NOT FARE
The new taxi scam in Europe fleecing tourists for hundreds of pounds
Official Paris cabs charge a flat rate from the airport to anywhere on the Right Bank or the Left Bank of Paris, based on rules introduced in 2016
TOURISTS in Paris are warning others after a cabbie tried to scam them into paying almost five times the real cost of a taxi — and then got angry when they refused.
The couple, from Thailand, filmed an incident in which a taxi driver tried to charge them a fee of €247 (£218) for a 45km ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the city centre.
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Official Paris cabs charge a flat rate from the airport of €50 (£44) to anywhere on the Right Bank of Paris and €55 (£48) to anywhere on the Left Bank. It’s based on rules introduced in 2016.
But in the video, which was uploaded to YouTube, the driver angrily insists his €247 (£218) fee is correct and argues with the couple after they challenge it.
He tells the couple taxi fees in Paris were “not fixed price. It’s by (the) meter,” but the meter appears to be an app on the driver’s phone.
The video shows the driver getting angry when the couple demand to see his licence, and lunging towards the back seat to stop one of the tourists filming him with his phone.
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At one point, the couple ask to be taken to a police station so they can sort out the matter but he tells them: “I’m not going to police. You pay me, you go to police. What is your problem?”
After many tense minutes of arguing, the couple eventually agree to pay a compromise price of €200 (£176) so they can finally get out of the cab.
One of the tourists, Charkrid Thanhachartyothin, told the driver had locked the doors.
According to a translation by t, he said: “The doors were locked, and we had all our luggage in the trunk - he did not want to let us out, and kept driving while (supposedly) phoning his company to find a compromise.”
“So, we decided to pay €200 to get out.”
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The driver said he belonged to Chauffeur Prive. It is a legitimate company but its website advertises a flat rate of €45 (£39), The Independent reported.
The couple has already left Paris, but police are understood to be investigating the incident - the video has clocked up more than 200,000 views on YouTube.
Paris is the third most visited city in the world, with 17.44 million tourists visiting in 2017.
On its website, Paris Airport advises visitors to say no to people posed as taxi drivers who approach them outside the baggage claim area, as no official drivers operate this way.
Visitors should instead go outside the terminal to the dedicated taxi area and look for an illuminated sign on the outside of the cab and a meter on the inside.
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The airport also says visitors can pre-book taxis through the official site for peace of mind.
Earlier this summer, Palma Airport warned Brits against ten common scams such as dodgy taxis, Wi-Fi scams and pickpocketing in the airport.
In Benidorm, tourists were also being scammed by fellow Brits in “pea scam” games that are rife in the holiday resort, meanwhile in the Lake District, tourists have been targeted by fake plain-clothes police who ‘pretend to carry out routine security bag checks’ then steal items.
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Holidaymakers also had £6.7 million stolen by fraudsters last year through online booking scams - mainly through fake airline tickets and accommodation.
Most recently, the Hollywood actor James McAvoy was nearly scammed out of thousands of pounds after trying to book a Tenerife holiday with a fake booking site.
This article was originally published on and has been reproduced with permission.
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