I went on a date with a guy my friend set me up with. He showed up with flowers. Not a grocery store bunch – actual roses.
Dinner was perfect. He was charming, opened doors and pulled out my chair. When the check came, I reached for my wallet-big mistake. “Absolutely not,” he said, sliding his card down. “A man pays on the first date.” I walked away thinking it was one of the best first dates ever, until the next morning, when I saw that he’d sent me a Venmo request.
$68.50 — for dinner.
In the notes section, he even wrote:
“Just making sure we’re both investing equally. 😇”
I stared at my phone in disbelief. Was this a joke? After the whole “A man pays on the first date” declaration, the roses, the charm—this?
I texted him:
“Hey, I thought you insisted on paying?”
He replied within seconds:
“I did. But that was before I knew you ordered wine. I don’t cover alcohol on first dates—it sets the wrong tone.”
Wrong tone? The only thing off was his tone.
But it didn’t end there. Later that day, my friend (the one who set us up) called me, crying. Turns out, he had sent the same exact Venmo request to three other girls she knew. Same dinner spot. Same routine. Same roses.
He was literally running a first-date scam, charming women just enough to make them believe in the fantasy, and then billing them later like it was business.
Let’s just say… I didn’t pay the $68.50.
But I did make sure the entire group chat—and TikTok—knew about Mr. Romantic Venmo.
Sometimes, the biggest red flag is wrapped in a bouquet of roses.