Dubliner warns of fake taxi scam after phone and €1,300 stolen
The 'taxi' involved in the scam had a sign making it look legitimate
November 25 2022 01:04 PM
A Dublin man has warned of a fake taxi scam after having his phone stolen and €1,300 taken from his bank accounts.
After failing to get a driver on one of the taxi apps on a Saturday night in the city, the Dubliner told RTÉ’s Liveline he decided to jump into a passing taxi.
“A taxi beeps me on the way and I thought I might as well hop in,” the man, identified only as Matthew, said.
“The driver proceeds to take me close to my destination and then claimed he didn’t know where it was, so asked to have a look at google maps on my phone.
“He then dropped it into the passenger side footwell and claimed couldn’t get it because of a bad back.
“He asked me to get out and get it, which I eventually did, and he just drove off,” Matthew added.
There was an illuminated taxi sign on the top of the car, which made it look like a real taxi.
Matthew said when he woke up the next morning money had been taken from three of his bank accounts and the passwords had been changed.
“It was an absolute nightmare. Up to about €1,300 was gone. This is an experienced scam,” he said.
He reported the theft to gardaí who told him they have had reports of similar incidents.
“It’s unfortunate that it is going on, particularly coming up to Christmas. They are preying on people who have been out socialising, had a couple of drinks and are letting their guard down,” Matthew said.
“They picked me up in a spot outside Ranelagh where they knew there were no cameras and they dropped me off in a spot where there were no lights or cameras. They really are experts,” he said.
Matthew is urging people to be careful coming up to Christmas when taking taxis home in the city.
“People need to be very careful, I know there is a shortage of taxis. I’ve learned a lesson if somebody doesn’t have their own Google Maps, you know, take a bit of warning.
“I suppose the other thing is it’s just a shame there are such a lack of available ways home at the moment, taxis and buses and things like that.
“The alternative is walking home on your own and it’s not safe for everybody. The vast majority of drivers I’ve ever come across are fantastic. It’s just unfortunate this incident has soured it a bit.”
Some of the €1,300 funds that were stolen from the bank account have since been refunded.
