Furious British tourists who called out a Moroccan taxi driver for ripping them off have exposed a national scandal in the country by sharing a video of the audacious con.
Two women who were travelling in the popular coastal city of Agadir filmed the moment the cabbie challenged them over how much they paid him after dropping them off at their hotel.
The man accuses the holidaymakers of not handing over the full fare for their trip, repeatedly counting and showing them the cash they gave him.
However footage shows how he has hidden a 200 dirham (£15) note beneath his vehicle, seemingly hoping the women wouldn’t notice.
He repeatedly demands the women give him more cash, getting more irate as they refuse and insist he has already charged them too much.
‘Do not come near me! Give me the money,’ one woman says as she demands he give back some of the cash.
‘We’re going to tell the police that you’re robbing us, you’re stealing money,’ the other then says repeatedly.
He starts trying to convince them to hand him another bank note, at which point the woman points out he has hidden some of their cash beneath the car.
The woman’s friend tries to give him a smaller note in exchange for some of their money back, but she warns her that he will drive off with all the cash if she does.
Grabbing the note off the floor, the driver then jumps into his car to drive away as the women continue to hurl insults at him.
‘F***ing weirdo,’ one of the disgusted women calls the man as he continues to berate them from the driver’s seat, pointing and yelling.
The taxi driver has since been arrested on suspicion of fraud and a breach of trust, according to Moroccan media.
Authorities in the country are said to have reviewed the video and taken complaints from the two women, who reportedly said he charged them more than the set fare.
The clip has made TV news headlines in Morocco, triggering a debate about the safety and regulation around private hire cabs.
Similar incidents of cab drivers overcharging travellers have led to prosecutions in recent years as authorities seek to crack down on drivers taking advantage unsuspecting tourists.
In 2023, Welsh YouTuber Simon Wilson documented his journey from Marrakech airport to watch the World Cup quarter-finals in Jemaa el Fnaa square in the city centre.
Despite the taxi fare for such a trip being set at 70 dirhams, the driver told him that driver told him that the journey, which would take 20 minutes, would cost 325 dirhams and added: ‘If you give me 350 dirhams that would be generous of you.’
At the end of the trip Wilson hands over 400 euros before expressing his doubts out loud: “It was only a 20-minute drive, and what’s that, about 35 euros?’
The driver tries to keep the remaining 50 dirhams change, telling Wilson again: “350 dirhams, if you give me 400 it will be very generous.’
At the end of the exchange, the driver reluctantly hands over the change, muttering “no tip, never tip” to the customer.
The video garnered more then three million views and elicited a furious response from authorities.
The driver’s commercial licence was withdrawn and he was remanded into custody soon after on suspicion of ‘swindling, extortion, contempt of the judicial police and false declarations.’
He denied the allegations, justifying the price by claiming Wilson had asked for a tour of the city before arriving at the central square.
But police refuted the claims,stating that CCTV footage showed the trip was direct, France24 reported at the time.
The latest clip of a taxi scam appeared after footage of a separate incident involving a taxi driver caused outrage in Agadir last week.
Video shared widely on social media shows the unnamed driver attacking two women in the street in the early hours of Friday morning.
The man, reported to be in his 40s, was arrested that evening as he attempted to flee the city.
Locals are reported to have reacted furiously to both videos, with many claiming that it damages Morocco’s image as a global tourist destination and demanding tighter regulation.
There have been calls in Morocco for more ride-hailing apps instead of private taxi firms to help reduce assaults and scams carried out by unscrupulous drivers.
It comes after two British tourists died last month when their vehicle overturned on a busy road in Agadir.
The driver and two other British tourists with them were hurt during the incident in the port city of Agadir, sustaining injuries of ‘varying severity’, according to local media.
Emergency services, as well as security and civil defence personnel, arrived at the scene on Resistance Street to provide first aid.
The casualties were taken to a nearby hospital in the city on Sunday. Their condition was unclear this morning.
Security services have now launched a full investigation to understand what caused the car to roll onto its roof.
Agadir is a major city and popular tourist destination on the southern Atlantic coast, south west of Marrakech and Casablanca.
The former Portuguese trade hub today flourishes as a destination for tourists, welcoming visitors to its pristine beaches and local history. The 1934 film Le Grand Jeu was filmed there.
