Scams and Lies

We receive many letters from readers these days and we plane to share some of these in the near future. Most messages are about the lies and diverse scams of hotels and taxi drivers. Unfortunately despite the many warnings found on the internet, there still are many who fall for these fraudulent tactics. Our readers frequently write about how even though they had read the comments and the articles detailing the dangers that await them, when it came down to getting into a cab already slightly drunk and to telling the driver the address, they still managed to get talked out of going to their original destination by one of the following disgusting lies:

- “the girls are ugly there, but I know a place which is a lot cheaper, but the girls are a lot more beautiful.”
- “it’s very far and it’s not a good club anyway, the fare would cost you too much. There is a much better place to go, right here in the centre.”
- “that club is not open tonight, it closed two days ago. But I can take you to the best club in Budapest, which is still open and it’s not even far from here.”
- “that’s not a very good club, they are completely fraudulent, I know a really honest place which is a lot closer, it’s best if I take you there instead.”
- “there you have to pay an entrance fee and it’s very expensive too, but I know a good place where you don’t pay on the door and it’s rather cheap as well.”
Oh yes, their tactics haven’t changed much. A tourist gets into the car of one of these hyenas, the driver immediately sees that the person is in a more influenceable state, gets friendly, employs one of these lies, and then takes the person to a club where the poor victim will be relieved of an exorbitant sum. This has been going on like this for decades, with taxi drivers and hotel receptionists being in on the act as well, getting a fair share of the money that gets stolen. You also have to know that since the tourists arriving to Hungary are usually better informed now than earlier, it is ever more important to deliberately derail them. Many people arrive here having looked up on the web the good and honest clubs they would go to, so the taxi driver has a key role when a tourists says the name of an honest club in the car. Without any exaggeration, at this point he will do anything to derail the passenger, because his interest is to get his fee of sometimes even EUR 80-100 (!) for the passenger from the club that lives off scams against tourists, because the taxi driver thinks he’s entitled to this money.
The worst part is that the phenomenon is so widespread that it is virtually impossible to stop it. Everyone’s involved. Hotels come first. Not even the big ones like are Kempinski, Intercontinental, Marriott or Hilton are exempt. Their taxi drivers are the most corrupt and money hungry hyenas ever to walk this Earth. And hotel managers turn a blind eye and do nothing.
In our opinion it is only the tourists themselves who can do something against this mafia-like organisation. The most important thing is to let as many people know the truth as possible. Tell your friends and acquaintances, talk about it on as many forums as possible and maybe someday something will change. We’re always hoping that change is near, but a real breakthrough is yet to come.
This is why we ask everyone who has had any experience in connection with the above to write us to tell the people their story, and if you’d like to help others, share the articles about scams against tourists via Twitter, Facebook and other social media.

Thank you.

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