Taxi rip-off warning: Tourists charged 10 times usual fare, driver charged

A call van taxi at the airport entrance. Yonhap

By Jung Hae-myoung

A call van driver, 61, was arrested Tuesday for charging foreign tourists 10 times the actual fare, Incheon police said.

The illegally charged sum totaled 7.4 million won ($6,242).

On one occasion, the driver took six American tourists from Incheon international airport to Gangnam, Seoul, and charged them 1.86 million won ($1,647). The normal fare would be about 186,000 won ($164).

In another case, an Australian tourist received a credit card bill for 1.37 million won ($1,213) after a trip with the driver.

The arrested driver took advantage of foreign tourists being unfamiliar with the Korean currency and exchange rates and had them pay by credit card.

Police started investigating the case in January after the Australian tourist's complaint.

They confirmed at least five cases involving the driver overcharging foreign tourists since June 2017.

“These crimes damage the national image and we will sternly deal with them,” a police spokesman said.