Scams: tales from the trenches comments Add Yours

• ponzo 24 February 2012
  Warning Brilliant Gentlemens ClubBaumana 9RigaTlf. +37 167287815Visa signature Brilliant-Nakts klubsInfo from severel persons I have found at the Internett. Stay away from this club; scam and supporting VISA fraud (be glad your account is intact after a visit here).
• Ponzo 23 February 2012
  11.02.2012 my account was emtied for about 3500 EUR from a terminal called "Brilliant-Nakts klubs". At the Internet I have found a club called "Brilliant Club". The whole touble started with a friendly couple at Donogans pub in the old town.
• Amy Young - Chevy Chase 18 January 2012
  I just saw a charge on my credit card for $97 from "ONLINE TRADE TRAINING RIGA LV." i HAVE NOT BEEN IN RIGA OR ANY PART OF LATVIA. Has anyone else gotten a bogus charge like this?
• John - Newcastle 15 October 2011
  Been to Riga January 2011. Stayed in the Central Hostel. Staff are great and very helpful. Pickup from airport they arranged it and also hostel to airport. I think price was reasonable and taxi driver was great guy (does not speak English but tries). Drinks and food is cheap. The woman I met (she is Latvian but lives in Scotland) took me for a drive round the old city and the new city. Cannot say I was impressed. As a person who has been to Russia you can see it was ruled by Russia for a long time. Dull is an overstatement compared to other countries I have been to. We went to a "posh" restaurant. Food was greasy (e.g. chips actually drip oil from them). It was only luke warm and some was actually cold. I like to try local food. Had many different things on the plate (do not care the cost. Just like to try local food). Hardly ate any. On return stopped at a supermarket. Bought a salami and some bread and had that to eat. Driving is nuts. Main thing is be careful of prostitues (yeah........... shame on me). I got one. She went to the toilet. After about 5 minutes oral she started sex. OOPS! She happened to start her period. Wanted to leave and I said "no way hose! I paid you we finish at least oral". You look at prostitute sites for Latvian women. You will find out why their faces are hidden. Second prostitute I met happened to be the daughter of my friend!!!!!!!!! ))) Oh and buy a local sim card. You pay .99ls and get 1.03 ls credit ) Last one any cigarettes or whatever buy before you leave. You cannot buy cheap cigarettes or booze at the airport.
• Yuri 12 March 2011
  Be careful with traveling companies there are some Italians who are living there and bribe police to steal people money. careful be you
• Dan 08 March 2011
  I have been travelling all over the world on my own and never have I had a scarier experience than the one I just had in Riga.I was with some friends in a club just outside of the old town and I was feeling tired. Very stupidly, I got into a cab on my own. I was locked in the taxi and driven 2 hours outside of city. I became extremely frightened and pleaded with the driver to let me out. He wanted cash and I gave him all that I had. Luckily he let me out and I found another taxi and he made me go to a cash machine. I have since found out that this was 3 hours after leaving the club and located some 20 miles outside of town in a forested area.Please beware of this scam, I'm lucky I wasn't left to freeze to death in the woods.
• Fabrizio 20 January 2011
  I am presently in Riga and just had a walk in the centre as a test ;)In 30 minutes at least 5 girls (walking in pairs) tried to start talking to me and/or approach me, and I of course avoided them.What is bad is my experience in a bar in 46 Brivibas St. where I met a girl I had contacted on the internet.I found her + a friend of hers (both russians) in this place, and they were drinking some champagne. After the first bottle was finished they wanted more but the bartender asked us to pay and of course it was on me, some 170 Lats...I told them that my bancomat had reached the max amount for the day, but they ordered another bottle, plus 3 vodka and 2 cocktails.When we asked for the bill, it was more than 180 Lats again, I gave them 80 but I told them I didn't have money anymore...I was very quiet, I said, ok what are we doing now, we go to the police...?And one of the girls paid 100 Lats with her credit card.Of course they were quite angry in the end, and offended.I'm from originally from Sicily, and I don't get impressed by this "mafia athmosphere" in Riga, being used to different stuff.What I want to recommend here is not to get superficial contact with girls here, it seems they are starting to use the internet to lure you.In my case, I guess they were ok, probably they only wanted to take advantage of my pocket to get good drinks, and the bartender didn't seem to trust them as she asked them to pay after the first bottle etc.So most probably just a case of disrespect and really bad attitude...Get some real and serious contact before accepting dates anywhere...
• Me 17 January 2011
  I´ve been some 15-20 times to Riga, as I like this city very much, and beside some minor happening, people here seem to be very nice and honest enough. I have however only been on foot, rollerskating and so on, so I can´t tell about the taxi-trade though. I also never have vistited any 'strip-club' there, but I guess going to any such is just looking for trouble, in any country. I could tell you about some nasty things as well, from own experience, but these then regards visits to other more distant countries, like Turkey. But one learns with age, what is safe and what isn´t.
• Alexander - Nicosia 25 December 2010
  Riga is the most dangerous city i have ever been,..scammers,robbers.i was there 5 days.each day might be described by an adventure,in clubs,in exchange stores,taxi.city is governed by criminal and mafia nets.i was in exchange store,i sold 200 Euros and normally i ought to bye 140 Lats.as an unsuspecting dolce vita cypriot i didnt count and check the money.later i noticed that casher sold me esthonian money.the value is much less than of lats..i was robbed deliberately mainly by my own intervening act,that i was so careless
• DonSimon - Oslo 10 October 2010
  Having read this section of the In Your Pocket Riga site, I was a bit worried as I was travelling to Riga for the first time on my own, especially as I like to go out for a drink at night and explore bars. I needn't have worried - I didn't have any trouble at all, and I didn't see any more dodgy looking people in Riga than in any other city I've been to (apart from the casino in the basement of the Radisson, that was like a gangster's convention - but they were more interested in beating the casino than robbing me). Mostly I decided to give the old town a miss - too many Brits and Norwegians! - and headed up Tērbatas iela and followed some In Your Pocket recommendations. I found some great bars, and very friendly people, most of whom refused the offer of a drink even when I explained it was about 25% of the price of Norway. I found the Latvians I met were very sociable and I was taken to a few bars and clubs I would never have found on my own and had a brilliant time, even when walking back to my hotel at 4am. Keep your wits about you, treat people as you'd like them to treat you and you'll love Riga.
• Guido Gloede - Bochum 01 October 2010
  We just were ripped off by a taxi driver, although he had a yellow license plate. From old town to ABC Hotel, he did not take the direct way at all, at the entrance of our hotel it was 11 LVL instead of 7 LVL as usual, and a few meters later where he finally stoppen, the meter suddenly read almost 15 LVL!! The license plate was TX 6817. Sorry to report such a fraud after so many nice experiences in this wonderful city of Riga.
• Vinny - London 19 May 2010
  I am heading to Riga next month for my stag party but I'm a little worried now after Reading all the bad reports. Has anyone any advice, I'm booking through a stag company who say our accomodation has a lap dancing club on the top floor.........is this safe? Has anyone any recommendations on where to go or what to dothanks
• Sid 16 April 2010
  I work in Latvia a few times each year and feel very safe on the Streets of the old town.As an English speaking scottish guy who travels all over the world (working sadly) I find it no more dangerous than lots of other city's.I have never paid for the attention of any women in Riga but had some great nights out and walked back to my hotel at 6am + regularly.I have spotted the scams by several locals one night in the Irish pub there was a girl acting drunk and she had a thing going with the barman a proper shifty looking local and it went like this.She flirted with customers until they bought her a drink then when they paid using a card she actually came across to the bar to get the pin number and the barman would record the card details for cloning.She tried it with me and even stood next to the bar offering me a blowjob so she could distract me while paying but I was strong (and she wasnt all that)and kept my pin from her.It was strange that I spotted them talking outside about this and she was uber sober then she came back in acting drunk again.My card company rang me a few days later saying that I should cancel my card etc and as I took a picture of her I forwarded it on to them explaining the scam to them.I am in Riga now and dont see the same bar guy guess he was fired but its another one to watch out for.Anyway I am stuck in Riga coz of the ash cloud so I am off to the old town to have some safe fun visit Riga but just keep your wits about you folks.
• Valentino - Pordenone 21 March 2010
  If you sail in trouble waters you get troubles.Traveling To Riga and other Latvian locations frequently since 6 years, it is a a beautiful town in a beautiful country and I have never been robbed or scammed. I have met many friendly people I have been out to dinner with girls, never ahd a problem.Could be that I don't feel atracted bt nightclubs and stip bars whatsoever. I even had intercourses with the opposite sex, for free, maybe if tourists change their predatory attitude and just enjoy the beauties of the country and try to establish real and normal relationship with the people they would have to face less problems.Stop considering Riga a cheap sex and cheap beer place and you will face no more problems than you can face in any other town of the world.
• Agnessa 12 March 2010
  If you go to Riga expecting to pay for lots of young sexxxxxy girls, then that's exactly what will happen - you'll just end up paying far more (in terms of your wallet but probably your head too). Avoid strippers, prostitution, 'massage', 'hotties' that suddenly like the look of your beer belly (think - why would a leggy 19 year old girl even look at a guy like you twice?). If you avoid this sort of stuff you might just be fine. In these last several years things have started getting worse, it's nowhere near as bad as the early-mid 90's but it's still very bad, you need to be safe and really, think twice when a beautiful woman talks to you. Why would a woman like this approach you?