I was scammed at Paris airport by a fake taxi driver into paying £312 for a ride to the city center – and I’m not alone

A veteran travel blogger who was charged six times the going rate for a taxi ride from Paris’ Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) to the city center has warned of illegal taxi scams operating from the area.

Melissa Hie, known online as girleatworld.netrecently blogged about an ‘intimidating’ situation she found herself in with a fake Parisian taxi driver who charged €360 (£312/$387) for a ride.

After refusing to pay the obscene amount, she said the driver became “aggressive” and followed her to her hotel. She only withdrew when she paid him €80.

CDG airport explains that official taxi fares are limited to €53 (£45/$55) for drop-offs on the right bank of the Seine and €58 (£50/$62) for the left side of the river.

However, many unsuspecting tourists have been stung by unauthorized operators and some have called on their followers on social media not to fall for the trick.

Speaking to MailOnline Travel, Melissa explained that her experience took place in June 2018 after landing alone in Paris on a flight from Singapore, which she had visited on business.

The experienced traveler, who had visited more than 30 countries when she was scammed, said: ‘A man wearing a CDG airport lanyard greeted me on the phone and asked me where I was going. Then he told me that this line was only for taxis going out of town and that I should take the taxis at Gate 16.’

Once she got to the gate, she says she was immediately greeted by another driver who put her luggage in the trunk of the car.

After leaving the airport, she realized “it wasn’t right,” even though the taxi driver had shown her a badge and a meter phone app.

She noticed that there was no meter in the car and concluded that the badge and phone app were fake.

She said: “My instincts were firing at this point, but there was nothing I could do.”

When she arrived at her hotel, Melissa said the driver showed her the ‘fake meter phone app’, which said the trip cost €360, but said she ‘fought back’ against the unfair price.

At that point, Melissa said the scammer “immediately changed his tone” and became “aggressive and rude.” She explained that the driver then reduced the price to €200 but tried to ‘intimidate’ her into paying it.

She said: ‘I told him I was calling the police, then somehow grabbed my luggage from the boot and ran with it to my hotel. He followed me, shouting and swearing that I was a thief and that I owed him money.’

Melissa explained that she was in a public space and felt “safe enough” to refute the charges. However, after the verbal altercation, the €80 she paid him was almost €30 above the going rate.

Following her experience, Melissa shared advice for fellow travelers to avoid being targeted by unscrupulous operators.

One “red flag” she highlighted was that the taxi she got into “didn’t look like it” [an official] taxi’, but looked like an Uber or premium ride-sharing car.

She added: ‘I think once you realize you’ve been caught in a scam, it’s best to keep calm. Observe the situation and if you are not in a public place, try to go to a place where there are many other people. I think this is the key to being able to gain some control over the situation.

‘In my story I described how I fought back and negotiated with the scammer. But I would say that if I had ever felt like I was in an unsafe situation where I could be physically harmed, I wouldn’t have fought as much. All things considered, I was lucky that I was able to escape to a public space with a lot of people around.

‘Finally, don’t blame yourself for becoming a victim! They are the scammers, not you. And don’t let the incident ruin your trip. Paris is still a beautiful city with lots of interesting things to see and delicious food.’

Another traveler who has shared advice on avoiding taxi scams at CDG is TikToker Jamie Nyqvist.

In a video titled ‘How NOT to get ripped off by an airport taxi in Paris’, she explained that her friend had to pay more than €100 (£86/$107) from CDG airport to Paris.

The Paris-based content creator said this was ‘impossible’ due to the airport’s fixed taxi fares, and urged her followers to look for a ‘clear sign’ showing where the taxi ranks are.

Following Melissa’s advice, she told her followers to check if the taxi had a meter and warned them not to follow drivers trying to take them to their taxi.

Additionally, Allie Goodbun urged her 219,900 followers not to be fooled by the scam, claiming, “This scam gets everyone at least once.”

She explained that “average-looking guys” usually stand at the arrivals hall near the taxi line and offer taxi rides to tourists, but she warned: “You don’t say yes to this taxi offer.”

She continued, “These guys are standing here because they know tourists are confused and have no idea where they are going.

“The only way you can get a taxi at the airport is to find the city taxi line.”

Group ADPwhich runs CDG, told MailOnline: ‘Police intervene several times a week to combat illegal taxis, and Paris Aéroport staff are trained to report illegal requests.

‘We are particularly vigilant in informing passengers to choose a taxi using the taxi light signal and we do our utmost to guide passengers as far as possible until they leave the airport, with campaigns to raise awareness about taxi scams .

‘The prices of official Parisian taxis are displayed in the baggage claim area, and signs in the air, at eye level and on the ground show passengers the location of taxi ranks: there is one per terminal, and taxis are required to proceed to take customers in order of entry. For their own safety, we therefore ask all our passengers not to accept fares outside the taxi stand queue at their terminal.”