Men in Atlanta kidnapped and robbed of thousands after visiting Buckhead bars

Eight men who went out to bars in Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood said their phones were used to transfer thousands of dollars out of their bank accounts.

Eight men said they lost consciousness and were then robbed of thousands of dollars while out at bars in a wealthy Atlanta neighborhood from November 2021 to last month, according to conversations with six of the men and police reports filed by two others.

The men said they believed they were drugged or described feeling abnormally intoxicated shortly before their phones were used to transfer thousands of dollars out of their bank accounts — largely using mobile payment apps such as Venmo, Zelle, Apple Cash, PayPal and CashApp — and their credit cards were used to make fraudulent purchases, according to documentation victims shared with NBC News and police records.

Five of the eight men — one of whom was the subject of an NBC News report in February — also alleged that while they were in and out of consciousness on the nights of their encounters, they were driven around Atlanta in unfamiliar cars by strangers.

The alleged incidents occurred after the men went out to bars in Buckhead, an affluent Atlanta neighborhood known for its vibrant nightlife and young crowd. After NBC News reported about an incident at Five Paces Inn, a bar in the neighborhood, additional alleged victims reached out with similar accounts. NBC News found other alleged victims through social media and public records requests to the Atlanta Police Department focusing on several local bars.

While four men said the alleged crimes occurred at Five Paces Inn, others said incidents took place at three other popular bars in the area: Thirty, Johnny’s Hideaway and The Ivy Buckhead.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/buckhead-bars-men-atlanta-kidnapped-robbed-rcna140673

---