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This account of the single-male
scam was sent by a foreigner
who was living in Turkey when the incident
occurred:
"There is one experience I have
had concerning the "Let's Havea
Drink" nightclub
scam, in my first year in
Turkey, that I would like to share
with you.
"I had met a Turkish friend in
Sultanahmet and
she had left, and I decided to walk
to Eminönü before
getting a boat to the Asian
side. I had met someone near Sultanahmet who
took me to a nightclub near Taksim,
in Cumhuriyet Caddesi, I think. Curiosity
got the better of me and I went with
him.
"The bar was quite plush with
only a handful of people and I sat
with 2 ukranian girls – as you
warned there was champagne,
which I was told that we (myself and
my new friend) would pay for. Before
going my new friend had told me we
would share the bill. There was also
some melon and small snacks (peanuts,
pistachios etc).
"I began to feel a little uncomfortable and
I didn't particularly like the girl
who I had obviously been assigned to.
So I said I was ready to go, and asked
for the bill. The bill was
TL 384,000,000 – this
was in 1999, so it was the equivelent
then of about US$750.
My new 'friend' feigned
surprise and asked 'is this a
telephone number', and also I
gave an old card with no funds on it
and they brought it back saying it
didn't work.
"I knew somehow I had
to leave the bar. I managed
to leave the table and told the waiter
that I needed to leave the bar to
get money from an ATM, which he agreed
to, but he wanted to come
with me. I was clearly panicking
and he told me not to worry and that
they would help.
"I had 5 million with me, that
I offered – he said that wouldn't
be enough. Once we were outside I moved
forward a few steps and then, suddenly, broke
out into a sprint. As soon
as I could, I turned up a side street,
and then got in a taxi.
"I would add that the bar man
was quite polite,
and when I was outside and obviously
quite frightened he tried to assure
me I didn't have anything to worry
about, so I wonder what might have
happened if I hadn't bolted. It
is amazing how fast people can run
when they are frightened.
"Since then nothing like
that has happened. This
was my only really negative
experience in Turkey, under
normal circumstances I wouldnt have
gone into a bar on my own in any
case, but I was new in Turkey at
that time and very curious. In 5
years here I have never been attacked,
and apart from losing a mobile phone
on a minibus, I have never been robbed,
either."
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