Retiree Carol Cowan was left out of pocket after being scammed by a taxi driver to the tune of about $3000 in Croatia. It ruined her holiday and she came home early.
But through sheer tenacity she has got her money back, an apology from a Croatian government ministry and legislation passed by the government to make sure no-one else experiences the misfortune she faced.
Her rollercoaster began with a holiday through Europe following her husband’s death last year, with a two-month voyage planned.
An unpleasant eight-hour train ride to Zagreb had her feeling wiped out — wanting to find a taxi and head to her apartment as soon as she could.
A man hailed her with a ‘‘Hello’’, introducing himself as a taxi driver, and agreeing to take her to the destination only a few kilometres away for cash.
Mrs Cowan, in her exhausted state, did not pause to question the lack of markings or brandings on the taxi, but did question the fare meter skyrocketing up at an absurd rate.
Upon arriving, the fare of €150 was begrudgingly accepted, and they waited for the driver’s boss to bring the eftpos machine to the cab.
The two Croatian men spoke for a minute, and the driver with the eftpos machine in his hand snatched her card, put it in the machine and, once accepted, sped away without giving Mrs Cowan a receipt, despite this being a legal requirement in Croatia.
What Mrs Cowan did not know was she was just the victim of a common scam, to the tune of €1506 ($NZ2992), for a 10-minute cab ride.
Mrs Cowan left the country shortly after discovering her loss, cutting her holiday short by a month and cancelling all of her meticulously planned accommodation and transport.
‘‘I was terrified. I felt devastated. I’ve never been cheated like that before. I was scared. Everything seemed like a threat.
‘‘When I finally got on the bus to go to the airport, it felt like I was escaping.’’
Upon returning, a two-week battle with Visa over getting a charge back led absolutely nowhere, as the company told her no receipt, no refund.
‘‘It was really unfair. Would a burglar give you a receipt for what they took from your home?’’
Communication began with the Croatian police through their New Zealand counterparts and Interpol, but every so often she would look at news from Zagreb, hoping for a lead.
In late June, she saw there was momentum: the same group who scammed her were mentioned on a news site leading her to comment on her experience.
A journalist reached out and Carol Cowan, scam victim, suddenly became Carol Cowan, media darling.
Quickly she was front page news, being interviewed on national television, with the host of a prime-time news organisation offering her an apology on behalf of all Croatians.
‘‘By the morning, there were about 60 repeats of the story. I was thinking ‘Flip, I’ve gone viral’. People were really upset with what happened to me.’’
Croatia rallied behind Mrs Cowan’s story, with an official apology from the Ministry of Tourism and an invite to visit Zagreb with many organisations promising free transport, accommodation, activities and the hospitality she should have received.
The stolen money was returned to her by the scammer, but justice did not end there, with the Croatian government stepping in to help prevent such problems in the future.
The Ministry of Transport announced regulations for taxis, with fare caps, specialised licence plates, and other protections to crack down on the scam.
‘‘I’m still emotional. This one lady, who didn’t think she would even get her money back, has helped change an entire system.
‘‘I’m proud and humbled at the same time. I thought, ‘I did that, because I spoke up.’ God used one little lady to change a corrupt system.’’
