I have a lot of articles about how to avoid scams and hustles while inside a Vegas strip club. But I never really worried about getting robbed outside of one.
This kind of thing doesn’t happen often, but it still does go on. Mostly because Vegas is so full of tourists that scammers tend to hang around areas where they suspect people may have lots of cash on them. That makes strip clubs a prime target.
Even for someone like me, it’s easy to get hustled when you let your guard down, so this is just another example of why you need to pay attention, even when everything is going great.
The night started at a downtown casino called Circa. It’s one of my favorite spots to hit downtown before I figure out what I plan on doing for the night. There are lots of escorts that work there as well, but that’s another story.
After a few drinks and a few rounds of blackjack, it was a little after midnight, so I grabbed an Uber over to a strip club called Palomino to check things out. It was a Saturday night, so I was expecting it to be pretty busy.
When I got there, it wasn’t as busy as I had thought, but the ratio of girls to customers was really good. I grabbed $100 worth of singles from the cashier and sat down at the stage. It wasn’t long before a petite blonde really caught my eye.
We sort of connected while she was dancing, so afterward I got up and sat at one of the comfy couches they have on the main floor. After a few minutes, she came out from the dressing room and sat by me.
She was really bubbly and definitely looking to have fun. We immediately ordered drinks, and she wanted a regular shot, not some expensive drink to pad the bill. It was a good sign.
We ended up having some good conversation. She gave me a few lap dances right there on the couch. Each time, I was only tipping $20 for each one, so it was cheaper than a private dance. No complaints so far.
We did end up going back to the private dance area, but only for three dances because we both wanted another drink.
Before I knew it, it was almost 4 a.m., and I had to make a decision. Either make some kind of move that night or just grab a phone number and try to see her outside the club another day.
I already had a good time, and I had barely spent $300 total with drinks and dances, so I got her phone number and called an Uber. I didn’t want to stay up until 6 a.m. when she got off her shift.
But this is where the problem starts. Because the night went pretty good and I figured I had a nice catch to call this week and set something up, I was in a really good mood.
If you’re new to Vegas, you may not know that it’s pretty common for “fake” Ubers to hang out in front of casinos and strip clubs. Sometimes they just give you rides to where you’re going in exchange for cash, but sometimes they are scammers.
This is important because the area outside of a strip club is sometimes pretty busy. Taxis and Ubers are pulling up, the fake Ubers are there trying to trick passengers, and drunk customers are going in and out of the club. It’s pretty hectic.
As I was waiting for my Uber, this girl drove slowly past me and smiled at me. I wasn’t sure if she was the Uber I was waiting for or what was going on. I smiled back, and she stopped and started talking to me.
Mind you, I was in a really good mood and somewhat drunk at this point. So a girl jumping out of her car and talking to me seemed pretty cool.
She was extremely flirty and even started flashing her boobs right there in the parking lot. This should have been a HUGE red flag. But having just come out of a strip club, seeing boobs was totally normal and didn’t seem out of place at all. I was still in the “strip club” state of mind.
She started saying we should grab a room, which is when I realized she was likely a scamming hooker of some kind. I wasn’t really interested in that at the moment, so I told her I was just waiting for my Uber and then going home.
After a little more flirting, she got back in her car and drove off. I was in a little bit of shock over the whole thing, but still in a good mood.
That’s when the “logical” side of my mind started thinking straight. I quickly checked my front pockets where I had my cash, and they were empty. I quickly patted down all my other pockets to check if maybe I had my cash somewhere else.
Nope. She got it.
If you’ve hung around hookers or strippers, you know that’s a pretty common scam. The girl comes on extremely strong and grabs all over you. It’s a distraction while she picks your pockets.
In the end, it was about $200 that she got. Thankfully, my credit card and ID were in my jacket pocket, so I still had those.
I had to laugh, though. I somehow managed to get ripped-off outside of a strip club instead of inside of one.
It just shows that in Vegas, there is literally a scam around every corner. Within minutes of walking out of a strip club, there was already a scammer who had her eye on me.
The moral of the story is to never let your guard down. That doesn’t mean you have to be paranoid, but just be aware these girls can operate extremely fast, and by the time you realize what’s going on, your money is already gone.
If you’re curious about Vegas adult nightlife, make sure to read my Ultimate Vegas Strip Club Guide or my 2025 Vegas Escort Report. These guides are full of insider information that’s not available anywhere else. If you’re planning a wild vacation to Vegas, these guides are a must!
