If you use a taxi service regularly and also think that you can tell a fake from original, then you are in for a surprise if you are travelling abroad because rules in the UK do not apply everywhere.
As a tourist, when you travel abroad, you stand out and ultimately leaving you in a vulnerable position, to begin with, marking you as a target to get more money for a journey that they would charge less to a local. It is easier for them to scam tourists because they don’t know how things operate in the country regarding taxi services or airport transfer services and how much they should be charged for a journey from the airport to their hotel.
The first thing you should do to avoid a fake airport transfer service is to do some research beforehand. If an airport transfer services you use at home also operates in the country you are travelling to is the best scenario for you, but this seldom happens, and you will have to trust a new company in a new place.
You can get on the internet and research the best airport transfer services or get on a blog and start a thread asking for people who have positive and negative experiences with an airport transfer service to where you are travelling to. This can give you a fair idea about which airport transfer service to avoid, If you have left the country without the research, now you are completely in the dark, then you should ask the local people how much they would pay to get to a specific location.
Always act confident when you think you are travelling with a fake airport transfer service, because if you show signs of not knowing where you are going, then they can spot that and charge you extra.
Always use GPRS to know where you are travelling to and be sure whether the taxi driver is taking you to the right destination or not.
You should never seem alone to taxi drivers abroad, and if they ask you simple questions like ‘How long have you been here’? Or ‘When are you planning to leave’? Just lie to them and never give them the right answer. Questions as harmless as these can cost you a lot because this is how they size you up as a target and if you show signs of vulnerability they will pounce on it.
