Taxi driver faces four years in prison for scamming in Almaty

The Almaty police department has opened a criminal case against an unidentified taxi driver from Almaty who ripped off two foreigners for $800. Now, he is accused of extortion.

According to the police, on May 21, 2023, the taxi driver who worked in the Almaty airport, offered his service to two Indian nationals. Initially, he promised to give them a ride for $2.25 but when they reached their destination, he demanded that the foreigners pay him about $1,100. Eventually, they negotiated a «discount» and paid $800.

«Police officers detained a 27-year-old male who is currently accused of extortion,» the police department said in a statement. Under the 194 article of Kazakhstan’s criminal code, the taxi driver may be punished by a fee or up to four years in prison.

The taxi driver has already returned the money to the Indian citizens he scammed. His car has been put on a penalty parking for a range of traffic law violations and unpaid fees.

This is not a unique case when foreigners were scammed by taxi drivers at the Almaty airport. However, local authorities still have done nothing to find a solution to this situation.

In the middle of May, a Russian national was forced to pay more than €400 for a ride from the airport to the city. At the time, a scammer received a ticket of $47 for «harassment of people in a public place.»

In April, a German citizen paid $100 for a ride from the airport to his hotel, even though he initially negotiated a significantly lower price. Later, the taxi driver was obliged to give that money back. 

In March, Mayor Yerbolat Dossayev blamed Almaty taxi drivers for continual traffic regulation violations and said that more detailed and strict rules for taxi drivers are necessary.