The ₹500 Swap
I got a decent sleep on the overnight flight from London, so I wasn’t too tired when I arrived in Delhi at the local time of about 11am. I collected my bag and made my way to the arrivals hall to collect some cash and find a taxi. With much success on withdrawing enough for a taxi, I bounded out of the door to find a taxi.
I had been warned about taxis that you pay on arrival due to overcharges, so I made the decision to head to a booth with the words “Traffic Police Taxi” above it. After waiting my turn, I showed the person my destination address who nodded and smiled.
It was quick and swift, I never saw it and never suspected anything had happened. One second I was getting a quote of ₹250, the next I was handing over ₹500, and then I’m being shown a ₹100 note and being asked for the remaining amount.
I shuffled my remaining notes and panicked, but because I only withdrew ₹1000 and I could only see the five ₹100 notes left, I got the feeling that something was amiss. I looked confused and asked the teller to repeat the situation to me. He looked at my notes and replied that he hadn’t enough change, that it would be better if he could take ₹300 and give me ₹50, and suddenly the ₹500 reappeared.
In a successful case the person in the booth convinces the unsuspecting tourist that they’re tired, unfamiliar with the currency and must have given a ₹100 instead of a ₹500 note. Leaving the cashier ₹400 up on the transaction. Quite a simple, but I imagine quite an effective little scam.
What makes it potentially brilliant is that I have no idea whether I was being tricked or whether the guy genuinely had no change. The escape route for the scammer is as easy as the trick itself!
Those who have enough confidence or confusion to question it, might never discover there was any foul play. It was only when I went to look up the name of the company online, I found a TripAdvisor post detailing this process. Without seeing this, I would be none the wiser.
It’s been suggested to count and say out loud the amount of cash you are handing someone. Some of the comments on TripAdvisor suggest taking a selfie with the cashier and full monies displayed, but right now I’m thinking that’s a little bit too much.
The Ride
After sorting out the cash side of things, I was then pointed towards a row of little minivans, one of which I would use to get to my destination.
After the incident at the booth, my overall trust levels were dipping and I had to question whether the glorious pre-paid taxi stand could be associated with such a vehicle! I was told again to come this way, with a gesture to hop in, so I obliged and lumped my bag into the back seats and followed it in.
Driving from the Airport into the city was as much of an adventure as I hoped it would be. All kinds of hazardous driving and driving hazards were witnessed in the half hour it took to get across town. This included people crossing wide multiple-laned roads, motorbikes riding up against the flow of traffic, one tuk tuk’s front bumper lightly kissing another’s rear, and a cow by the side of the road.
It is very apparent that the white lines indicating lanes mean absolutely nothing, in fact drivers trying to keep to a lane seem to cause more grief than if they weren’t. I’m starting to wonder who is employed to paint the lines in the first place!