Vietnamese tourist claims she was scammed by Singapore taxi driver

The woman, who goes by the TikTok handle Baokieu230598, posted a three-minute video of the incident on April 5, which has since gone viral with nearly 50,000 views.

Narrating the incident in Vietnamese, she said she had hailed the taxi for a journey that should have cost $16.

On arrival, she handed the driver two $10 notes to pay. Noticing she also had some $50 notes and a $100 note on hand, he allegedly asked if he could change notes with her.

He then took a $100 note and handed her $4 in return.

She then waited for him to return the rest of her change but he refused, saying he had already returned the money while pointing to the two $50 notes she was holding.

Questioning the driver led to a heated argument, made worse by the language barrier between the duo.

In the video, he can be heard saying: “You call the police, I’m not scared of you.”

The woman said she ended up paying an extra $80 for the ride but did not make a police report as she did not have her work permit on hand.

One TikTok user commented under the video: “I was a taxi driver for almost 10 years in Singapore and the regulations are very strict. One’s taxi vocational license can be permanently revoked by the authorities if found guilty of unethical practices.”

The incident was widely shared on Singapore fan pages online.

Several internet users urged the Vietnamese woman to book a Grab next time.