Common Tourist Scams in Soho, London (and How to Avoid Them)
The Wardour Street clip-joint scam
- The pattern: a hostess on the pavement of Wardour Street or Berwick Street invites a male tourist into a small basement bar — "private show", "lap dance", "free drink". Inside, drinks are priced at £150-300, totals run £400-1,500, security blocks the exit until you pay or hand over your card.
- Met Police warnings: continuous since the 2010s; the City of Westminster has tried to revoke licences but several venues persist. Hundreds of reports annually.
- Avoidance: do not enter any small basement bar where someone outside is actively soliciting you. The legitimate Soho venues (French House, Quo Vadis, Andrew Edmunds, Ronnie Scott's) do not have hostesses pulling people in.
- If trapped: pay with card under protest, request itemised receipt, leave; contact your bank immediately to dispute as fraud; file police report at West End Central Police Station (27 Savile Row) or via 101 the same night.
- The clip-joint locations: cluster on Wardour Street between Old Compton Street and Brewer Street, and the south end of Berwick Street. The shopfronts look discreet and unmarked; the giveaway is the hostess on the pavement.
- The bouncer problem: security at clip-joints is often intimidating. The Met advice: pay under protest rather than refuse on-site (the safety risk inside the venue is real); dispute as soon as you're out.
FAQ
- What is the Soho clip-joint scam?
- A hostess on Wardour Street or south Berwick Street invites a male tourist into an unmarked small basement bar with offers of a private show or lap dance. Inside, drinks are priced at £150-300 and the bill runs £400-1,500, with security blocking exit until you pay. Avoidance: do not enter any small basement bar where someone outside is actively soliciting you. If trapped, pay with card under protest, dispute with your bank as fraud, file Met report at West End Central (27 Savile Row) the same night.
Live Soho, London safety score (updates daily) →