We often take Trust for granted

Trust ( not everyone is trustworthy)

Couple of hours ago, a Taxi driver cheated me and made me poorer by 800 bucks. That may be a small figure. But, I was duped in a strange way.

Location- Sion, Mumbai

I along with my friend entered a Taxi to go to a Punjabi Restaurant in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar. The Taxi Driver got curious and asked us questions like from where we came to relish Punjabi cuisines and things like that.

He was a Punjabi and had an acquaintance with him who was also a Punjabi. They started smooth talking and then the acquaintance who sat near the driver asked me for change of 1000 bucks. 

I gave him two note of 500 rupees. But, he instantly produced two 100 rupees note and told that Son, I gave you a thousand rupee note and you gave me two hundred rupees note.

It was dark in the cab and he was damn confident. I thought that I might have made a mistake so I promptly took back the two hundred rupees note and apologized to him and returned his 1000 rupees. 

I was getting suspicious but the men talked so decently that pointing fingers without proof was out of question. Before, I could decide, my stop came and I got down and when I check my wallet, I learned that I had initially given 2 five hundred rupees note. 

He duped me of 800 Rupees. I am sharing this here so that others can know about this modus operandi. There is a stigma attached with being cheated but I am not ashamed as I have not cheated him, rather they cheated me and I was caught off guard. I was not prepared for this from such polished men.

I felt slightly bad for the money part for a minute but they made me realize the following things just for 800 rupees. 

• Never get into a taxi when their is someone else other than the driver. Please do remember. Really risk for our safety.
• I wanted to say that he was lying but it took me 2 minutes to decide whether he really duped me. It happened because both men were mid-aged punjabi men. I have high respect for the punjabis and I thought they would never beg or steal.  But, they were just two white collared robbers and it has nothing to do with they being punjabis.
• It is always risky to confront people in a secluded place, they might have weapons and I am not James Bond. I would prefer to let the money go and come home safely.
• I first thought that I would forget what happened. I don't like being a victim. I am not! So, I decided to speak out and spread what happened so that people are careful in future.
• I had heard that taxi drivers in Mumbai had done this kind of thing in past but, I had not taken those cases seriously. Why? Because of the typical mentality that "It will not happen to me". I often used to wonder "How can this happen?"

But, this happened. Money can be earned back but, those men broke an unspoken trust. I tried to help them by offering the change but they had malicious intentions. 

Be safe. Be alert. Please let your friends and family know about this. Those men will reap what they have sown.