I arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (Terminal 2E) after an overnight flight from New York. I was exhausted, jet-lagged and not thinking as clearly as usual.
After leaving the terminal, I headed towards the official taxi rank near Door 10. Before I could join the queue, a man approached me. He was dressed in a way that gave the impression he was airport staff or somehow connected to the airport.
He asked where I was going. When I told him my destination, he said:
"No, these taxis are only for Paris. You need to go to Door 16."
At that point I trusted him. That was my mistake.
I followed his directions and ended up being led to a vehicle that was clearly not an official Paris taxi. Looking back, there were several red flags:
I was approached directly.
The driver did not come from an official taxi queue.
The vehicle looked old and unofficial.
Nobody was using a taxi meter.
The biggest red flag came once I was already inside the vehicle.
The driver suddenly told me the fare would be €120.
At that point I immediately realized something was wrong. Instead of continuing the trip, I told him to stop and take me back.
He then drove me roughly 200 metres around Terminal 2E and demanded €14.40 for this ridiculous ride.
I paid simply because I wanted to get out and avoid any argument after a long overnight flight.
In the end, I only lost €14.40. It could have been much worse.
The lesson is simple:
Official taxis do not walk around the terminal looking for customers.
If someone approaches you and tries to redirect you away from the official taxi queue, assume something is wrong.
I travel regularly and still almost got caught because I was tired after a long-haul flight. First-time visitors are probably even more vulnerable.