Criminologist warned passengers about cheating schemes in illegal taxis

A passenger who decides to use an illegal taxi without booking a car in advance via a mobile service risks becoming a victim of fraud. Such schemes are especially common during the holidays among drivers working illegally near airports. Valentin Stanovov, a criminologist and author of the book "Notes of an Old Detective", told Izvestia about this on May 15.

To disrupt the flight: how scammers speculate on the topic of air tickets

Attackers are increasingly turning to her against the background of the beginning of the holiday season

"The scheme looks like this: at the approaches to the train station or airport, a taxi driver approaches and calls an attractive price, say, 2 thousand rubles. However, it turns out in the cabin that this is a fee only for boarding, and each kilometer is estimated additionally — for example, at 200 rubles. The total is 15 thousand rubles," the expert warned, strongly recommending using only official applications with a fixed cost of the trip.

He also noted that at the peak of the tourist season, thefts are leading at airports against the background of other crimes. Intruders steal phones, wallets, bags and luggage entirely. Professional thieves, according to the source, are well aware of the "dead zones" of surveillance cameras and actively use the so-called screen: one criminal blocks the view of the video recording device while an accomplice steals valuables.

The main way to protect against such thefts is to keep property under constant control, the criminologist emphasized.

"Use small bags that will be visible all the time, for example, on your chest, put your wallets and documents there," Stanovov urged.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Flight robbery: what dangers lie in wait for passengers at airports