Drugged - last memory - The Oak Bar

[RalphB]

This week I found myself victim of the famed drugging in Roppongi. I did not see it coming and am now seeking advice

The evening was planned as an early evening and after a few drinks elsewhere I stopped by The Oak Bar to meet a friend. There, upon returning from the restroom, two women had come to my place on the far side of the bar. We chatted casually and that is my last memory of the evening. This was around 10:15pm.

From there, I woke up very late the next morning with my clothes on, and found my wallet emptied, a bottle of champagne consumed and three empty glasses, and two other fine bottles of wine missing. And that was just the start.

Later I found out a large ATM withdraw had occured and a huge bill (multi thousands) had been rung up at a Roppongi bar, or which I have not heard of, nor know where it is.

My question is do I:
1. Do nothing, suck it up, call it a life lesson and move on? Or,
2. Do I report this to the credit company to at least refute the bar charge? If I do that, will my company find out and what will be the impact? (For reference my career is going quite well so while the money is real, I will survive.) If I report this will I have to file a police report? What is the impact of that? If I have the credit card company challenge this, will the bar come after me? They know where I live

I see a lot of downside in option 2, including time which I do not have, and career risk, which causes me pause

Thoughts?

In hindsight, I really am amazed how I have no memory of all of this, and did not see it coming having heard of stories like this before

[GomiGirl]

Just for clarification - was this the Oak Door bar in the Grand Hyatt Roppongi Hills?

If this is the case, then your first port of call should be the manager of the bar.

[RalphB]

Sorry - yes - the Oak Door bar

I don`t see what talking to the manager could possibly do. The manager there I have met. His initials are JM and he poured me my second glass of wine, and last drink of memory.

To be honest, it irritates me that he must see this all the time, but apparently does nothing about it

[Taro Toporific]

First, call your credit card company and bank. Especially if you have a Gold/Platiumun/Black card, they will walk you through the next steps you need to take.

Contact your embassy (unless it's the turds at US Embassy who will refuse to do anything).

Avoid the Japanese Police, who are useless sacks of shit. Sooner (but hopefully later) you have to file an official report with the cops. Expect the J-police to treat you like a criminal (since they get kick-backs from the bar(s) that stole your credit cards and bank card).

I had my AMEX card overcharged by 200,000 yen at a Roppongi jazz club once. AMEX "fixed" everything for me and I ended up not even having to pay the bill for the two glasses of wine I drank and a cover charge.

[Mock Cockpit]

Check your torso for any messages. Notice any new facial tattoos? Do you have a pet monkey? Lost a finger perhaps?

[wuchan]

[omae mona]

This week I found myself victim of the famed drugging in Roppongi. I did not see it coming and am now seeking advice

The evening was planned as an early evening and after a few drinks elsewhere I stopped by The Oak Bar to meet a friend. There, upon returning from the restroom, two women had come to my place on the far side of the bar. We chatted casually and that is my last memory of the evening. This was around 10:15pm.

From there, I woke up very late the next morning with my clothes on, and found my wallet emptied, a bottle of champagne consumed and three empty glasses, and two other fine bottles of wine missing. And that was just the start.

Later I found out a large ATM withdraw had occured and a huge bill (multi thousands) had been rung up at a Roppongi bar, or which I have not heard of, nor know where it is.

Ugh, sorry to hear about your troubles. What an awful evening.

Two questions, though:

1) What happened to the friend you were supposed to meet?

2) How do you know the bar is in Roppongi? If you have a receipt, isn't there a name or address on it? Did you pay for the bar with a credit card or the cash that was withdrawn? If a credit card, the bar certainly has an address registered with the credit company, even if it's not printed on the receipt.

[Coligny]

Sorry to be a jackass CopSucker... But when you think aboot the amount of paperwork needed to treat these nearly daily occuring case that will anyway lead to no arrest or any positive outcome. It could be understood (in some sort of way) that the cop could appear to be covering up and doing nothing because they get kickbacks. The French cops also appears sleazy for minor robbery most of the time trying to even discourage filling a complaint at the local police station. But it's not because they get a share of each wheel stolen and resold from an unluckily parked Renault clio... It's because it would lead nowhere beside mountains of paperwork and degrade even more the criminality ranking of the place. Not good at all for the chief of the local police station.

Sidenote, meanwhile usually if you have lawbook and reference to which laws have been broken and you want to be enforced they are much more fooked and usually can't backpedal anymore. Always work like this when I go to enforce parking restriction in my street. At first when they arrive they say that in fact all is good and shit. Then I pull the book and my meter tape -their face turns usually to 'aw shit'- and show them exactly which part are to be enforced and then the street get cleared... (until the next day...)

[tone]

this is a freaking freaky topic. i wanna sympathize and be cool with the nigerians, theyre fellow gaijins, but being treated like a mark is such bullshit.

good luck sorting out the important stuff - be curious to hear how it pans out.

[sublight]

There may not be anything that can be done about the ATM withdrawal, but the credit card company should cancel the charges that were put on your card. Technically, it's the shop's responsibility to verify the identity of card users, so the CC company doesn't really give a rat's ass if the bar takes a loss over fraud.

If it's a company credit card, then your company would probably find out. If it's a personal card, though, the CC companies are usually pretty discreet.

[RalphB]

By the time my friend arrived, I was long gone - on the way to an ATM no doubt

I have the bar name and address from the online charge, but I have never heard of the bar, and the address does not show up on imaps

[RalphB]

I am wondering if I report it to the CC company:

1. Will I have to file a report with the embassy? I have no desire to spend the minimum of 4 hours that will require with no result (but gets my name on a list I do not want to be on)

2. Will I have to file a police report? I have even less desire to do that - for the same above reasons

I am currently leaning to the suck it up, life lesson option

[tidbits]

RalphB did you stay in the hotel? (you mentioned you woke up fully clothed with 3 empty glass etc ) Sound like you brought some guests to your house or hotel room. If you did stay in the hotel (did you sign the bar bill to the room? ) and you should have reported theft to the hotel on that morning) Even you didn't stay, you should report/ write to the bar, especially if the restaurant located in a big 5 star hotel, (most staffs are still able to recall events or their customers for a few days or the manager can at least trace for you the happening from the video recording beside checking your cc transaction), they have the responsibilities to protect the customers from these, or at least they must be aware of this and prevent it from happening again. Like what others have said here, might be a good idea to talk the bar manager first.

[RalphB]

I woke up in my apartment. The bar charge was for a bar in Roppongi which I have never heard of.

The bar was The Oak Door, and again it was very early in the evening.

I could have, to be sure found video of the women (atm, my apartment entrance), and I am sure their fingerprints were on the glasses, but I see considerable risk in being known within my company, and to others, as the guy who had this happen to him. This is probably what they are counting on.

If the CC company will be helpful I will consider it, but still trying to sort out those ramifications

[Coligny]

How do you make an ATM withdrawall without the security code ?

[Mock Cockpit]

So what's this mystery drug that causes amnesia but not unconsciousness within minutes of ingestion? I gotta get some of that.

[RalphB]

Coligny - you do what they tell you, without memory of doing so.

[Coligny]

Coligny - you do what they tell you, without memory of doing so.

Mah bad, date rape drug stuff...

(am safe... can never remember the code anyway)

[Mike Oxlong]

So what's this mystery drug that causes amnesia but not unconsciousness within minutes of ingestion? I gotta get some of that.

You can get that effect with some commonly prescribed sleeping pills, such as Zolpidem (sold as Constan or Myslee in Japan, and Ambien in the US). Even without alcohol it can have some unwanted side-effects...some users have complained online about sleepwalking, driving, binge-eating, and sexual encounters they have no memory of the following day.

[Iraira]

You can get that effect with some commonly prescribed sleeping pills, such as Zolpidem (sold as Constan or Myslee in Japan, and Ambien in the US). Even without alcohol it can have some unwanted side-effects...some users have complained online about sleepwalking, driving, binge-eating, and sexual encounters they have no memory of the following day.

My new Get Out of Jail Free Card
"Honey, I took some Ambien and have no idea how my dick got inside that stripper........"

[Mike Oxlong]

My new Get Out of Jail Free Card
"Honey, I took some Ambien and have no idea how my dick got inside that stripper........"

Should work especially well if you're three pints in...

[Iraira]

Should work especially well if you're three pints in...

Tell me it can be administered in suppository form......please.

[sublight]

I think you're safe reporting to the CC company, as far as embassies or your office are concerned. I can't imagine why they'd care about those two groups, or if they're even allowed to inform them without your consent. The police may be another issue: if you claim that it's a fraudulent charge, they may want to get them involved, but I suppose you could always just tell them, "no, I'd rather pay the charges myself than deal with that hassle."

Odd that they (the CC co.) haven't called you yet. One night several years ago I managed to spend an absolutely stupid amount of money in one evening (yes, women and booze were involved), and Citi called me the next evening to confirm that it had actually been me. Thought briefly about saying no, but figured it would've been too easy to prove I was lying.

[RalphB]

My CC sees some large amounts, and yes it is company card - that I pay, and then get reimbursed for

[RalphB]

If I refute (and I have grounds because I have no memory or idea of where this bar is), will I have to;

1. File something with the embassy, or
2. A police report?

[Mike Oxlong]

Tell me it can be administered in suppository form......please.

Available at any online pharmacy that also stocks boner pills.

[Mock Cockpit]

You can get that effect with some commonly prescribed sleeping pills, such as Zolpidem (sold as Constan or Myslee in Japan, and Ambien in the US). Even without alcohol it can have some unwanted side-effects...some users have complained online about sleepwalking, driving, binge-eating, and sexual encounters they have no memory of the following day.

Maybe. Gives me the munchies. Still not seeing how it renders you completely unable to remember in such a short space of time. It's kind of weird Ambien, it's like you don't remember that you remember and then you get a trigger and you can recall events clearly, if not the complete details. Hard to explain. Would seem to be too hit and miss for drug facilitated robbery but maybe that's how these people roll, for every 10 they try it on they get one keeper like Ralphy. My money is still on plonk though.

[legion]

I can't see why the OP is worried. A guy I work with was the victim of a scam in Roppingi recently, outrageously over charged while he was drunk. He told the card company, they erased the bill, he told the cops, they said "was it a bar run by Nigerians?" which oddly enough was the question everyone else asked him too ......

It was sorted out no problem, and nobody thought the worse of him for it. Apparently everyone he told responded with the same facial expression & reaction, along the lines of "we've all been there ...... but at least some of us got a lap dance out of it"

And excuse me while I hop on a high horse, but you do have a duty to report this kind of affair, even if you don't think it will result in any satisfactory action. The perps thrive in an environment where people are too embarrassed to act.

I only ever take cash when I go out, I leave my cards at home unless I specifically intend to use them. I carry my cash in two places too, old habits die hard.

[2triky]

Mah bad, date rape drug stuff...

Rohypnol? GHB?

[Greji]

Rohypnol? GHB?

No thank you. It won't be necessary, I'm meeting a Nigerian tonight who's going to show me around.....