When my wife and I were in Paris at the end of April, we took a five-minute taxi ride along Avenue George V. The driver refused cash, then told me my Halifax credit card was no good. I ended up paying with my John Lewis credit card using chip and pin.
When I checked my account online some days later, I found I had been charged €500 (£425) plus nearly £12 in foreign exchange conversion charges.
I contacted NewDay, the provider of the John Lewis credit card, and was told the charge was for a restaurant bill. I explained the payment related to a taxi ride and not a meal.
The agent said that, as I’d paid using chip and pin, it was my fault.
G.T., Knutsford, Cheshire.
What to do if you fall victim to fare fraud while on holiday? Sally Hamilton explains
Sally Hamilton replies: With the Paris Olympics kicking off next month, I figured your unfortunate experience would serve as a cautionary tale to sporting fans making their way to the French capital, so they can dodge this type of fare fraud.
The driver clearly got you in a muddle by turning down two forms of payment. By the time you used the John Lewis card, you were rightly in a rush to get the transaction done.
If I were being charitable, I might suggest the driver had simply made a slip when tapping in your fare. I’m afraid that is unlikely, since the payment went directly into a restaurant’s account. This was a scam.
It’s not the first time I’ve come across this nasty trick.
Another reader was duped while in Paris last year by a driver who, at first, pretended he couldn’t speak English. He refused cash, then concealed the screen of his payment machine, so the victim could not see he was charging her €777 (£655) for a five-minute taxi ride instead of €7.77 (£6.55).
When she later saw the debit on her Sainsbury’s credit card account, she could see the inflated payment had gone to a hotel 300 miles away.
Despite my strenuous efforts to persuade Sainsbury’s that she was a victim of an obvious scam, it blamed her for entering her PIN and refused to refund her. She took her case to the Financial Ombudsman, which sadly took the same stance.
I felt further aggrieved for you as your trip to Paris was special — not only were you attending your granddaughter’s wedding, but you and your wife were celebrating 57 years of marriage.
Being taken for a ride took the shine off an otherwise wonderful holiday. You were rightly angry the driver had taken advantage of your trusting nature.
You told me you wished you’d used Uber instead, which has never caused you any problems, and wanted me to warn others.
Due to my previous experience with a rip-off taxi bill, I had low expectations of success with your case. But after I explained the situation, John Lewis quickly investigated and it confirmed it would reimburse you after all — a total of around £437, including the foreign exchange fees.
A spokesman for John Lewis/NewDay says: ‘We were sorry to hear that this customer fell victim to a scam using chip and PIN.
‘We work hard to help customers stay secure, but it’s crucial that everyone remains vigilant and checks the amount they are agreeing to pay.
‘As this is a known scam, we have refunded the customer and issued them with a new card.
‘We urge customers to think before parting with money or information, and challenge any payment requests if they are unsure about who they are paying, or what they are paying for.’
I would second the company’s advice to be prudent. Readers using taxis in Paris — or anywhere else — should never tap in their PIN until they are certain the sum on the payment screen is correct.
In the unfortunate event that you are taken in and realise it immediately, try to take a photo of the offender’s number plate and report it to the local police, then contact the relevant card issuer — and hope it is more John Lewis than Sainsbury’s in its response.
SCAM WATCH
Beware of scam letters that claim to be from the International FIFA World Cup lottery, consumer group Which? warns.
The letters say that the recipient’s name ‘drew lucky numbers’, and they have won hundreds of thousands of pounds and must call to claim the cash.
But you will be put through to a scammer, who will try to obtain personal and financial information.
Once fraudsters have these details, they can apply for credit cards and loans in your name.
If you get this letter, report it at royalmail.com/reportingscammail.