If you swipe right on Tinder and are invited to a date at a nightclub, beware: you might end up swiping your card for up to AED10,000 . A racket involving fake Tinder profiles, middlemen, and nightclubs has been uncovered, raking in thousands of dirhams each night.

The scam follows a predictable pattern: women with fake profiles initiate conversations with men on Tinder, Bumble, and other dating apps. They then lure them to specific nightclubs, order costly drinks, and then vanish. Patrons are left with bills ranging from AED3,000 to AED10,000. The scammers then block their targets on WhatsApp and delete their social media profiles.

Industry insiders have identified this scam as an extreme variation of upselling - a sales tactic where additional products or services are promoted to increase the total bill. In this case, it's taken to an unethical extreme, exploiting customers' trust for massive gains.

"It's evident that these women are getting a cut for inflating the bills," said a hospitality professional. "This scam was prevalent in Europe and parts of the Far East but is now making its way into Dubai."

Khaleej Times has reviewed multiple cases from upscale bars and nightclubs in Business Bay and Dubai Marina. Our investigation identified nearly six nightclubs and at least two individuals involved - a nightclub manager and a European woman based in Dubai who operate under a fake Tinder profile.

A reverse image search of her picture revealed her identity before she could delete her profile. Several Dubai residents confirmed that this woman led them to various bars, only to vanish after running up hefty bills.

One case involves Alex, who paid AED4,300 after being invited to a pub in Business Bay by a woman named Lora, whom he met on Tinder. "She said she was looking for friends after a day of business," Alex recounted. When she arrived, she ordered wine and tequila shots, charged at AED400 each , and snacks for the nightclub staff, adding nearly AED650 for fruit and cheese platters. She left to "meet a friend" and never returned. Alex ended up paying a total of €1,062 . The bill amounts are mentioned in euros as they appeared on the notifications of customers who used Euro-based credit cards.

Another man described how, at a nightclub in Business Bay, a woman drank whiskey and tequila excessively. "I'm not exaggerating - it was like water. I'm even concerned now if there was any alcohol in those drinks at all!" By the end of the night, he received a bill of AED10,177 , about €2,500, for what he deemed a modest amount of consumption. "We were there between 9.30pm and 12am," he said, insisting there was no way they could've consumed enough to rack up a bill like that in such a short time.

Online forums are flooded with similar complaints. One individual was stuck paying for an expensive shisha ordered by a woman in a hotel lobby, while another lost AED10,000 to a woman who vanished as soon as the drinks arrived. In another case, a man was shocked to find a bill for 12 tequila shots he never ordered, totalling AED7,000 . Despite the slim chances of recovering their money, many hope that sharing their experiences will help prevent others from falling into the same trap.

One man managed to get his bill reduced to AED800 after a heated argument. "At first, they offered me a 50% discount, but I didn't back down. They even threatened to call the police, but I stood my ground. Eventually, they gave in and accepted Dh800," he said, requesting to remain anonymous.

Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism declined to comment on the issue.

 - TNS