Just days after US gymnast Simone Biles revealed that a nightclub in Paris attempted to charge her an exorbitant amount for a bottle of champagne, influencer Jacquie Alexander shared her own alarming experience at the same venue. Alexander warned her followers that she endured a disturbingly unsettling night, which allegedly involved drink spiking and the extortion of approximately £2,564.

After Biles won her second all-around gymnastics title, cementing her into history as one of the most decorated athletes of all time, the gymnast naturally went out to celebrate a day after the Paris 2024 Olympics ended.

On 12 August 2024, her followers watched eagerly as Biles shared footage of herself at L’Arc, an upscale Paris nightlife venue with edgy interiors and a massive champagne menu. In the two videos that she shared, people could be seen holding up light-up signs that read “Simone Biles God 4 Life” and “Gym Legend.”

However, the night wasn’t quite as joyous as Biles’ Instagram stories might have made it out to be.

In a ‘GRWM’ TikTok posted to her account on 19 August, the athlete said: “After [the Olympics closing ceremony] we went out. You guys, this club tried to charge me $26,000 for a bottle of champagne. Like, are you insane?”

@simonebilesowens

yappin away about nothing ….. next time I’m playing music lmao - football season has started 🤎BEAR DOWN🤎

♬ original sound - Simone Biles

Biles continued: “But why would you even try to play me like that? That’s wild.”

Then, only a few days later on 23 August, Australia-based fashion and lifestyle influencer Jacquie Alexander recounted a similar experience, with even more disturbing implications.

“Me and a couple of my friends went out for drinks at this rooftop,” she started. “Next thing we know, there’s a guy standing next to us and everyone at the bar knew who he was. Like, everyone that worked at this place knew him. And because we were sitting at the bar and they were all talking to him, we sort of got to chatting to him as well.”

The mysterious man owned a club in Paris and offered to treat the influencer and her friend to a free night at one of the most exclusive clubs in the city. Hard to resist, right?

“There was an entry fee. He didn’t make us pay the entrance fee. He just like took us straight through. Then this is where it starts getting weird,” Alexander noted.

“So one of my friends was wearing shorts. I don’t think you’re allowed to wear shorts in this club, but there was conveniently a shop in the club and he’s like ‘Oh, just buy a pair of pants from here’. The clothes were not cheap!” she emphasised. “The pants were like $400 AUD [Australian dollars].”

@jacquiealexander_

⚠️ please don’t be like me when travelling #parisscam

♬ original sound - Jacquie

However, since Alexander and her entourage had come all this way, they decided to make the best out of the situation. After all, they were still promised a table and free drinks.

According to the influencer, they were given a bottle of tequila, but Alexander claims that she can’t remember anything after that… A sign that there might have been something a bit stronger than straight liquor in that bottle.

“I have no recollection of anything, I am so lucky I was with a really good group of friends, I was with people that got me home safe,” she reflected. “This morning I woke up in my bed, like on top of my bed just in my clothes. I don’t do that.”

The TikToker also revealed in her comment section that she was charged an extortionate $5,000 Australian dollars or £2,564 at the venue. Ouch! So definitely not the free night she was promised.

Alexander recounted: “[I was] smacked in the face with an amount from the club that I did not authorise.”

The influencer then dropped a bombshell by weaving a couple of clues together: “I saw Simone Biles make a video recently about the same place. You can use context clues and figure out what place it is. I don’t want to get a lawsuit, but I feel like this place is an organised crime ring.”

It should be emphasised (for legal reasons) that there is no firm evidence Alexander and Biles were talking about L’Arc Paris, or that they have even been to the same venue.

Instead, their stories serve as a reminder for foreigners to be vigilant in foreign cities and avoid going out without the company of trusted friends. Sometimes, things really are too good to be true.