A taxi driver in Ho Chi Minh City charged a Japanese passenger VND650,000 (US$31.1), ten times higher than the actual fee, and even punched the foreigner in the face when the latter refused to pay, a VTC News report said.
Around 4:45pm on April 12, Atshushi Hirako walked to Ben Thanh market in district 1 for sightseeing. After that, he took a cab that bore the color and logo of well-known Mai Linh taxi to travel back to his Khai Hoan hotel in district 10.
When this scam taxi reached the intersection of Cach Mang Thang 8 and Dien Bien Phu streets, Hirako was asked to pay VND650,000 for a distance of just three kilometers. The fee should have been only VND65,000 ($3.1).
In anger, the Japanese asked the driver to drop him at Tram Chim restaurant on Dien Bien Phu street in District 3.
Eyewitnesses said during their assault, the driver punched his customer in the face.
When local police showed up, the cabbie left his personal papers at the scene and drove away. He was later identified as Le Minh Phuong, 35, hailing from Tan Binh District. He is working for the 27/7 transportation company.
Leaders of Mai Linh taxi firm said there are around 1,000 scam taxis in Ho Chi Minh City, many of them passing themselves off Mai Linh taxis. They prey on foreign customers around Ben Thanh market.
Taxi scams have gone rampant in Ho Chi Minh City, causing headache to local authorities.
In June, 2012 a cabby posing as a Mai Linh employee ripped off two Spanish tourists, asking them to pay prices 20 times higher than normal.
In April, 2012 a taxi driver of Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigon Hoang Long Taxi Company, Nguyen Hoang Hai, was suspended for overcharging a Japanese woman and then stealing all her luggage.
In November 2011, two Singaporeans -- delegates to the 80th Interpol General Assembly in Hanoi -- fell victim to a local scam taxi driver who overcharged them by 40 times the normal fee and even took away their cell phone. This driver was later arrested and sentenced to five years in jail.