Airport pick-up tricks are prevalent throughout the world and it remains important to remind travellers to be vigilant. Below, Tourism Update takes a look at the most prevalent scams and how to avoid them.
- The chauffeur who ‘knows’ you
The scam:
A chauffeur will stand waiting at arrivals with a sign in his hands outlining the passenger’s full name, even though the traveller never requested a pick-up. The chauffeur knows the name of the traveller’s hotel and will tell him or her that they were sent to pick them up. On the way to the hotel, the driver will stop and demand to be paid an exorbitant fee.
How do they do it?
The driver has been tipped off by a corrupt insider, who has communicated the traveller’s name and flight time.
How to avoid this?
To avoid this scam, travellers should make sure to only use official airport and hotel taxi services. They should also research trustworthy transport companies prior to their trip.
- The helpful taxi driver
The scam:
The taxi driver you have chosen is a charismatic person who will chat to travellers about the area and the country. He’ll explain that he has the best advice and knows the best places to visit. The hotel the traveller wishes you to go to? He’ll say it’s fully booked. That attraction the traveller wanted to see? It’s really not worth it. He’ll then bring the traveller to the hotel or attraction of his choice to pocket some extra commission.
How to avoid this?
If the driver says that the hotel or attraction is closed or fully booked travellers should double check.
- Pirate taxis
The scam:
Unlicensed taxi and shuttle services approach unsuspecting travellers at the airport to offer them transport to their hotel for a reasonable price. The travellers are then robbed at gunpoint while traveling in shuttle buses from OR Tambo International Airport to their place of lodging. In some instances, the robberies will take place after the shuttle bus arrived at a hotel or guest house. In other instances, the shuttle bus will be boxed in and stopped by two vehicles on the street.
How to avoid this?
Travellers should select shuttle or taxi services with care and use reputable companies recommended by major hotels or shuttles provided by hotels. Official drivers will not approach travellers offering their services.
When using taxis, travellers should only use licensed taxis parked at marked taxi locations at the airport. All official airport taxis appointed by the OR Tambo International Airport will have the official Acsa (Airports Company South Africa) logo displayed on them, while pirate taxis will not.
Travellers should avoid changing money at the airport, and avoid displaying ostentatious jewellery, watches or luggage while traveling.
- The ‘scenic route’
.jpg)
The scam:
Taxi drivers who want to make a quick buck have quite a few tricks up their sleeve. They’ll take the longest ‘scenic’ way to get to the destination in order to be able to charge more or they’ll say they are unable to help travellers with the correct change to break large bills, prompting the traveller to overpay.
How to avoid this?
Travellers should agree on a ‘ballpark’ price for the ride, and make sure this includes the cost of the luggage. It helps if travellers have researched the typical route rates for the trip they intend to make.
Travellers should take along a map or look up the route on the GPS on their cellphone. This will help them know immediately when the driver takes a ‘scenic’ detour.
Before leaving the airport, travellers should get local currency in small bills and coins. While paying a taxi driver they should make sure they watch the driver issue change carefully to avoid the scam where a taxi driver gives change for a smaller bill than was given to them.
5. Corrupt police officers
The scam:
Unfortunately, corruption and requests for bribes by police and security officers are still rife in South Africa. Especially in the vicinity of OR Tambo, rogue police officers like to set up roadblocks to intercept car-rental returns.
A traveller shared his story on Airport Transportation Guide (http://airport-transportation-guide.com/): “On Friday 24th July, around 4:30pm, I was returning my Avis rental car at OR Tambo airport for my flight back to France with my children when we were stopped by a posse of three cops on the spurious charge of jumping a stop sign. The fine was R500. After the cop had done some token scribbling on his clipboard, he then asked “So when do you want to pay?”. Fortunately, my brother, who lives in South Africa, was driving, and he knew this was code for a bribe. When we asked how much, he replied, “whatever you want”. With the clock ticking and already late for check-in, I decided it wasn’t worth arguing, so I handed over R200 in cash.”
How to avoid this?
Travellers need to know it is strictly illegal to pay cash to a traffic officer and that a legitimate traffic violation must be written out. This should be paid at a police station or magistrate’s court only, where an official receipt is issued. In the case of car rental – the rental company will investigate and administer the fines.
There is a 24-hour police line +27 (0) 82 451 7044 to report any officer requesting a cash settlement.
