Give who the number?
The NTA of course. They have 25 compliance officers working their fingers to the bone to make Ireland a safer place to travel in taxis.
Explainer: How to avoid fake taxis and stay safe as bogus-taxi scam hits victims for hundreds of thousands of euro
Stock image. Photo: Mark Condren
Stock image. Photo: Mark Condren
Amy Molloy
December 19 2022 11:46 AM
A crime gang using bogus taxis to target the online bank accounts of passengers is currently being investigated by gardaí.
Here’s how to avoid fake cabs and stay safe while using taxis over the festive period.
What to look out for
There are a number of tell tale signs when it comes to identifying fake taxis. Some of the more obvious ones include no taxi licence in the vehicle, no presence of an actual meter and a different colour scheme on the roof sign.
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How to spot a real taxi
Irish taxis must be fitted with a taximeter calibrated and verified with the current national maximum fare order. It must also be connected to a working printer.
The vehicle must have a regulation roof sign. The colour scheme for this sign in Ireland is blue and yellow. If a roof sign appears flimsy or looks fake, this could indicate it may be a bogus taxi.
Any car being used must also have prescribed taxi branding applied to its front doors.
Taxis should also contain tamper-proof licence discs that specify the licence and vehicle details.
These include the vehicle licence number and expiry date, the vehicle registration number, colour and type, and how many passengers the vehicle is licensed to carry. These discs are placed on the front and rear windows of the vehicle.
Under rules introduced by the National Transport Authority, taxis are not allowed to have dark glass except behind the passenger. This means that privacy glass is only allowed in the rear screen for most vehicles.
Since September it has been mandatory for taxi drivers to accept card payments. Passengers should be sceptical of drivers who say they only take cash or insist on you paying with your phone.
How to stay safe or avoid fake taxis
Always try to travel with another person where possible. Fake taxi drivers will more than likely target people who are alone or vulnerable.
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The gang carrying out the scam being investigated are using shoulder surfing techniques in pubs.
This involves looking over someone’s shoulder to get information such as a passcode or pin. As soon as they see the phone passcode, they set about stealing the phone. They do this by calling up an accomplice in a bogus taxi.
The driver then parks near the location where the victim has been targeted, the taxi will attempt to pick up the person and then steal the phone.
Legitimate taxi drivers will not usually approach people to offer them a lift.
poster
Booking through verified apps such as Free Now or registered taxi companies is also a good way to avoid fake taxis.
If you book a taxi through a company or app, the driver should be able to confirm your name once you get in the vehicle.
In some cases where people have been defrauded out of money, the drivers have used different approaches including violence.
If travelling in a taxi, it is safer to sit in the back.
As part of their investigation into the gang, gardaí have made at least two arrests and seized a number of cars which were being used as bogus taxis.
Read More
Taxi cab scam has cleaned out €300,000 from bank accounts of victims
Post his number here and I'll ring him every hour on the hour over the xmas.
