DonDiego was thrilled to learn that he is immune, for all practical purposes, from the "scams" described in the linked videos of Episode 9 of "Scam City".
Mr. Woodman exposes 3 or 4 scams, as far as DonDiego can tell:
__He books an "apartment" online from an internet scammer who charges him $145/night, and it turns out the website is fraudalent and poor Mr. Woodman is out "almost $500. So, like, it seems to DonDiego that one would really have to go out of one's way, . . . really make an effort, . . . to intentionally find such a fraudulent website when there's so many well-advertised legitimate options available - like the hotels themselves or a "discounter" like Expedia or Hotels.com or Priceline - who wouldn't trust Captain Kirk?
DonDiego is safe; he would have trouble finding a fraudulent website on which to book a room.
__Mr. Woodman pays an ill-dressed man on a pedestrian bridge across the Las Vegas Strip $50 for five VIP passes to a hip Las Vegas Casino Nightclub; he subsequently discovers that one does not need a ticket to get into the club, . . . and, in fact, the long-line for such ticketholders is longer than the long-line for general admission, . . . and the club has no intent to provide free drinks as promised by the bridge vendor.
Actually this segment is educational.
The viewer learns that a quick way to the short-line to actually enter the club is to spring for "bottle-service", i.e. one can get a table for oneself and one's friends if one purchases a bottle of, presumedly alcoholic, beverage - starting at $350-per-bottle.
[An aside: DonDiego has been visiting Las Vegas for decades. He can remember, . . . oh, maybe 30 years back, . . . reading warnings about "bottle clubs" which might be recommended by, f'rinstance, one's cabdriver. They were usually small joints in neighborhoods not as well lit as the Strip in which attractive young ladies would cajole the unwary patron to purchase a bottle of, say, champagne, . . . or even several bottles of champagne, . . . in exchange for "companionship" and a promise of, . . . well, whatever the patron imagined. Soon after the beverages were delivered and/or consumed a bill itemizing the bottles at $300 each or $500each or whatever the management decided to charge would be presented, . . . and unpleasant, burly men would extract payment and immediately thereafter unceremoniously remove the patron from the premises to the sidewalk, . . . or worse. Whatever the young ladies might've promised was not delivered. The most significant information is that what was once an underworld off-strip business practice has now been adopted by the major Strip casino nightclubs.]
The viewer also learns that a second way to gain rapid entrance is to be accompanied by several attractive young women or, alternatively, to be an attractive young woman. The presence of young women apparently encourages young men to purchase drinks for them in copious quantities at prices significantly elevated above those one might find at one's local liquor store. The club likes this.
DonDiego is safe. He is unlikely to hand over cash to a street vendor on a pedestrian bridge in Las Vegas for anything. Besides, poor old DonDiego really has no interest, . . . and never has had, . . . in a club playing very loud music which he doesn't care for, in an environment of bright flashing light-effects, among a crowd of hundreds of folks crushed together closer than DonDiego desires to be crushed, paying exorbitant prices for watered-down drinks, and hoping to get laid. He'd prefer a quiet dinner in a classy joint, maybe with light classical music or, in Las Vegas, Sinatra accompanied by teechur with a somewhat higher chance of getting laid.
__The third "scam" is card-counting. This entire segment is apparently included, because folks have an interest in card counting. And it's fairly accurate as to the idea behind card-counting and instructive, in that, when the ill-trained Mr. Woodson tries his hand at it, he loses. It ain't magic.
OK, so first-off, card-counting is not a "scam", just a strategy for playing blackjack. Oh, . . . and it is not illegal.
__At the conclusion of the videos Mr Woodson's cabdriver reveals that he may have taken Mr. Woodson on routes longer than necessary to transport him from one place to another for the purpose of extracting a higher fare.
DonDiego knows Las Vegas well enough to avoid this "scam" if he chooses to avoid it.
Oh, . . . by the way, "Scam City" is a series of ten TV episodes. DonDiego expects the episodes on Rio de Janeiro, Marrakech, Rome, Istanbul, and Bangkok might provide more sensational scams .
