Hi Rick,
It saddens me to report a particularly nasty scam perpetrated by a hotel and taxi driver working together in taking tourists back to the airport at Capodichino Napoli Italy.
This is a lengthy account and so I ask for the readers patience because the detailed evidence is crucial in order to warn travellers.
The three star hotel was very nice and a taxi was booked at reception for return to the airport early the next morning.
The vehicle used was a minibus and it filled up with us 9 tourists, with 1 empty seat left.
My suspicions were aroused when the taxi driver announced upon our leaving the hotel that we were going to the central railway station at piazza Garibaldi very quickly, because this is in the opposite direction to the airport and this was a hotel pickup service.
In addition, only two passengers were English as the rest were French but the announcement was only made in English.
On route to the station the driver received a telephone call on his mobile and shouted back to the passengers a room number and surname, to which I replied that is me; he then passed the phone to me saying that it was the hotel calling. The hotel receptionist spoke to say that the 100 Euro note for which I had just paid for my accomodation was counterfeit. I said this was impossible and he asked where did I get the note, to which I replied a bank. He said that I would have to pay again. I asked how did he know it was my note to which he said that was the only one in his till. I said that I could not see his till to confirm this.
Bearing in mind that I had paid 20 minutes before leaving and so he had ample time to scrutinise my note at the time and that he gave me a receipt for full payment of over 235 Euros, of which the 100 note was only one: I said that he was wrong. He then said that he would call the police at the airport - I said go right ahead. He then hung up. I passed the phone back to the driver who then spoke to the receptionist very briefly concluding the call with a laugh.
We then proceeded to drive right past the railway station and then back around onto the Autostrada to the airport, without any stops being made.
Needless to say, there was no police awaiting me and the other tourists at the airport 15 minutes later.
I confronted the driver, and I being fluent in Italian accused the Hotel receptionist of pulling a vicious scam - the driver was surprised that I could speak Italian and was apologetic and he said that these things happen, but I consider it fortunate for him that I paid him for this journey and I told so, not wanting it that two wrongs make a right.
What made this scam particularly nasty was the way in which it was targeted at what was thought to be English/American tourists and also who do not speak Italian.
Naples is a beautiful city, albeit many areas are very run down, the legacy of defunct industries and living standards - it will not prevent me returning.
I had read before departing to Italy about this scam on the Internet but I never imagined it would happen to me - let the buyer beware!
I thank you for taking the time to read this post.