Travel scams: The really cheap taxi ride to tourist hot-spots
Published on HivePostify by @trip-hop · Tue Sep 01 2026
This scam really should be something that everyone already knows about but just a few days ago I ran into someone that got ripped off by this scam in the past month. I thought that this sort of thing was so exposed that nobody would ever fall for it again but here we are and an otherwise intelligent friend of mine with a reasonable amount of international experience got taken by something that was "too good to be true."
in this day and age there really isn't any excuse for this but the ironic part of it is that this friend of mine is quite frugal and is hesitant to spend money on anything, even dinner.
[src](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRAcHg7EpsE7mFauTianZoH5mpmxGjrc31DRTYF2AqasjyPCqhdNfDCw&s=10)
This list was crazy to me but also not all that surprising that both Canada and USA would be on this list. That sort of scam is likely one with a metered taxi where they intentionally drive really far off target in order to pad the fare though, I didn't read enough into it.
My friend got ripped off in Mexico, which is also on the list.
Here is one of the most common ways that the taxi scam can go. The taxi ranks are all in one place and talking to people walking nearby, always in tourist hotel hotspots. They recommend or have a little board that shows the nice churches or viewpoints or other such things that tourists just "must see" for some reason and then the next thing that happens is the mark asks how much it is and the driver comes back with a smile and a laughably low price. He smiles and says something like "it's a blessed day! Let's go have some fun for cheap!" or something like that which puts people at ease.
Then the driver proceeds normally to take you to A CHURCH, or A VIEWPOINT but just not the one that you thought you were going to. Normally it is someplace very nearby so he spends as little on gasoline as possible. Then they'll offer you a free bottle of water and continue with the friendly chat that makes the mark feel as though they have found a true friend in this foreign land. He may ask personal questions and have some sort of chit chat to make you feel like he really is your friend, but he is not, that much is for certain. In the conversation he may come up with some sob story about his family and how it would really help him out if you went into his friend's store so that he can keep up appearances of promoting his business.
Even if you refuse you are going there one way or another.
As soon as my friend ended up in the store, this one was with the usual knicknacks and tourist crap that nobody really wants that is for sale everywhere so it seems harmless enough. however, there is a trick here, the prices are much higher than they would be elsewhere. If you notice this they create some story about how this "is the real thing, the other shops are selling Chinese copies that fall apart" blah blah blah, it's all a lie.
My friend, having been conned successfully relented under the high-pressure sales staff into buying a few items that were 3-5 times what they are actually worth. When he got back out to the waiting taxi the attitude of the driver had changed a bit because he "didn't buy enough!' Soon this good friend taxi driver was berating him but my friend had enough at this point and demanded the driver take him back to the place where he was picked up. A near fight ensued and eventually the driver said he would take him back only if he paid the fare because now he has embarrased him in front of his dear dear family friend and should be ashamed of himself for taking advantage of poor taxi driver like that.
I feel as though this icing on the cake at the end really adds insult to injury because the guy was always conning him and now he has to send him back to where he started with a bad taste in his mouth and a general disdain and distrust of ALL taxi drivers in Mexico.
This isn't really how you should feel after this but unfortunately it is often the case that if a taxi driver approaches you and not the other way around, there is a good chance that it is a scam anywhere in the world.
These days, with all the apps like Grab and Lyft, there isn't much of a reason to ever negotiate with drivers or to get involved in any sort of super-discounted tour package that normally isn't even real to begin with.
It's a real shame the world is like this, but the world is like this. People will take advantage of you if you give them the chance.
[src](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcREjMDiUtKucuo72A0BZmjsKjudeAj4wYRw8sCHlzfEGkWylgx7q6du80&s=10) I don't know who these guys are, but it was taken from a Mexico taxi scam website
Always have some sort of idea about what the real cost of something is before you start to engage with the vultures and then when they still try to sink their claws into you, just refuse to get into the taxi, stop talking to them, and carry on walking. It would probably be a good idea to not try to get a taxi from that area where you were approached in the first place, because these sorts of con artists tend to group together and if you refuse one of them another one is going to try a different tactic but with the same end result.
Or just use that magical phone thing that you always have in your pocket to get a regulated rate. That's the best way to go these days.
Tags: #travel#mexico#annoyances#scams#taxi#advice#budget-travel