RIGA, Latvia, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Patrons are being lured into Riga, Latvia, strip clubs with the promise of free booze, then forced to pay large sums of money, the British Embassy warns.
Several British men have been enticed into the clubs, popular stag party destinations for the British and others, then not permitted to leave until they settled a large bar tab, the BBC said. In some instances, the men were beaten.
Not so, club owners said. The British men caused the trouble and started the fights.
One owner said, "They think if they are foreigners everything will be for them."
The British embassy in Riga has warned men visiting the city of the alleged scam and contacted local authorities.
One person said his group was forced to hand over $5,800 after they were lured into a bar and then beaten. The man said it was "frightening" to see his friend punched and "another one getting carted off into a room and you don't know what's happening to them."
