The latest “taxi-swindle-against-tourists” story emerged from Athens this past week and duly made the local media rounds, with five Dutch nationals allegedly bilked out of 292 euros for a distance of just four kilometers.
According to news reports, the five tourists hailed a cab using a mobile app to go from Ermou street, in heart of the historic city center, to the nearby east Athens district of Pangrati, presumably where they were staying.
Beyond the astronomical fare charged, most conventional taxis in the greater Athens-Piraeus area can accommodate up to four passengers, and not five, which would be illegal.
The alleged scam was uncovered only a few hours later, when the tourists hailed a taxi from Pangrati to get to the Acropolis, close to where they were picked up the same day, but with the fare this time only costing 10 euros. When they told the second driver of their earlier charge, the latter notified the taxi union over the incident.
The story subsequently was picked up by local media. No word as yet if a criminal investigation has commenced.
