Beijing's airport is rife with fake taxis that pay a gang boss RMB 1,200 a month to jump the normal queue and are equipped with sophisticated meters that generate receipts for any amount you want, an undercover report by Beijing News has revealed.

It's long been known that visitors must be especially vigilant when first arriving at Beijing Capital International Airport for the simple fact that they may not be able to spot an illegal taxi, and often don't know how much it should cost to get into the center of town.

Over the course of December, a Beijing News reporter working undercover documented the extent of the scams that typically operate in the evenings after 8pm. Over the course of multiple rides, he found many drivers willing to talk about the scam.

During one ride he hailed a taxi at Terminal 2 and was requested to pay a flat fee of RMB 260 for the 40-kilometer ride to his destination in Fengtai – over twice the regular price. Upon arrival at the destination, the driver was only able to provide a receipt from an unlicensed meter, separate from the regular meter mounted in the dashboard of the cab.

The fake meter comes equipped with the ability to print out receipts at any amount up to RMB 2,000, and is even adorned with one of 500 genuine license plate numbers to make the receipt look real.

One driver explained that a fake taxi receipt generator costs as little as RMB 600. The advantage to the rider, the driver said, is that for the same price the driver can churn out any amount up to RMB 2,000 which riders can then claim for reimbursement from their company.

Following further prying, the reporter also found that these black cabs avoid the lines that most cabs wait in to pick up a juicy airport fare by paying a monthly RMB 1,200 fee to the head of an airport taxi gang, who in turn gives a cut to the taxi dispatching manager. This allows the illegal cabs to skip the usual two to three hours that taxis must wait at peak times.

It turns out a "cloned" taxi costs a mere RMB 14,000 to RMB 20,000, drivers were happy to divulge. The clones are copies of real licensed cabs that will pass muster on the street.

One passenger interviewed for the piece, Zhao Lili, also pointed out two other scams passengers should look out for: a counterfeit currency swap and an attempt to swipe a passengers' cell phone.

Zhao said she arrived in Beijing at midnight and waited in the queue for an hour. “The taxi driver claimed that he wasn’t familiar with the route and asked us to borrow my mobile phone to navigate,” Zhao said. But the driver muted the phone and didn’t look at it for the remainder of the journey, sometimes a ploy that relies on the passengers forgetting that they handed over the phone at the beginning of the ride, and subsequently leave the taxi without it.

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There's also the classic counterfeit bill switcheroo: When Zhao arrived at her destination, the usual RMB 70 ride cost RMB 128. When she handed over a RMB 100 note to pay, the driver clandestinely swapped the note for a fake one, handing it back to Zhao and asking her to give him another bill as the one she had given him was "too new" (some drivers also like to spin it that the customer has given them a fake bill, all the while switching and handing one back).

In Beijing, we try our best to avoid taking "black cabs" – the local term for fake or unlicensed taxis (as opposed to illegal, often black cars that have a thin, red LED light in the windshield and will require some real hard haggling to make a ride worth it) – mostly out of the fear of being ripped off via one of many scams, such as excessive fees and the risk of receiving fake notes from drivers. However, seeing as fake cabs also come disguised as the real McCoy, it's best to be extra vigilant, especially when hailing from the airport.

Here are some tips on spotting a fake taxi:

Do not set off if you notice the taxi has a second meter.

Keep track of how fast the meter is going up and if you have a feeling it is going up a lot faster than it usually does, get out and hail a different one.

Make sure you aren’t being given fake money. This mainly happens when handing RMB 100 bills to drivers which they then reject – either calling it a fake or saying they have no change. Read here on how to recognize fake bills.

Always carry small change when planning on taking a taxi.

Ask the driver if he has change before handing him the bill.

Fake cabs are most common around the subway stations, shopping malls, and also near the major tourist attractions. The most serious areas are the railway stations and Beijing Capital International Airport.

Check to see if the receipt is fake and if it is try to take a photo of the license plate of the car.

Call the police on 110 if you notice anything suspicious.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com

Twitter: @flyingfigure

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Photos: pinglun.eastday.com, Beijing News