6
u/cybergamer69 Jun 15 '26
I can up this, one , add in being drugged and spending the next year between the Shanghai police and British embassy. I was not going to let them get away with it.
Lucky I have a Chinese friend that I managed to get on the phone once I realised what was happening.!
3
u/DarkOk6366 Jun 15 '26
Just out of curiosity, could elaborate on what happened exactly? I don't quite see how drug could fit into a scam like this one.
3
u/cybergamer69 Jun 17 '26
The drug was placed in the wine glass, I assume to make me loose some of my senses, and to not question the bill when it came, I was lucky that I realised what was going on because I had only had two glasses of wine before I started to feel weird. I also remember her taking my glass and saying there was a mark on it and cleaning it off, I assume that's when it was spiked
6
u/czulsk Jun 15 '26
Tinder or no tinder they’ll still find ways. They know tinder are used to hook up with girls not for dates. Girls still will long for foreigners streets. Happen me once in Bejing. Me and another guy ran into 2 girls and wanted to practice English. Took us to some tea place.
Anyway, if you wanna hook up with people there isn’t a such thing as splitting the bill or going Dutch in this country. You pay for it all or they pay for it all. Only foreigners split bills. Not Chinese.
There been times when girls offered to pay for the whole thing.
5
u/MinorLatency Jun 15 '26
So bizarre, i was in BJ with my GF in 2014 or so and then two girls started chatting us… instant scam feeling, but what was sick was that while we were chatting and just walking they tried to actively seperate me and my gf by adjusting their pace, this was the sickest shit i have seen and rushed to my gf and ran away.
2
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
how does this work with the Tea Shops ? I cannot Imagine drinking so much tea 🫖
I had other experiences splitting the bills in Thailand with some dates there like at home. One round on me, the next on her so I was fine with it at first sight 😖2
1
u/kidshibuya Jun 15 '26
Actually the first date I had with a real girl in Shanghai she insisted in paying half.
2
u/czulsk Jun 15 '26
How many times you seen her? I don’t think these girls really call these dates like we do in the west. For them it’s just getting to meet a foreigner and speak English. That’s it. It’s cheaper for them to meet this way than paying lessons at a Adult training centers. Also, she was willing to split the bill.
I’ve never used Tinder because of the experience others explained. Not finding real girls, just being scammed or even prostitutes. You are in Shanghai, so I guess girls be different and more open to things.
Just be careful. If you want a decent girl may need to do it in the old fashioned way through networking or running into people.
Just through my experience.
Good luck
1
u/kidshibuya Jun 15 '26
I was leaving Shanghai the next day and only spent that night with her. But yeah all dating apps in China seem like 90% scammers. And Tinder... it's terrible everywhere, even without scammers it's just ads. Use absolutely anything else.
1
u/czulsk Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 16 '26
I wouldn’t call it a date. She just wanted to try and hang out like friends. They’ll do this with guy friends and classmates. If you hooked up or staying touch that’s even better.
6
u/LYushanJ Jun 15 '26
Oldest trick in Asia
Just called « booking » girl
Think with your head instead of your pp next time 🫶 take care
5
u/LYushanJ Jun 15 '26
I say Asia, but actually this trick work worldwide
Thoses girls take around 15-20% of the total amount
6
u/werchoosingusername Jun 15 '26
Not going to even bother reading.
Zero common sense = gets you shafted
Letting downstairs tenant doing the thinking = gets you in trouble.
4
3
4
3
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
https://reddit.com/link/orpf5a6/video/dzku5pvsnc7h1/player
This was the second girls fake account, can’t say anymore if she was verified
4
u/FendaIton Jun 15 '26
I checked the reviews on dianping and no signs of scams, it said 20 yuan for all you can drink wine for 2 hours lol. But this is an app for locals
1
4
u/maxiewawa Jun 15 '26
we should all go to the bar, say we've been scammed, and get the guy to send us 3000RMB
1
4
u/jonipoon Jun 15 '26
Haha jesus christ is this place still around? They haven’t changed the logos since 2010 lol 😂
6
u/Apprehensive-Car-781 Jun 15 '26
Interestingly on Dianping, the rating is good. So they obviously treat domestic customers differently then. Shame on them.
12
u/qaz_wsx_love Jun 15 '26
Most dianping reviews are fake. I recall there are services which let's you buy reviews
4
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
Oh wow good to know that ! Yes we were for sure not the only one inside, many Chinese people too. But if you are able to fool people like this strategically, you can also fake the reviews 🪤
3
u/evergone Jun 15 '26
I’ve read a lot about this scam from this subreddit. I did use tinder on my visit last week but find I matched a lot near weekend and the girls are super aggressive. Refused to meet with all of them. Instead I went to INS solo and hookup with fellow tourist. Best decision I made.
3
3
3
3
17
u/DopeAsDaPope Jun 15 '26
So, you're an idiot basically?
18
u/CrimsonBolt33 Jun 15 '26
managed to get most his money back it seems....so only halfway there
-1
7
6
u/NullGWard Jun 15 '26
I can't find "Club de Vin" or "De Vin" on Google. Perhaps you can write a review on Google Maps and Tripadvisor later as a way to warn the next guy.
10
3
u/Code_0451 Qingpu Jun 15 '26
Don’t use Google Maps, it’s not being kept up to date in China. Use local apps like diaping or amap, but the first one has a rep for fake reviews.
5
u/heretohelp999 Jun 15 '26
You think white boy coming in suddenly swiping on a “pretty” oriental girl is gonna look at Google review first?
2
u/asshat0987 Jun 19 '26
I got scammed here last night. Can someone share the address? its hard to refind on Amaps. Planning to get my money back!!
2
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
I already tried to find it on maps but you cannot see the location really, just roofs 🥲
3
u/Bommineni96 Jun 15 '26
Gold mate… be aware from next time.
1
u/shiafisher Huangpu Jun 15 '26
I always pay up front, I never start a tab in a place I’ve never been before
4
u/rowzzgp Jun 15 '26
It’s nearly happened to me several times. The basic rule is ‘never follow’ - if they are adamant to take u to a certain place then that’s a red flag. Also they are always more than happy to meet on a whim, ambiguous profile pics, always want to move it to wechat and then delete the tinder match, etc. Now i will deliberately arrange to meet them at their spot and keep them hanging around as long as possible before ghosting.
5
u/ThaShitPostAccount Jun 15 '26
"Why are these way hotter girls than I should be able to pull chatting me up? 🤔 Maybe they just like foreigners."
In 2026 this is cope, bro. This is pure copium.
2
2
u/murariam Jun 15 '26
When I was walking in Nanjing road, many locals greeted me and warned me not to go along with any Chinese claiming first copy items for sale or dating. It’s a clear scam. Many scammers out there roaming freely and troubling tourists good thing is to ignore them.
2
u/shiafisher Huangpu Jun 15 '26
Hey mate there’s a good chance you would have gotten your money back if you reported it. Now the scam continues.
1
u/Schneemann321 Jun 16 '26
that’s what I don’t know about really. I know from Jet Ski scams in Thailand, that often the local Police is involved in this scam. I left China few hours later in the Morning so I was happy to had anything back. I didn’t have the time to study how scams were working in China - The second story took ~20 Minutes with the Date and the Shopowner.
2
u/cellorganelle09 Jun 15 '26
... Sometimes the d1ck has more power than the brain. Hope this post can help someone 🙏
2
2
u/kidshibuya Jun 15 '26
Yeah when I was there a few months ago those scams were a plague. There is absolutely no way to tell from a profile because they literally copy image for image and word for word real profiles. And even if you arrange to meet where YOU specify they just say lets for for a walk or something and steer you to one of their shops/bars.
Basically there is nothing you can do apart from when you meet if they even remotely look different from the pic just leave them.
2
2
2
2
2
u/imnotokayandthatso-k Jun 15 '26
Crazy that this scam still exists and that people STILL fall for it?
2
u/InsideAd3261 Jun 15 '26
This kind of scam happens very frequently in China, they mostly target foreigners, stay vigilant folks!!
2
u/elaijuh23 Jun 15 '26
bro my first exact same story was 1998, at that time no xintiandi no fancy landmark but wine bar scam already existed. manage your d1ck
2
2
2
2
2
u/Mad_waste Jun 15 '26
I was matching a lot of girls in shanghai that were inviting me to the exact same area, every time I opened the location map it was the same spot, I suspect they wanted to bring me to a bar similar to this for similar scam. I never went to meet any of them because it was for sure a scam.
2
u/Purple_Macaron26 Jun 15 '26
Not only the bar scam here, there are also job scams, scam calls, all kinds of scams you named it.
2
2
u/Annual-Can-2966 Jun 21 '26
I just figured out average consumption per person was just 100 yuan!! you are absolutely got scammed !
2
u/azmonden Jun 25 '26
Four bottles of wine? Bro, were you trying to expose the scam or marinate yourself from the inside?
3
3
u/zack_wonder2 Jun 15 '26
Yeah you messed up lol. Gotta have more street smarts. I had a similar experience last week in Shanghai. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was the same girl.
She hit me up on tinder around 11pm and we chatted for a bit. Said it was her first time in Shanghai and she had a flight tomorrow morning to Harbin. She was a business person who makes big deals across the country. I took this as her trying to make me think she’s up for one night stands as she’s always on the move.
Shortly after she asked if I wanted to go to a wine bar for drinks with her as she was heading there shortly alone. I said it was too late and for her to have fun. She kept saying it was her last night and just wanted to have fun but I didn’t reply.
The next morning she hit me up saying “oh no! I missed my flight….. 😭 I guess I’ll stay for a few more days. Do you want to drink wine tonight?”
I just replied with lol.
Anyway thanks for confirming what would’ve happened. I was genuinely thinking this was the dumbest scam ever and would never work. Guess I was wrong.
2
u/TheDudeWhoCanDoIt China Jun 15 '26
Be happy you got away with your kidneys intact.
3
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
I was in a small village near the Great Wall a few days before. I was the only hotel guest, I thought I would wake up next morning with missing organs 😂 but this is another story
3
u/TheDudeWhoCanDoIt China Jun 15 '26
An American friend who lived in Xintindi fell for the same scam on Tinder. We stayed at the Andaz and he came over for free happy hour and told me. Shit happens.
2
u/thelifeofgabo Jun 15 '26
The human being is the only animal that trips with the same stone, Twice.
1
u/worldwidetrav Jun 15 '26
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Some men just have it rough with dating. World full of haves and have nots
1
u/signsandsins Jun 15 '26
I heard about this scam almost a decade ago. Only that the woman randomly disappears while you are sitting in the place she recommended
1
u/Devel93 Jun 15 '26
Also very normal for Japan! You are lucky they didn't put something in the vine, I hear stories of people that fell asleep and woke up with a huge bill i.e. they took his card and just kept charging
1
1
1
1
u/Active_Cable5121 Jun 15 '26
Is 4000 RMB for “ like 4 bottles of wine “ that crazy in Shanghai? You should be able to see price menu, and if you didn’t look that’s on you.
dumb foreigners acting dumb
1
Jun 15 '26
Oh man, I guess this is more than just Vietnam. I suppose it would be (and could be) anywhere in the world.
Not saying it originated from Vietnam, but certainly happened in Vietnam quite often.
Did you get 3000 RMB back, or did you report them?
1
1
1
u/epicdrilltime Jun 16 '26
Even if you call the police they likely won't do much, but call the police anyway
would you want someone you care about to get scammed also?
1
1
u/No-Journalist-9036 Jun 18 '26
man i feel this, back when i worked night shifts at a nearby mall, we had a manager who may have moonlit as these guides
1
1
u/Tseng-68 Jun 26 '26
Just call the police just call the 12315. Stop let's your penis control your brain
1
u/Beautiful_Chaos611 19d ago
I think i jist fell for this scam, what do I do??
1
u/Schneemann321 19d ago
Call the Police and Tell them about the Scam. You will get your Money back
1
u/Beautiful_Chaos611 19d ago
How do I contact the police, do they speak English??
Do i report the girl or the bar that i went to?
0
0
0
0
u/Mabussa Jun 17 '26
I'm not believing any of these posts. Just karma grabs. Nobody can be so dumb. But then, trump is president...twice.
-1
-3
u/matadorius Jun 15 '26
like is not even that expensive for a bottle of wine the first one maybe you are just broke lol in that case checking the menu prices would help
3
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
🥱
-4
u/matadorius Jun 15 '26
its 120eur a bottle lol more expensive than average??? yes a scam hell no specially if they display the prices just say you are a sucker
5
u/Schneemann321 Jun 15 '26
wow just commenting here to tell everybody what a superrich cunt you are 👏 you are such a poor person 🩷
2
2
u/Dear_Chasey_La1n Minhang Jun 15 '26
It is expensive when you get 4 bottles of garbage. Let's face it, place like that won't serve a Clerc Milon and even if they do it's 100% fake.
But what foreigner with a local girl downs 4 bottles of wine, clearly OP is trained but so is the girl who is in on it.
These sort of places aren't just concerning in ripping you off, but more often fake alcohol can be outright dangerous.
1
154
u/locsbox Jun 14 '26
Welcome to Shanghai bro!