How it works:
- Opening: a friendly local befriends you and offers to bring you to a bar full of beautiful ladies.
- Version 1: there, ladies order expensive drinks on your tab. If you refuse to pay, you will be threatened and accosted to the nearest ATM.
- Version 2: you end up having your drink spiked, and your valuables stolen.
Places to beware:
- Angeles City
- Metro Manila
What to do:
- Avoid heading to a suggested bar together with a random stranger.
- If not, consider: does the bar seem legitimate? Are there customers? Is the stranger evasive about things? Is he/she only bringing you to a particular restaurant or bar?
- Test your new “friend”: pretend you have company by suggesting to go another place where you have friends at. Ask for prices before ordering. Take a photo together.
- If scammed: pay with a credit card but call the bank to dispute the charges immediately. Keep a separate bank account with not much cash inside to limit your losses if threatened.
- Alternative: Klook (best day tour platform in Asia) has a pub crawl – Haqqy Boracay Pub Crawl.
