You are reading: The Punggol Izakaya Scam – How a Thirsty 49-Year-Old Got Conned Out of $870 on a Dating App Date

You’re swiping through the dating apps, trying to find that special someone. And then you match with an attractive woman who seems interested. Score!

She suggests meeting up for drinks. You agree, visions of romance dancing in your head.

But then, the “date” takes a dark turn. The woman lures you to an izakaya (Japanese bar) in the unlikeliest of places – Punggol, a residential suburb in the Northeast of Singapore. Before you know it, you’ve racked up an $870 bill drinking overpriced wine with the woman…and her random “sister.”

It’s an outrageous scam that epitomizes the old adage: “There’s a snare in every person’s path.” And a 49-year-old engineer named Mr. Qiu recently walked right into this particular trap.

In this story, I’ll break down exactly what happened. You’ll learn the sneaky tactics the scammers used to bleed poor Mr. Qiu dry. I’ll also reveal shocking evidence that this wasn’t an isolated incident, but a methodical ploy by the Punggol izakaya to exploit lonely customers.

Let’s dive in.

How the Punggol Izakaya Scam Went Down

It all started on March 29th, 2024, when Mr. Qiu matched with a woman named “Nuonuo” on Tantan, a popular Chinese dating app.

After about 2-3 hours of chatting, Nuonuo suggested they meet up in-person at her place in Punggol that very evening at 7:30pm. She even sent her supposed address at Block 405A Northshore Drive.

As Mr. Qiu later told reporters at Shin Min Daily News:

“She agreed and sent me her address. I was a skeptical, but she was willing to meet and gave me her phone number and home address, so I let my guard down.”

🚩 Red Flag #1: A woman you just met online readily giving out her home address without any hesitation? That’s a big red flag that something fishy was going on.

Mr. Qiu arrived at Northshore Drive at the appointed time. But when he got to Block 405A, Nuonuo suddenly claimed she actually lived at Block 406A instead.

Then, when Mr. Qiu went to the wrong block at 406C, Nuonuo refused to come look for him. He ended up waiting 20 minutes before finally spotting her “on the side of the road.”

🚩 Red Flag #2: Trying to misdirect and confuse someone with multiple addresses is a classic scammer tactic to get their victim disoriented.

Instead of going to her supposed place, Nuonuo then said she’d bring Mr. Qiu out “for a drink or two.” He assumed they’d hit up a coffee shop or something similarly casual.

But after a short 5-minute walk, they arrived at an izakaya (Japanese bar selling food and alcoholic drinks) in Punggol.

🚩 Red Flag #3: Luring a dating app match to a bar on the first meet-up already raises eyebrows. Choosing an izakaya, which tends to serve pricy drinks, makes it even more suspicious.

When Mr. Qiu saw the wine menu, he was in for serious sticker shock. The izakaya had marked up their bottles massively, charging $148 for a 750ml bottle that costs $30 online.

Nuonuo brushed off his concerns about the high prices though, commenting: “She asked me if I thought the wine was expensive, but if the wine I ordered was not what she wanted, she might change to another place.”

With that sly comment aimed at his ego, Mr. Qiu relented and ordered a 1-litre bottle of Medinet Grenache for $248 (before taxes).

Little did he know, Nuonuo was about to pull off a feat of drinking prowess that would make a fraternity brother blush.

She Chugged an Entire Bottle of Wine…in 10 Minutes!?

So the $270 bottle of wine (after taxes) arrived at their table. But instead of sipping and savoring it like a normal person, Nuonuo allegedly downed the entire liter in 10 minutes flat!

As Mr. Qiu recounted: “I did not expect a bottle of red wine plus goods and service tax would cost $270, and I had to pay immediately as soon as the drink was served.”

“While I thought the bottle would last for a few hours, Nuonuo ended up drinking the entire bottle of red wine in just 10 minutes.”

At this point, any reasonable person would have been like: “Something is seriously off here. This woman is clearly not drinking at a normal pace. I need to get out of this situation.”

But instead of listening to those internal alarm bells, Mr. Qiu stuck around. And before long, a new character entered the scene to ratchet up the debauchery.

She Brought in Her “Sister” Who Chugged Another Bottle

With the first bottle of wine already gone (into Nuonuo’s belly), she told Mr. Qiu that her “elder sister” would be joining them. And surprise, this new woman showed up and promptly ordered herself a bottle of wine as well.

Nuonuo placed the order for another $270 bottle. And once again, the new woman chugged the entire thing down in just 10 minutes!

At this point, Mr. Qiu had already spent $540 on two bottles of wine. While that’s ridiculously overpriced for wine from an izakaya in Punggol, it gets even worse.

The two women were just getting started. They ordered a third bottle right after finishing the second.

But finally, after watching them slam 3 liters of red wine in a 20-30 minute span, something clicked for Mr. Qiu. He realized he was being royally scammed:

“Just as the women were about to order a fourth bottle, Qiu came to the realization that something was amiss. He decided to put a pause on the women’s drinking spree by claiming that his credit card was about to be maxed out, and he could no longer buy more drinks.”

Mr. Qiu had hit his limit at a jaw-dropping $870. It was clearly time for these depraved wine bro-ettes to find a new victim.

So They Tried to Bleed Mr. Qiu for Even More Money…

At this point, you’d think the scammers would have taken their ill-gotten $870 and gotten lost. But these greedy sociopaths actually tried to shake Mr. Qiu down for even more cash!

First, the women asked him to book a ride for them to the other side of the island in Bedok. When Mr. Qiu refused, they wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The scammers then requested that he call a ride for Nuonuo’s “sister” to head to Clarke Quay, saying she had to “meet her boyfriend.” Lame excuse.

By now, Mr. Qiu had zero cash left and told them he’d take the bus instead. So the scam artists finally gave up and stormed off in a huff.

This Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Evidence That the Punggol Izakaya Regularly Scams Customers

The story gets even more outrageous and disturbing when you learn that this $870 scam was likely not an isolated incident. There’s evidence that the Punggol izakaya is working with teams of women to routinely con men out of thousands of dollars.

A few days after his ordeal, Mr. Qiu returned to the izakaya to ask the owner about the outrageous $270 per bottle pricing. He found that a 6-pack of the same wine only cost $185 online.

So the owner was defrauding customers by marking up the bottles by 500-600%!

When Mr. Qiu confronted the owner about this over WhatsApp, the owner tried to justify the crazy markup, saying: “The price of the wine was ‘transparent and fair’, as all patrons would be charged the same amount.”

The owner then trotted out the laughable excuse that the wine had to be priced that high because “the izakaya needed to pay salaries for staff and the rent for the venue.”

Yeah, because overpaying for the cheapest bottle of wine possible is a surefire way to stay in business.

But it gets even worse. When Mr. Qiu checked the online reviews for the izakaya, he discovered that his experience was far from an isolated incident. Multiple reviewers accused the bar of running a similar scam!

One review stated that the izakaya “hired women whose purpose was to lure patrons to the establishment, only for them to order about $200 worth of wine in one sitting.”

Another person claimed they had spent a whopping $600 on drinks after being chatted up by a woman on WeChat and lured to the izakaya.

So there’s a clear pattern here. This izakaya is employing groups of women to bait lonely men into their bar through dating apps and messaging platforms like WeChat and Tantan.

Once they get a guy hooked, the woman coerces them into ordering massively overpriced bottles of wine, often chugging them faster than humanly possible.

It’s a devious ploy to defraud unwitting customers out of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. And it seemingly all stems from the unethical business practices of the Punggol izakaya owners and management.

Mr. Qiu Files an Official Police Report

Clearly disgusted and feeling violated, Mr. Qiu decided to fight back and file an official police report. As he told Shin Min Daily News:

“In the end, Qiu made a police report, adding that he wanted to relay his experience to the public to spread awareness. The name of the izakaya was not disclosed in the Shin Min report.”

Good on Mr. Qiu for taking action. No person should have to endure this kind of blatant scam that plays with people’s emotions and desensitizes them to extortion tactics.

The Punggol izakaya might try to justify their gross business model by saying: “Hey, we’re not breaking any laws. If customers are dumb enough to buy overpriced wine, that’s on them.”

But deliberately deceiving people through apps and artificially inflating prices is unethical and predatory behavior – plain and simple.

These scammers are targeting socially awkward individuals looking for romance and using their vulnerabilities against them for profit. That’s why they choose dating apps and bar settings where intoxicated judgment is an issue. It gives them power over their victims.

Will the Police Crack Down on This Scam?

As of now, it’s unclear if the police have taken any action against the Punggol izakaya as a result of Mr. Qiu’s report. This reporter reached out to the Shin Min Daily News but did not receive any updates.

However, basic legal logic would suggest that this bar has likely committed multiple crimes, including:

• Defrauding customers through deceptive pricing tactics
• Employing women to lure men under false pretenses
• Potentially serving illegally obtained or non-beverage alcohol

Even if law enforcement doesn’t crack down though, this story becoming public knowledge could kill off the Punggol izakaya completely. After all, who would willing go to a bar with dozens of online reviews exposing their shady, unethical business?

But unfortunately, it’s probable that the scammers will simply rebrand under a new bar name and continue operating in ultra-discreet mode once this blows over. That’s why it’s crucial that word continues to spread far and wide about their deplorable tactics.

How to Protect Yourself from Scams Like This

Getting conned out of $870 by some rando you met on a dating app has to be an incredibly violating and embarrassing experience. But the reality is, scams that prey on people’s emotional vulnerabilities are all too common in our hyper-digital world.

So while I hope the Punggol izakaya scammers get what’s coming to them, I want to switch gears and discuss how you can protect yourself from schemes like this in the future.

Remember, these scammers are masters of manipulation. They know exactly which psychological buttons to press to lure you in and throw off your internal alarm systems.

With that in mind, here are a few tips to avoid falling victim:

1. Never Meet an Online Match at Their Home Initially

When first meeting an online match, always insist on meeting in a public place like a bar or cafe. That way, you can make a graceful exit if anything seems off.

Getting picked up from an address you don’t recognize is how so many people get trafficked or ensnared in criminal rings. Don’t take that bait.

2. Beware of Overly Keen Interest From Your Match

Scammers are masters at love bombing – showing intense attraction and interest in you right off the bat. Their goal is to get you infatuated and addicted to that initial rush of validation before revealing their true intentions.

If your match seems to be coming on way too strong before you’ve even met in-person, that’s a massive red flag.

3. Look Out for Tactics to Get You Isolated

A common thread in Mr. Qiu’s story was Nuonuo constantly trying to isolate and disorient him. She gave him multiple fake home addresses to confuse him into the wrong location. Then she brought him to a secluded izakaya bar instead of meeting in public.

This isolating tactic strips you of your safety net and shifts control to the scammer. If your match tries to get you alone somewhere inconspicuous before you’ve built up trust, disengage immediately.

4. Question Overpriced Menu Items and Hidden Fees

Scammers try to sneak in dishonest fees and charges through all sorts of sneaky tactics like misleading menu pricing.

If you notice anything strange like a single glass of wine costing $50 or an izakaya marking up bottles by 500%, call it out and be prepared to leave if they can’t provide a reasonable justification. Hidden fees are a universal red flag.

5. Bail at the First Sign of Truly Bizarre Behavior

Look, dating is already awkward enough. So if your match starts doing downright bizarre things out of left field – like chugging an entire bottle of wine in 10 minutes(!!) – bail immediately.

That level of strange behavior goes way beyond social awkwardness and could indicate you’re being intentionally toyed with. Listen to your intuition when sketchy situations arise and make an exit before things escalate.

6. Never Let Your Guard Down On Dating Apps

Dating apps spawn all kinds of scams because people are horny, emotionally vulnerable, and let their guards down easily around seeming romantic possibilities.

But you always need to view dating app matches with scrutiny until they’ve proven 100% trustworthy over an extended period of real-world interaction. Be vigilant against love bombing, catfishing and schemes to get you isolated and intoxicated.

Conclusion

While Mr. Qiu’s story starts off lighthearted, it truly highlights how predatory romance scammers can be. They manipulate human desires for love and connection, then leave victims feeling depressed, violated and embarrassed.

Hopefully the Punggol izakaya staff who architected this scam will face real consequences through Mr. Qiu’s courageous police report. Scams this malicious where large sums of cash are illegally obtained through deception cannot be tolerated.

And for the rest of us, this should serve as a wake-up call to keep our guards up when engaging with strangers online or in dating situations. Letting our emotional vulnerability override logic is how bad actors take advantage.

Stay woke, my friends. Because the thirst is not worth getting trapped over $870 wine.

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