A NEW SMS text service designed to monitor taxi journeys taken by British forces personnel has been launched, after an increasing number of reports about a well organised scam.
In the past year a growing number of British soldiers have complained that they have been targeted by organised crime when taking taxis home after a night on the town.
The well rehearsed scheme involves taxi drivers making excuses to stop by a cabaret and then luring the soldier into the bar for a free drink, with the upshot being the unsuspecting individual is forced to cough up hundreds of euros.
According to recent accounts, failure to pay can result in the cabaret bouncers taking the victim to an ATM and forcing them to withdraw the money, often at gunpoint.
Some, who have refused to pay up, have been physically assaulted and threatened with knifes and even baseball bats.
Now the Cyprus Joint Police Unit (CJPU) is urging all servicemen to use a new ‘Taxi Text’ service to alert bases police when they intend to travel, their destination and the licence number of the taxi.
Major Andy Nealand said, “Although the majority of taxi drivers are providing a dependable public service, a few disreputable individuals have taken advantage of personnel in vulnerable circumstances and this can result in them being placed in significant danger.”
Nealand said the text service lets his officers know exactly which taxis are being used by British forces personnel and their families.
“The system involves a simple text message being sent to the CJPU police stations at Episkopi and Dhekelia, where the contents of the message are recorded. Should a subsequent complaint then be received, investigators will then have some information from which to start an enquiry,” he added.
The taxi-cabaret scam is not new, and countless complaints to local police have been made by tourists and workers who have been similarly duped in recent years. Even the US government warns of the scam on their ‘Overseas Security Advisory Council’ website, which states: “US Embassy Nicosia recommends avoiding nighttime entertainment areas after midnight, particularly those establishments advertising themselves as “Cabarets.” “Cabaret Girls,” also referred to as “artistes,” are generally associated with organised crime groups on the island and should be avoided. Foreign visitors to cabarets, or those who engage with “artistes,” often find they are significantly overcharged for drinks, particularly when paying by credit card.”
In 2005 a cabaret owner was arrested after it emerged that he charged a tourist’s credit card £820 for several drinks. The cabaret owner demanded the tourist’s VISA card after he refused to pay £200 for a bottle of wine.
For servicemen in the east the text number is 99 370322 in the west it is 99 370323.
