Roppongi Drink-Spiking Warning from US Embassy
 

From the Japan Times:

The U.S. Embassy informed Americans in Japan on Tuesday that it has recommended that its employees avoid frequenting bars and clubs in Tokyo's Roppongi entertainment district, and specifically areas around Roppongi crossing, because of a significant increase in drink-spiking incidents.

Typically, the victim unknowingly drinks a beverage that has been secretly mixed with a drug that causes unconsciousness for several hours, during which the victim's credit cards are used or stolen, the embassy said. Victims sometimes regain consciousness in a bar or nightclub, but at other times victims wake up on the street, it said.

Full Article: Embassy warns of Roppongi drink-lacing | Japan Times

Like I needed any more reasons not to drink in Roppongi.

And let's be clear that it isn't US customers that are "targeted" but the US embassy is following warnings made by England and Australia.

What an over-reaction.

An embassy issued warning?

I thinks an over reaction by the US embassy to reissue the warning after the face. i saw this article earlier today read it and forgot it soon after. Like MMM said the British and Australian issued the warning first but they attached the US's name too it like it came from them.

Oh well S&^% happens ever day around the world this is no different.

I don't know if it is an "over-reaction". It is a reaction to Australia and England. If they DIDN'T issue a warning, people would say "Why didn't you warn us this was happening if you knew about it?" (I didn't hear anything about the English or Australian warnings...did you? Somehow the American warning makes the news.) The embassy didn't have much choice.

The warning is long overdue. A person I know was a victim of this scam almost 2 years ago. He was hustled into a club by one of the many Nigerian doormen you see on the sidewalks in Roppongi. He had a few drinks and passed out. He woke up hours later and took a taxi home.

A few days later he is going over his accounts and found that nearly $3000 was charged to his credit card at this club. He called his bank to tell them that he hadn't spent that much money. But he admitted that he had gone to the club and passed out while drinking. That it was only 3 drinks didn't matter, the bank said that he should have been more careful, and that he would be responsible for the charges.

Perhaps now he'll have the grounds to contest the charges and have his money refunded.

If you go to a bar or club in Roppongi (or anywhere else), don't go alone, and don't use your credit card to pay the bill. A wise person would not even bring a credit card into a bar or club, and only a limited amount of cash.

Good point, Sangetsu. I haven't been in Roppongi in years after visiting one urine-reeking bar after another. I hear they have cleaned things up, but I have seen enough drunk gaijin grabbing "shocked" Japanese women who seem to forget they are hanging out in bars full of drunk gaijin.

I was taught not to take any more money than you plan to spend and put an 10,000 bill in your sock in case you need to take a taxi home. Credit cards stay at home.

Roppongi has not been cleaned up, the bars (and streets) still smell of urine, and at almost all hours you can see drunks staggering around like extras from a zombie movie.

Roppongi is about as close to Tijuana as you can get in Japan, except that the prices are much higher.

Well the New Zealand and Canadian embassies haven't issued such warnings (as far as I know) so I don't agree they had no choice.

Anyway I'm not singling out the Americans for over-reacting. The whole warning in itself is an over-reaction.

This sort of thing happens over here. We don't tell our own to avoid bars in a particular area.

I think it's weird the embassies are issuing warnings. It's not like it's a Japan only thing.
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