Egypt is a beautiful country, obviously. But there is one aspect that is not appreciated by many travelers: the number of scammers that is possibly one of the highest in the world, unfortunately. I just experienced a new type of scam attempt by Uber drivers that was pretty unusual, along with a more classic scam attempt you should already be aware of.
In Egypt, I took Uber 3 times during my short stay, and all 3 times, a driver tried to scam me. It didn’t work because I’m well-informed and because I hate scammers and don’t want to let them win, on principle.
But like with so many simple things that so many travelers just don’t know (some still use their Canadian phone’s roaming plans!), these scams surely work on many people. So I want to help you avoid losing money unnecessarily.
Here’s my experience with Uber scams in Egypt.
Overview of Uber scams in Egypt (and basic tips)
I’ll tell you the whole story if you’re interested, but I’ll start with an overview, as we do in all our content.
New type of Uber scam
In Egypt, it seems that drivers have found a new way to make money off of travelers: they completely ignore the price they accepted and try to charge more via the app’s messaging.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen this elsewhere before, but in Egypt it happened to me several times.
How to avoid the new type of Uber scam:
You cancel the ride by selecting the “driver asked me to cancel” cancellation option to avoid all cancellation fees, and you order a new driver.
Common Uber scam
The other scam I experienced that is much more common and to be fair to Egypt, has also happened to me elsewhere a few times: drivers who invent taxes or tolls to charge more once the ride has started.
How to avoid the common Uber scam:
You simply decline to pay, but only once you’ve arrived to your destination and have gotten your bags from the car.
Basic Uber tips
Obviously, public transportation is often preferable if you want to save money.
But in very affordable countries, like Egypt, Uber (or the local equivalent) can be so cheap that it’s worth using even as a solo travelers, unless you’re traveling on a very small budget.
For example, my trip from the airport to the city cost me 126.51 EGP. And that was the most expensive of the 3!
And most importantly, Uber (or the local equivalent) is obviously always better than local taxis!!!
Because you precisely avoid the inflated prices that drivers always offer to travelers (it’s absolutely wild to me that some travelers don’t know this). It’s also convenient to pay by credit card to unlock huge welcome bonuses. And it’s also obviously safer because your ride is tracked and monitored.
And if Uber drivers are trying to scam in Egypt, imagine the taxi drivers!!!!!!!!!
Context of Uber scams in Egypt
I spent a few days in Egypt during my trip to 6 continents to get 1 million points. I just got back and I’ll have a lot more content about it, which is almost entirely positive obviously. But it’s worth telling this story.
In Africa, I visited the resort city of Hurghada even though it didn’t attract me, because it’s what worked logistically to keep the cost low. But I also saw other similar Uber scam stories elsewhere in the country, including from others doing the same challenge who went through Cairo.
Of course, these are small amounts. But I’m flawed that way; when someone tries to scam me, even if they are very poor and really need the money, on principle, I really don’t want to give them any at all, regardless of the amount. I even wish I could give them less money.
I understand why they do it. But I still hate it.
And for what it’s worth, I didn’t experience any other scamming attempts in Egypt apart from those by Uber drivers (which is better than my brief visit to Cairo a few years ago).
Even paying for the 25 USD visa on arrival went really smoothly, because I had read the basic tip about having the exact amount ready. Reading is so useful! No wonder planning well is 1 of our top 6 tips to save money on travel!!!
Let’s look at each of my 3 Uber uses (and therefore 3 scamming attempts) in Egypt.
Example 1 of Uber scam in Egypt
When I arrived, I ordered an Uber at the airport to get to my 1st hotel in town.
The driver Ashraf did not renegotiate the price of 120 EGP in the messaging! At least it happened 1 time out of 3!
However, he definitely tried to scam me anyway, but verbally.
I expected it because it was Egypt. It was so fitting by the way: at the airport there was a Canada Jetlines airplane, the Canadian airline that took 8 years to launch operations and was possibly an excuse to scam shareholders…
Once we left the airport, the driver explained to me that I had to pay an airport tax as if I were one of the travelers who doesn’t get out much. As mentioned, this scam certainly isn’t unique to Egypt; it has already happened to me and you should be aware to avoid falling for it.
I politely told him that it’s supposed to be the price in the app only. But if you’re not as comfortable, wait until you’ve arrived.
He didn’t insist, so it went well. If he had been more insistent, I wouldn’t have wanted him to drop me off in the middle of nowhere, so I wouldn’t have said no. I would have waited until I had my backpacks and was out of the car at the destination to say no and just leave.
He instead pivoted to trying to sell me his services as a private driver, as is also very common.
My pro tip is therefore to always pretend that you’re interested (even when you’re not, like me, who never is). I took his WhatsApp number and lied, saying I might need it. That way, he wants to give you good service and not scam you, so you’ll call him back.
That way, the ride goes great and there are no more scamming attempts.
Then I gave him a bad rating to hopefully help others. And because I’m frankly glad to do it to those who try to scam me. The “demanded toll payment” is in the too issues in Egypt and is among the default choices.
Example 2 of Uber scam in Egypt
I changed hotels during my visit, to be in a hotel closer to the airport, the evening before my very early morning departure flight.
To get from one to the other, I ordered an Uber for 83.96 EGP.
Immediately, Mahmoud, who accepted this price and this ride, messaged me saying that “5 EUR was a very low price for Uber”. In other words, he wanted to triple the price (that’s how badly you almost always get scammed if you use taxis with no meters).
I told him I wouldn’t pay more and asked him if he was coming.
He didn’t let go. He replied: “Uber price is very low. Is 300 EGP good?”
So I canceled the ride by selecting the “driver asked me to cancel” cancellation option because there is unfortunately no “the driver is trying to scam me” option (which would be quite necessary, in Egypt at least).
The driver just wasn’t moving, hoping that people would give up and pay more or select the wrong cancellation option that comes with a cancellation fee (which goes to the driver, at least in part).
The next driver was honest and didn’t try to scam me.
Example 3 of Uber scam in Egypt
To go to the airport at 3:25 in the morning, I suspected it would be the same thing.
Indeed, Alaaaldeen was even more direct: “This trip costs 500 EGP“! Despite having accepted the price of 97.37 EGP. Yes, 5 times more!!!
I was thinking that I might be a bit more captive if there are fewer drivers at this early morning hour. So to test it out as well, instead of cancelling right away, I tried to say that I had no cash, to see if he would abandon his scam.
Quite the opposite. He tells me, “There is a fee to withdraw money from the machine.”
So I said more clearly that I wouldn’t pay. Then he changed to instead try the good old airport tax scam.
So I canceled him the same way.
Strangely, it was he again who was assigned to me after ordering a new ride. I would have thought there would be an automatic block to not put the same driver who had just been canceled.
This time, he lowered his price to 400 EGP as a final offer.
I went to see his rating out of curiosity, and it’s quite good at 4.92 out of 5 (and over 1200 rides).
So just because the rating is good doesn’t mean there won’t be a scam attempt. At least in Egypt.
I canceled again, and then I finally got an honest driver.
I waited to see if he was going to try to make me pay an “airport tax.” Since he didn’t try, I gave him a tip as a reward for not trying to scam me.
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Summary
There is clearly a new Uber scam in Egypt right now, where drivers accept a random price but then try to negotiate upward in the app’s messaging. In both cases where it happened to me, I had to cancel the ride. This is in addition to the more common scam of the airport tax or toll.
What would you like to know about Uber scams in Egypt? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Hurghada marina and taxi in town (photo credit: Andrew D’Amours/Flytrippers)
