I’ll preface that I am in Cuba often and don’t consider myself green. I normally use a pre-arranged driver that I have but due to a 10 hour delay I took a random taxi from Jose Marti.
The scam: There is someone hiding under a type of sub floor in the trunk of the cab and they discreetly go through your bag looking for cash.
The details and subtle red flags that I missed due to fatigue:
The price of the cab was quoted at $20 to Vedado from the agent for the driver just outside the terminal. I thought it was too low but the cab was an official looking yellow cab when I arrived to it so I agreed.
I normally carry my small personal bag with me at all times as it has my cash and valuables. But before I could grab it from my cart the driver had loaded it up in the trunk with my large suitcase. I asked for it and did not get a good look inside the trunk. The driver insisted it stay in the trunk for security (another red flag that due to fatigue at the time I didn’t really think about).
The driver’s agent then opened the front passenger door and said that I could sit up front with the driver as it’s cooler with the windows
being open and no AC (less chance of hearing or feeling vibration in the trunk?) I complied.
The agent left and the driver began the trip. On the trip, he played loud Cuban music. I’m now thinking it was not to hear anything. The driver was also on his phone a lot appearing to be messaging.
The whole time I sat and was actually thinking the scam would be the driver asking for $50 or $60 as the price was never agreed upon in the presence of the driver. But at the end of the trip he asked me what price I was quoted. I said $20 and he readily agreed.
I got out of the cab and he placed my bags on the sidewalk. I actually had to go into my personal bag to pay him. I opened my wallet and it was dark and I quickly gave him $25. He left without incident.
The next day I go into my wallet and count. 4 x $100 bills are missing (the thief made sure to leave 1 x $100 bill inside the wallet). He also stole 4 x $20 bills but made sure to leave 6 in the wallet with a few 10’s, $5’s and $1’s to not make the stack look to small.
Even writing this it seems too far fetched but I am 100% certain that I never lost site of the bag the entire time that I was en route to Cuba except for the cab ride to my home.
I am so pissed off with myself for missing these little red flags. I should have known better. The fatigue from my long journey did not have me thinking straight. Never leave sight of your bag that has valuables in it even for a moment. It’s all it takes.