{"id":864926,"date":"2026-07-04T10:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T08:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=864926"},"modified":"2026-07-04T10:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T08:49:36","slug":"fake-ubers-forcing-people-to-pay-r4200-for-a-single-trip-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/864926\/fake-ubers-forcing-people-to-pay-r4200-for-a-single-trip-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Fake Ubers forcing people to pay R4,200 for a single trip in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

South African travellers using Uber to and from airports should be cautious of fraudulent drivers posing as Uber representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an interview<\/a> with Cape Talk, frequent traveller Johan van Schalkwyk reported that these individuals were cheating unsuspecting people out of thousands of rands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They are offering the services like they were an Uber to unsuspecting people. They are scamming them,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van Schalkwyk added that there were several online groups in which tourists and travellers to South Africa had spoken about being scammed in this manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The thing you read often is someone saying ‘my trip should have been R420, but I got to the hotel and connected to the Wi-Fi to see I\u2019ve been charged R4,200,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he did not clarify how these fraudulent e-hailing drivers were able to impose higher charges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given that the victims had money deducted from their bank accounts, it is likely that they shared their card information with the scammers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van Schalkwyk expressed significant concern about the audacity of the scammers\u2019 methods.\u00a0He mentioned that many airports had enhanced security and put up signs directing travellers to official e-hailing zones.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this, Van Schalkwyk indicated that the problem persisted at night, suggesting that the security measures were only in effect during daytime hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He suggested that a possible solution was to formalise “good” taxi operators and give them a place where they can offer their services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Make it clear that this is an approved taxi pickup area. That improves the situation, and it gives those legit drivers a real place to make money and to do business,” Van Schalkwyk said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Airports Company South Africa said passenger safety is its main priority<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) airports place passenger safety and security at the centre of their operations,\u201d ACSA told BusinessTech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACSA said it will continue to strengthen passenger awareness initiatives to help travellers identify and avoid unauthorised transport operators, including individuals falsely presenting themselves as legitimate e-hailing or taxi drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs part of its ongoing passenger safety and security initiatives, Cape Town International Airport (CTIA) has significantly enhanced its passenger awareness measures over recent months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group said that this was achieved through expanded passenger-awareness signage, improved wayfinding, digital messaging, printed awareness materials, and the introduction of the Travel Safely passenger tunnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACSA said these initiatives include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • “Passenger awareness signage located throughout the domestic and international arrivals areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Increased security visibility in key passenger areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Passenger safety messages displayed on airport digital screens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Safety awareness pamphlets available at strategic locations throughout the terminal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The newly introduced Travel Safely passenger tunnel, providing clear wayfinding and passenger safety messaging from International Arrivals to authorised transport facilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ongoing passenger safety messaging across the airport’s digital and social media platforms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Terminal public announcements have now been increased to be done every 15 minutes advising passengers to use airport-authorised taxis only.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Authorised taxi kiosks are strategically positioned throughout the passenger arrival path.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    ACSA urged passengers to follow these guidelines for a safe and efficient travel experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Passengers have been advised to book e-hailing services only through their preferred service provider’s official mobile app and follow the directional instructions in the app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cProceed only to the designated Ride-App Pick-Up Area, located on the Ground Floor of Parkade 1,\u201d ACSA told BusinessTech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cBefore entering the vehicle, ensure the registration number and vehicle details match those shown in your app,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ACSA urged passengers to use only authorised airport taxi services by going to the official airport taxi kiosks, which are located both inside and outside the terminal building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The group said passengers must never accept transport offers from individuals who approach them inside or outside the terminal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    South Africans are being warned to stay cautious of fake Uber representatives waiting at airports across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":833152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[17537,6457],"class_list":["post-864926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-airports-company-sa-acsa","tag-uber"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864926"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":865183,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864926\/revisions\/865183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/833152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}