As the world’s second busiest cruise port – with the ability to accommodate up to 25 ships in one day – it’s not out of the question for some shady characters to slip into Florida’s Port Canaveral undetected.
Unfortunately for one first-time cruiser, he fell victim to a somewhat common taxi service scam – and the mistake nearly cost him and his partner hundreds of dollars.
He’s now sharing his story, despite feeling a fair amount of embarrassment, in the hopes that it will prevent others from ending up in a similar situation.
The couple had just disembarked from Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas when the tale unfolded – although the specific dates of their sailing are unclear.
As they chose to carry their own luggage off the Oasis-class ship, they found themselves on dry land well ahead of their previously scheduled Uber pick up that was set for 8:30 a.m. EST.
This is when a scammer saw an opportunity and approached the couple to ask if they needed a ride. As pre-scheduled Uber rides can be cancelled up to an hour before they are supposed to start, the duo took him up on the opportunity.
However, the man took the pair to a “nice black Jeep” that clearly was not a taxi.
It wasn’t until the luggage and couple were loaded into the car – with the destination plugged into the GPS – that the novice cruisers realized something was amiss.
“This is where I finally woke up and realized there wasn’t anything in the Jeep that indicated it was a ‘for hire’ car, he never asked us to use an app nor did we discuss pricing,” the cruiser shared on Reddit.
“My mistake for not speaking up or asking more questions before getting into a random vehicle,” He added, accepting fault for his own actions.
The man and his partner were bound for Universal Studios Orlando to continue their vacation, which is about 58 miles away from Port Canaveral.
Per the passenger’s calculations, the trip should have cost a maximum of $120 – with Uber giving me a price estimate of $106.95 when I double checked what it would cost to schedule a morning pick up.
Of course, the driver of the black Jeep intended to significantly upcharge the couple upon reaching their destination.
“Once we got out, I immediately went to the back of the Jeep and got our bags out, the driver then quickly comes up to us while talking on the phone and holds up a payment app, one that I didn’t recognize, with $345 on the screen,” the recent cruise guest elaborated.
He ultimately settled the situation by paying the man with $100 in cash that he already had on him and quickly fled the scene.
They were lucky to make it out of the situation mostly unscathed – both financially and physically – as it goes without saying that getting into a car with a stranger can be very risky.
How to Avoid Common Scams in Port
Unfortunately, this taxi or Uber scam isn’t uncommon – and happens all the time in ports around the world.
Other cruisers even shared that they had recently been targeted in response to the Reddit post, which speaks to the importance of remaining vigilant.
“A guy approached me at Port Canaveral two weeks ago and offered the same thing. Ballparked $120 to get to MCO. I said nope because this was my fear,” one person shared.
MCO, which is short-hand for the Orlando International Airport, typically only costs between $80-$90 on rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft – and some shuttle services cost less.
“That happened to us with an actual taxi getting off the boat in Seattle. He didn’t turn on the meter and expected us to pay cash upon arrival at the hotel,” another cruiser elaborated.
“We didn’t have cash. He didn’t get paid. He was trying to pocket the money and screwed himself in the end,” they concluded.
Read Also: 11 Cruise Port Pitfalls That You Really Should Avoid
But while these recent cruisers were able to spot the scams early, the original poster felt some heat on Reddit for letting his situation go as far as it did – with some trying to re-explain the concept of “stranger danger” in the comments.
“Yiiiiiikes. My dude. I’m glad you’re okay – that could have ended extremely badly. Don’t get into cars with strangers! Not even if they offer you candy and puppies,” someone wrote in response.
“Advice: If a random dude on the street asks if you want something, the correct answer is always NO. This answer is always a faster NO when in tourist centric areas,” another person added.
If the couple truly disembarked as early as they did, the best (and safest) course of action would have been to cancel their scheduled Uber and book a new ride for immediate pick-up on the mobile App.
Using the Uber (or Lyft) App comes with protections like a safe method of exchanging payment and a dedicated customer service team to help resolve any issues that might arise.
With safety in mind, Uber and Lyft both provide the assigned driver’s name, vehicle description, and license plate so that rideshare users can verify that their driver really is legitimate before getting into the car.
