Saigon restaurant accused of charging Australian $30,000 for dinner

By Le Chi   October 9, 2016 | 04:22 am PT
The downtown restaurant vanished soon after the man realized what had happened.

An Australian tourist claims a restaurant in downtown Ho Chi Minh City charged AUD$39,429 to his credit card for a single dinner.

On August 11, a waiter at the Nightfall restaurant allegedly had John David Caracciolo swipe and enter PIN numbers on two of his credit cards, according to a complaint filed by Le Kim Yen on Caracciolo's behalf. The waiter in question claimed the credit card machine was experiencing "technical errors."

Kim Yen claims the restaurant never presented Caracciolo with a receipt detailing the charges to his accounts at ANZ and Macquarie banks.

“[Caracciolo] didn't check the transaction until he returned to Australia and received his bank statement, which claimed his cards were swiped eight times at Nightfall charging him a total of AUD39,429, equivalent to VND683,150,000,” Kim Yen alleged in the complaint.

She further claimed the charges represented a deliberate effort to defraud Caracciolo, who never signed his receipts.

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Nightfall Restaurant's original location at 8A/1D1-2D1, Thai Van Lung Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The owner has since vacated and a new restaurant has opened in its place. Photo by VnExpress/Le Chi.

The doors to the restaurant have since closed, but the HCMC Tax Department's website says the Nightfall Restaurant Limited Company remains in operation.

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According to HCMC Tax Department's online data, Nightfall Restaurant Limited Company is still in operation.

According to public records, the business moved to Nguyen Sieu Street on May 12. VnExpress found that house likewise shuttered without any sort of sign displayed at the door.

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Nightfall's new location on Nguyen Sieu Street likewise remains shuttered. Photo by VnExpress/Le Chi

When VnExpress called the company's registered phone number, a woman answered  and claimed to have no involvement in a company called Nightfall.

A local banker speaking to VnExpress on background claimed that as long as the restaurant can provide a receipt for the goods or services, the transaction may be deemed valid. In a case where the vendor is unable to prove the charge, the bank will require him or her to reimburse the customer.

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