Melbourne Taxis - Look Out!!

[griffgirl]

I know that many people have expressed their dissatisfication with the taxi service in Melbourne. I just wanted to make it clear that rude, impatient, or lost cab drivers should be the least of your worries.

I was travelling in Melbourne a few months ago and took a cab from my hotel to Tullamarine Airport. The cabbie said the electronic payment system was down and used a manual swipe machine to take our credit card info. When we reviewed our credit card statement there was a mysterious charge 2 weeks after we had left Melbourne, for a 'limo' ride in north Melbourne. I googled "melbourne taxi fraud" and found out that MANY people have had similar problems. The transaction comes up as:

CAB ACCOUNT AUST BRUNSWICK AU or
ARDEN TAXIS LIMO NTH MELBOURNE

The amounts have been anywhere from $20 to $190 - small for one transaction but certainly adds up after dozens of people get ripped off. One lady said the day after she used her card to pay for a cab ride in Melbourne over $16,000 was frauduently charged to her card!

The moral of the story: keep your receipts and check your credit card statements after using your credit card in a Melbourne cab.

If something like this has happened to you, please report it to the Taxi Directorate (even though they told me it was not their problem) and anyone else you can think of (police, member of parliament, etc). The more noise people make about this scam, the more likely something will actually happen to correct it. Right now no one seems to care that dozens (probably hundreds) of people are getting ripped off by crooks disguised as cab drivers.

[Megan Baker]

THIS HAPPENED TO ME. i googled the name on my bank statement and this came up. Im calling my bank to report fraud. Thanks!

[Tom M]

Yep, they got me as well. The company I was billed under was "NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOURNE". The charge was $52.83.

[Scott W]

Me too!! I just got billed $57.94 and I haven't got a taxi for months! Billed as NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOURNE to my CBA VISA.

I'll report to CBA Fruad.

Thanks for this post, if I hadn't have googled this I may have just left it!

[Scottie]

I have defrauded of money by this same taxi company. The taxi driver took me from Melbourne to Tullermarine airport and also said that the Eftpos service was down and took a paper imprint of my visa details.
I noticed that they have charged me another $72 5 months after I was given a ride to the airport. I will report this tomorrow.

[Becc]

I noticed 2 different transactions on my card and rang my bank this morning to report them. They suggested I google the names and it's brought me to this page so I am glad I reported it now..
I had 2 transactions, one from ARDEN TAXI LIMO NTH MELBOURNE AU -$28.86 and the other was NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOUR AU -$29.97

[Julia]

Same thing here $56.16 from NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOUR AUS - I will report straight away. Glad I've found this post.

[Anna]

I have just had the same thing appear on my credit card statement -$67.93 billed to NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOURNE. It looks like October was a very lucrative month for them! I haven't been in Melbourne for quite a while, luckily, or I may not have realised. I too will report this to the fraud department at my bank.

[Andrew]

I was in Melbourne 5 months ago. NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MEL for $35.29 on OCT 30, 2008. I reported it just now and have filed a fraud report. Bastards, hope they get what's coming to them.

[Andrew]

Victorian Police Fraud Dept have a file on some unscrupulous operators that they are aware of but suggest they do not hear about more of this activity because in most cases the Bank refunds the money, and therefore becomes the victim of the fraud, and handle it themselves.

[Bilal]

Thanks Guys-

I have same trasaction charge on 03/11/2008 from same complany. I have reported the fraud to HSBC and I have to complete the transaction dispute form in order to get money back.

[Paul]

Just had a $49.95 charge appear on my credit card from NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MEL. I was in Melbourne 4 months ago and used various different taxi companies.
Have reported it to ANZ and they said it can take up to 3 months to resolve.
Imagine how many people haven't even noticed this happening, especially if they live in Melbourne.

[Marni W]

Happened to me also.... I caught a cab before going overseas from south Yarra to Tullermarine airport in April 2008 and on 3rd Nov 2008 a charge came through for $64.04 under NETWORK TAXIS & LIMO NORTH MELBOUR AUS...
Need to check statements since April now..
and report it to my bank...

[Marni W]

Just found two more charges... one on the 15/4 from METRO CABLIMOS NORTH MELB AUS for 65.12
and another on 3/5 from TAXI EXPRESS PAY ABBORTSFORD AUS for 58.63
the cab I actually caught was on the 9/4 for around $60 for which I cant find a charge...
BUGGERS!)=

[marijuana commando 69]

its sleezey brown students doing this scam. deport them ;they live in coburg

[Anna]

I was also a victim of couple taxi frauds. During the last couple of months I got faulty taxi charges from Melbourne (and I live in Sydney!)

1. WAVERLEY TAXI BROKERS Pty Ltd.(Glen Waverley 3150)

and

2. GOLD AND SILVER TAXI (Wantrina South 3152)

Watch out for these ones also!

[Iain]

I've just noticed the same thing from "WAVERLEY TAXI BROKER" and "ALEX TAXIS BROKER".
They wait a week or so before putting the charge through.
Never let the scum bags use the "click clack" to process your credit card. Insist on the eftpos machine or cash.
Still waiting to here from the disputes department of Commbank.

[tony]

No wonder . most of the taxi drivers in Melbourne are immigrants from India or the middle east or eastern europe speak little english are greedy for there own cash pile and have no qualms ripping off gullible trusting australians

[ball bag]

dosent happen in ireland

[AJW]

TAXI EXPRESS PAY ABBORTSFORD AUS - this lot charged my card - now having it stopped by NAB fraud credit card.