Shanghai Bar Crew Arrested For Overcharging Tourists

The seemingly friendly staff of a Shanghai bar were arrested last February and sentenced this week for extorting tourists and charging very high prices for crummy booze.

According to Shanghaiist, the bar was allegedly run by gangsters and it targeted foreigners who might not have had a great command of Chinese. The liquor was low-quality, but the place was staffed with friendly people who would convince the guests to order without asking to see any prices. When the actual bill would arrive, it would be exorbitant, but the customers would have already consumed all the alcohol. Police say that if the victims objected, the bar staff would make threats and lock the bar so nobody could leave.  

Police eventually stopped the scam and arrested the ringleaders, though the gang reportedly earned more than $6,500 from eight people in one month of scamming. The 10 people responsible were reportedly sentenced to between 12 and 37 months in prison.