Taxi Driver Smashes Lost Phone After Failed Extortion; Tourist Pays With Coins
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 5 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A mainland tourist experienced a frustrating ordeal after losing her mobile phone in a Hong Kong ride-hailing taxi on September 26. The taxi driver strung her along for hours while demanding an ever-increasing reward, eventually refusing to return the phone until police intervention. Even after the phone was recovered, it was returned in a deliberately damaged state. The tourist later retaliated by paying the driver's demanded fee in coins.
Key Points
- The tourist disembarked around 7:20 PM and immediately realized her phone was left in the vehicle
- She called the driver multiple times, only to have each call abruptly terminated
- Negotiating through the ride-hailing platform, the reward offer escalated from HK$500 to HK$2,000
- The driver finally called at 11 PM asking for HK$2,000 delivery, then vanished again with the phone powered off
- Police warned the driver that a formal report would be filed, prompting him to admit finding the phone but claiming it was already damaged
- Upon retrieval, the phone's screen was shattered and the charging port destroyed, appearing to be intentional vandalism
- The driver demanded HK$471 for a one-way trip to return the phone; the tourist's husband paid him entirely in coins
Why It Matters
This incident highlights how some taxi drivers exploit lost-and-found situations to extort tourists, damaging Hong Kong's reputation as a hospitable destination. The tourist's coin-based retaliation, while satisfying, underscores the breakdown in trust between passengers and drivers, prompting calls for clearer regulations on handling lost property in public transport.
This incident highlights how some taxi drivers exploit lost-and-found situations to extort tourists, damaging Hong Kong's reputation as a hospitable destination. The tourist's coin-based retaliation, while satisfying, underscores the breakdown in trust between passengers and drivers, prompting calls for clearer regulations on handling lost property in public transport.