Here is the new hack of the Budapest taxi hyenas to rip off foreigners
A Hungarian media outlet has exposed the latest cunning tactic employed by some Budapest taxi drivers to exploit unsuspecting foreigners and tourists in the Hungarian capital.
As reported by infostart.hu, the official website of Hungarian InfóRádió, Budapest’s taxi drivers, known locally as “hyenas,” have come up with a new hack to rip off tourists. A TikTok video from an Irish tourist, who fell victim to this ploy, has gone viral as a warning to others. He strongly advised fellow travellers to exclusively order taxis via phone to avoid falling into this trap.
The trick may be straightforward, but its effectiveness is undeniable. The hyenas manipulate the POS terminal by adding an extra zero to the final sum, enabling them to demand HUF 40,000 (EUR 103.64) instead of the correct fare of HUF 4,000 (EUR 10.36). This sly manoeuvre often catches foreigners off guard, especially those who pay in euros. In one instance, an Irish tourist paid EUR 110 instead of the expected EUR 11, a revelation that spurred the creation of the viral TikTok video.
The unfortunate woman, paying with her credit card, only realised the scam after the transaction, leaving her outraged as she had estimated a maximum fare of EUR 20 for the Budapest taxi ride.
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Police receive lots of reports of taxi hyenas
The Irish tourist urged fellow travellers never to hail a taxi from the roadside. Instead, she advised them to order a cab via phone, the only foolproof method to avoid these cunning Budapest taxi hyenas.
Commenters on the video shared their own experiences, with one recounting a hyena attempting to charge EUR 111 for a mere 2-minute ride. Refusing to pay this unrealistically high amount, the tourists found themselves locked inside the car by the driver. Here is the video:
@kerryeatsdub Plz dont get taxis on the street in Budapest 🥺🥺 ps. Egg mode activated in this video #budapest #budapesttaxi #hungary #budapesttraveltips ♬ original sound – Kerry Mitchell
The victim in the video described the taxi driver as seemingly friendly, who engaged in casual conversation about Dublin and prices, leaving her unsuspecting. It was only later, in a bar, that she realised she had been duped and had run out of money.
Zoltán Metál, chairman of the Hungarian Taxi Association, confirmed the scammers’ use of a new trick involving altering the POS sum by adding an extra zero. The Budapest police headquarters acknowledged receiving multiple reports of similar scams and assured the public that investigations were underway.
Hyenas? I just use BOLT. Friendly drivers, clean cars, transparent everything and can even call them if you accidentally leave something in the back of the taxi (thank you Gábor, for taking the trouble to loop back around to drop off my laptop!). I tell all my foreign visitors – download the app, don’t be tempted by other taxi companies, never an issue.
Yes it’s a wonder, isn’t it, that there are still so many taxi scams in 2024. The lack of presence of Uber is an impediment to getting more tourists ordering on a reliable platform, if nothing else it would be beneficial to order trustworthy taxis to avoid getting ripped off. We can thank the belligerent government that Uber cannot even operate a taxi ordering service in Hungary, no different to its business model in the UK, for example. A lot of visitors will have Uber on their smartphone who have never ever heard of Bolt and are thus pushed into the arms of the waiting crooks as they don’t have a better solution to hand.