My friend's daughters were just arrested in Portugal for having a glass of port on the street in front of their hotel. They have been told to pay 500 euros each or spend 3 days in jail. Are they getting fleeced?

Never mind. The "cop" was in plain clothes, but had a badge. He got them to go to an ATM. The girls figured it out and ran.

Is it wrong that this thread made me lolz?

what is "lolz"?

It means laugh out loud in your sleep.

I couldn't figure out the "z" part.

I think I'm wrong. It may be the plural of lol.

I like your first definition better.

well if this is just guessing, i say 'fleeced'

This is a new scam. Beautiful.

while it's a scam it's a little warning that local customs may not be what you expect.

Well, it might be semi-legit, as it's illegal to drink in public here in the USA, at least in DC (probably state laws prevail), but the fine seems severe and jail time seems ridiculous.

I don't understand what happened. The police told them to go to an ATM machine and they fled and escaped the issue, or what?

A policeman anywhere would not expect you to pay on the spot. They would write you a fine. In a case like this, one could ask the "cop" to take them to the police station so they could get more info there.

What a scam.

>>A policeman anywhere would not expect you to pay on the spot. <<
Not necessarily. Traffic violations in India normally do have an on-the-spot fine. They should give you a receipt though.

I know, I know, a fine for traffic violations in India seems laughable, but it does happen.

<<< A policeman anywhere would not expect you to pay on the spot. >>>

You've obviously never been stopped for speeding in
France

<< A policeman anywhere would not expect you to pay on the spot. >>

You pay on the spot in the Czech Republic. You also pay on the spot for vaporetto violations in Italy.

<< My friend's daughters were just arrested >> & << Never mind...The girls figured it out and ran >>

How did both things happen - they were arrested and they ran??? It seems that one would preclude the other.

Foreigners in Spain are required to pay "on the spot" also. You will be accompanied to an ATM.

If it is illegal to drink wine on the street in Lisbon, it is an extremely under-enforced law.

And the policeman wasn't a policeman.

We have had to deal with fake policemen in Glasgow and on the RER from CDG to Paris.

"Pay or stay" is not unknown for traffic violations in the US. It used to be common in SC, but maybe screaming tourists got the law changed.

Foreigners pay on the spot in the Netherlands too schuler. They will accompany you to an ATM or similar place to get cash if you don't have enough for the fine.

There have been a couple of cases here of a similar scam, though not for drinking in public.