Airport Scam - Lesson Learned
 

Well, our trip to Rome went relatively smoothly, the Pope's untimely demise notwithstanding. However, as prepared as we were (and we were VERY prepared!) we still fell for the taxi scam. As we left the baggage terminal, we were approached by a transportation official (badge and everything) who asked if we needed a taxi. We said yes, and he led us to his car. We really should have asked the price or looked for the meter or something, but we figured he was "official", he had a badge ...

Once we get out of the airport, he showed us his pricelist - 75 Euros to take us downtown, plus 10 for each piece of luggage. It cost us 95 Euros to get from the airport to our hotel! I told him I knew the price was only 45-50 Euros, but he said that price was for the other airport. I asked him to turn around and take us back, but he ignored me, insisting that his was the correct price.

Anyway, we got to the hotel and forked over the money. What a crummy way to start a vacation. Just wanted to warn people about this! I shoulda known better!

Thanks for the heads up, DD.

For future travelers:

Should this happen to you, wait until you get to the hotel, then one of you go in and tell the desk clerk.

He/she will come out with you and explain in Italian how much you will pay or else you will call the police.

Make sure you get all of your luggage before gving the cabby any money.

((I))

Hi

Thanks for the tip. I wouldn't feel too bad about it. Getting ripped off is all part of travelling. It happens to everyone. You don't hear about it because people are too embarassed to admit it. I almost fell for this scam too. At the termini I was approached by a taxi driver who noticed my luggage and picked me as a gullible tourist (which I was). He quoted 70 euros for the fare to my hotel. "Too much" I said thinking it was customary to bargain. "No, look here is the official government schedule of rates" he said producing an official looking document. I almost agreed but then decided to take the Metro purely for the novelty value. Later I found out the fare should have been 20 euro. I am wise to this one now but there is always a scam waiting to suck you in. If this is all that happened you are one of the lucky ones! Lost luggage, pick pockets, shoddy hotels, muggings, lousy restaurants - Fodorites could go on about worse misadventures.

See ya.

I am certain many people have fallen for this (would they keep doing it if the "market" weren't out there?..somehow I doubt it) and these things are enormously successful because they are well thought-out by the perpetrators.

I still laugh every time I read the occasional post from people who say they go to Europe and, in one particular case, hit all the attempted pickpocketers with their purse so they never carry a moneybelt, etc.

Believe me, by the time they are swinging that purse the money that was in it will have been long gone.

Thanks for this heads up; hopefully it and Ira's excellent advice will help others.

Ira's advice is only excellent if it can work. Most times it can't.

What if the cab can't drop you directly at the hotel door? What if you're traveling alone and have three large bags? If you're a couple (let's say a man and a woman), who goes inside to inform the reception clerk? What if the reception clerk is very busy at the time of your arrival and speaks very little English?

I'm sure Ira means well but I can see plenty of potential problems (which can only dig you in deeper with the taxi driver) with his idea.

The best advice is to know there is ALWAYS an official "taxi" line and you MUST stand in it to get an authorized fare. Better yet, secure a known car service and pay much less for more comfort, style and a worry-free ride.

To nytraveler--what makes this kind of scam work, is that people are jet lagged and don't have all their normally available wits about them--so to speak. No one would ever fall for such a scam on a return trip--ie when leaving the place where you had been visiting--but upon arrival, one's defenses are taxed and that can make some vulnerable--esp given "the badge" that was displayed. However, the giveaway was being taken to that guy's car--that was when the alarms should have gone off b/c if he truly were a "transportation official" he just would have directed them to the appropriate taxi line.

When we arrived in France last year, we were also approached by a "helpful" driver but as soon as he said, "come this way" we both realized simultaneously that this was not the regular way of getting a taxi and we told him "no, thanks" but there was a moment where we were almost fooled and it was for the above reasons--exhaustion, and the normal confusion of just arriving in a strange place w/luggage. You are absolutely right about keeping in mind that the official taxi line is the only thing one seeks out!!

Also look for the official seal on the taxi -- is this called the medallion? Scams aplenty at rome airport so this has been a good rule of thumb. I just find it easiest to book ahead with limoservicerome...about the same price as a taxi and no hassle.

I'm sorry but a lot also depends on where you are arriving in a particular city.

There are many arrival points that do not have "an offical taxi line."

Most major airport have signs pointing to taxi stands, as does the one in Rome.

And I think the other problem here is the underlying belief most people have that "crooks" look like "crooks". Of course "smart crooks" dress very well and have a fake badge and a clean, good looking car -- that's why they succeed at what they do.

I was a bit &quot;over-prepared&quot; for the Gare du Nord scammer that &quot;helps&quot; you buy metro tickets...we got off the train and walked toward the main hall - sure enough, a guy walked up to my husband, saying something like &quot;metro?&quot;, and I practically <i>screamed</i> &quot;DON'T TALK TO HIM!!!&quot;...my husband thought I'd gone mad.

dejadeb, good advice about not taking this incident to heart, it happens to alot of people or they wouldn't be in business.

Years before I found Fodors, I had absolutely no idea what the cost was for a ride from the Rome airport to my hotel. I had not even thought of a price guide.

A British friend was supposed to meet us and drive us in, we waited and waited, exhausted, hungry and angry (at him). A nice looking man in an official looking Limo Drivers Jacket and Badge offered to take us into the city in a limo for what was equal to 90 USD. We agreed, he took our luggage and took us into town. I had no idea until years later that it was a high price.

After many years of being scammed by taxi drivers (even the official ones in the taxi line)in every immaginable city. I gave up on taxis and now pre-arrange for a car to pick me up.

You oughta try Rio. They've made a sport out of that kinda thing. Of COURSE, I fell for it. It was 3 times the price but lesson learned. At least he was incredibly nice. I just looked at it as one of the hazards of travel. I've been prepared for that kinda thing since. S

Agree with SusieQQ. Have also been scammed by taxi drivers all over the world despite me being wary. In fact, I started to assume that all taxi drivers would try something. Had experienced the &quot;meter broken&quot; and various permutations that I automatically say meter on when I enter. Almost had an argument with a taxi driver who told me no meter, not realizing that charges were done by zone!
I try to do public transport (trains, subway) when I can (travel very light). And arrange for private car if trains aren't convenient. That way, don't start a trip annoyed and stressed.

I've run into this scam in NYC and Chicago too, it's not unique to Europe.

Transportation officials and legal taxi drivers don't usually approach you - in any big city - you have to go find them.

it's not so simple to say, &quot;just stand in the official taxi line&quot;. often the &quot;official line&quot; is not an organised queue at all but just an official who rather aggressively directs tourists to waiting cars that pull up. it all happens very fast and with little apparent organisation. i have never had this happen to me but it IS often very difficult to tell the difference between the official and the tout. the main difference is that the official usually directs you to a waiting car whilst the tout directs you into his OWN car (although i can imagine they can work in teams).


also, depending on the location, there is often no guarantee of getting an official rate by going in the &quot;official line&quot;.

Walkinaround:

I agree completely. There IS an official line at Roma Termini, but there is a highly unofficial person there who helps put your luggage in the taxi and expects a tip.

And there is NO guarantee at all that the official taxi that you take there (the one with the official seal of the Comune di Roma; I think it says &quot;SPQR&quot;)
will not try to overcharge you.

My only defence has been to protest, as best as I could, in Italian, as best as I could. I've found that many Roman taxi drivers back down if they realize that you are aware that they are trying to overcharge you.

We arrived at Roma Termini at around 8pm one night, tired and laden with luggage after a full day in Naples.
Yes, there was an official Taxi line.
No, there was no policeman or other official around.

The 'official' taxis, with the seal on the door and everything were circling around the block but would not pick up passengers in the line. When we approached one, we were quoted a fare of 100E (we were staying near piazza navona) and when we refused to pay so much we were told, very politely, that we should join the line and that the line would take atleast another couple of hours to move. This wasn't just one taxi driver scamming tourists. It was an organized boycott.

We took the bus.

to clarify... the thread started to talk about general guidelines to avoid a scam... i said that often there is no organised queue...i meant at different airports, not that rome often does not have an organised queue.

Whew, I'm sorta glad to learn it happens to *everyone*, even those of us who like to think we're travel-savvy. By the way, I DID know to go into talk to the desk clerk about the ridiculous price, but our hotel was on the 4th floor of building downtown - we would have had to go up the elevator, find someone to talk to, etc. The driver was blocking the street, horns were honking, we'd just arrived and were a little overwhelmed. I thought even if we got the police, the driver would simply say he told us how much it was, that we could have gotten into another cab if we thought the price was too high. Anyway, if that was the worst thing that happened (and it was), that wasn't so bad :-)

This taxi scam is only in Rome. A TV programme in Italy secretly filmed taxi drivers &amp; there was an inquest &amp; the culprits were taken to court, but it's still going on. the problem is that these are official taxi's they're all into it. In Milan this doesn't happen, you pay what's on the meter.

&quot;This taxi scam is only in Rome.&quot;

What, Clark? Surely that was a typo and you meant to say it ISN'T only in Rome. It is found in many if not most cities in Europe, as even some of the other posts here will acknowledge.

Don't feel bad. A taxi driver tried to scam us in my hometown (NYC). We live in Queens, not far from La Guardia airport, and we got a cabbie who insisted on taking us home a different way from the way we knew was the shortest route. My husband only gave him the amount it should have cost, without a tip.

How much SHOULD it cost from the airport to the Villa Borghese area? Read all the comments, but not one person said how much it SHOULD cost.
Thanks.

duchesswilliams,
Well, a pre-booked car service from/to FCO costs ~50E including all luggage. There maybe a surcharge for very early moring (before 6am) and late night (after 11pm) trips. Plus we tend to leave a 10-20% tip.

Deja Vu! This same thing just happened to us! We're pretty travel savvy and this still got us. I had just read a warning about the taxis in my travel book on the plane. Once we had gotten off we had to wait awhile for our luggage. My husband had gone up ahead a little bit while I was helping my daughter get her things situated (my mom was with us as well). When we met up with my husband this taxi driver (with the &quot;official badge&quot;) had already talked him into taking his taxi. When he was told the address of the B&amp;B he even checked with another &quot;official&quot; in the airport. He tried to grab the suitcase I was lugging but I refused and so he grabbed the one from my husband away. When we got into his unmarked van without a meter I pretty much knew then we were being scammed but it was an awkward situation and with everyone being tired and a little overwhelmed I just kept my mouth shut. It cost us 96 Euros and I counted it as my one and only valuable lesson learned in Rome.

We made sure we booked our taxi through our B&amp;B for the way home and that taxi only cost 55 Euros. The funny thing was, the taxi was the same type of unmarked van as the first one we took!

I used to live in San Francisco and now live in Germany and I've never had this experience before.