A taxi driver in Paris charged me €2,990 instead of €29 and now my bank won’t refund!

While in Paris in January, my twin sister and I took a 20 minute taxi ride from the Musée d’Orsay to the Gare du Nord to return to London.

We were told the fare would be €29.90. When I looked at my Halifax credit card statement the following month, to my horror, I found I had been charged €2,990 (£2,606.08). 

I was absolutely shocked and immediately called Halifax to advise that this amount was not correct. 

Halifax has refused to offer a charge back as I had used chip and pin. I explained that when I tried to tap my card on the terminal, the amount was €29.90 but the driver said there was a problem with my card. 

He said to try again which I immediately did but his hand had covered the terminal and I did not see that he had altered the amount. I asked for a receipt but he said that he couldn’t provide a receipt. Sadly now I know why.

As I cannot supply a receipt, Halifax has refused a chargeback or to offer any solutions.

It was obviously a scam whereby the driver added a few zeros in a nano second.

We did take care that we got a taxi from a licensed taxi rank and a Paris taxi. We have not contacted the French police as we cannot give any details of the taxi. Please help. GP, London. 

Helen Kirrane of This is Money replies: I am sorry to hear what should have been a memorable celebration for the birthday of you and your twin sister turned into a nightmare ordeal. 

This is a pernicious scam which Money Mail and This is Money have investigated before. 

In the summer of 2024, a wave of rogue operators targeted British tourists visiting Paris for the summer Olympics. 

Unbeknownst to holidaymakers, a network of dodgy unlicensed taxi drivers — as well as legitimate drivers breaking the rules — were overcharging tourists using a range of clever ploys, including the one you were duped by.

Based on your experience, taxi scammers are unfortunately still very much up to their old tricks. 

It can be fiendishly difficult to spot one, but there are several signs a taxi is genuine.

The taxi you took was waiting in an official taxi rank but on your credit card statement you found a reference to VTC next to the amount you paid, which stands for private car with a driver. These are not genuine taxis. 

Taxis in Paris must have a lit-up taxi sign on top of the car, with the words ‘Taxi Parisien’. Unfortunately, you can buy them online and just plug them into the lighter, so it’s not enough to prove you are in a genuine taxi, but it’s a good start.

Genuine taxis will also have a small black plaque with red numbers that sits on the front right of the car. Inside, there should also be a see-through sticker with the charges explained.

The driver’s licence must be clearly shown in the windscreen, to the right of the driver.

Minicabs such as Ubers must all have a ‘red macaron’ on the front and back of the vehicle, which indicates that it is authorised.

You told me the card you used to pay for the taxi was a Halifax Clarity credit card. But as you used chip and pin to pay for the taxi when the driver told you there was a problem when you tapped your card, Halifax – part of Lloyds Group – said it could not activate a chargeback. 

I asked Halifax if it would investigate your case, as it was clear to me that the driver had deceived you into paying a sum of money you would never have agreed to for a 20 minute journey. 

In some cases reported to the police in Money Mail’s investigation, tourists have been charged hundreds of euros for short journeys and locked inside the car until they pay up. 

These criminals can be dangerous — plain-clothed police workers have been followed, threatened, had their tyres slashed and their homes attacked.

Halifax decided this was a case of authorised fraud, whereby a fraudster deceives a person into paying them or transferring money. 

As a result, it has raised a chargeback as an authorised fraud case and your Halifax account has now been credited with a temporary refund. 

The merchant has 45 days to dispute this chargeback. They could deny liability and provide documentation or evidence to support their stance.  

If this were to happen, Halifax will notify you and allow you to respond with a counter claim and to explain why it should continue with this claim. 

The experience left you feeling traumatised, vulnerable and you now worry about making payments when you next go on holiday, which I was very sorry to hear. 

A Lloyds Bank spokesman replies: ‘We are sorry to hear about Ms P’s experience. We’ve reviewed the case and raised a chargeback. 

We’re aware of reports of overcharging in some taxi transactions outside of the UK and encourage customers to check the amount shown before entering their PIN and to contact us if anything looks wrong.’