In a bizarre twist of fate, a woman in Hong Kong found herself facing a staggering bill of over HK$80,000 after what she thought was a romantic dinner turned into a suspected dine-and-dash.

On Thursday night, police received a report from the 31-year-old woman, who had met her date online through the messaging app Telegram. The evening unfolded at the upscale Man Wah, a Michelin-starred restaurant located in the luxurious Mandarin Oriental hotel in Central.

The couple indulged in the extravagant "Man Wah Premium Set Dinner," costing HK$2,388 per person. To top it off, they ordered a bottle of rare 2002 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay champagne, which set them back an eye-watering HK$71,800. With the service charge, the total bill exceeded HK$84,000.

According to reports, the man, believed to be around 26 or 27 years old and posing as a lawyer, made an excuse to leave the table during dinner – and vanished without a trace. The woman, realizing she had been duped, ultimately paid the hefty sum with help from friends.

This isn't an isolated incident; last month, a 29-year-old man was arrested for similarly swindling women he met online into covering fancy meals, totaling HK$3,800. Under the guise of a firefighter, he would disappear, leaving the women stranded with the bills.

As this troubling trend of dine-and-dash scams continues, local authorities urge vigilance, especially when meeting online acquaintances. Will this shocking incident be the wake-up call for dining protocols in the digital age?