' Embassy message for American citizens in Colombia' Travel

Ed (200.172.107.166) - 04/08/06 11:38

The following message from the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá is for all American citizens traveling in or living in Colombia. Please pass to other American citizens in Colombia.

Taxi crime in Colombia

April 6, 2006

Robbery of taxi passengers has become a serious problem in large cities in Colombia, and especially in Bogotá. In recent months, many people, including American citizens, have been attacked and robbed after entering taxis. Four official Americans assigned to the Embassy have been victimized in this way in just the past three months. In one recent case in Bogotá, an American citizen was seriously wounded.

Typically, the driver of the taxi – who is one of the conspirators – will pick up the passenger, and will then stop to pick up two or more armed cohorts, who enter the taxi with weapons, overpower the passenger, and take his/her belongings. If the passenger has an automated teller machine card, the perpetrators will often force the passenger to withdraw money from various ATM locations. Such ordeals can last for hours.

In almost every case of this type, the victims have been riding alone and have hailed their taxis off the street. Rather than hailing a taxi, you should take advantage of the telephone dispatch service that most taxi companies offer. If you do not have a phone, most hotels, restaurants, and stores will call a dispatcher for you. When a taxi is dispatched by telephone, a record of the call and the responding taxi is created. Additionally, the passenger receives a code from the dispatcher, which helps ensure that the correct taxi has arrived. In some locations, such as large shopping malls and major airports, taxi stands have been set up, and they too provide a measure of security because a company employee generally creates a written record of the ride.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where current Worldwide Cautions, Public Announcements, Travel Warnings, and Consular Information Sheets can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy in Colombia is located at Avenida El Dorado and Carrera 50 in Bogotá; telephone (011-57-1) 315-0811 during business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or 315-2109/2110 for emergencies during non-business hours. The U.S. Consular Agency in Barranquilla, which provides limited consular services, is located at Calle 77B, No. 57-141, Piso 5, Centro Empresarial Las Americas, Barranquilla, Atlantico, Colombia; telephone (011-57-5) 353-2001.

Comment #1 John Michael from California - 12/31/06 02:14

Hi Ed: Great post. I'd like to stay in touch with you. I'm relocating to Cartagena in the near future. Please contact me at mylatinwife@yahoo.com. Thanks. John Michael

Comment #2 Sheri Shaw (170.104.230.182) - 02/13/08 18:25

I am not sure this is the appropriate place to post this, but here is where I will start. Recently my son was travelling in Columbia and on his last night in Cartegena, he decided to go out to a nice dinner. He paid with a debit card and as he was leaving the restaurant, was apprehended by Columbia police , accusing him of not paying. He was taken to a police station, where he was handcuffed to a metal bar, presented with a small bag of what appeared to be some kind of white powder they claimed was drugs, saying they were found on him and that drug trafficking was very serious in Columbia. He absolutely did not have drugs and was flying out of the country the next morning. The restaurant owner, also in cahoots on this, came to the police station, and stated my son had not paid and that he would have to pay the police. They then proceeded to take him around to various ATM's and had him withdraw all his money out of his account, to the total sum of over $800 US dollars. He was then let go - this is something that needs to be spread to other travellers, and I would think a country that is trying to become more tourist friendly, after years of being seen as dangerous, would want to know. Please post this warning.... do not pay with credit cards or debit cards, and basically I would think that travel to this country is still highly undesireable. It is too bad that we can not enjoy the benefits of other cultures without getting ripped off and threatened with jail.

Comment #3 Mike from Over There (63.176.159.251) - 10/16/08 10:08

Wow. That sounds like a pretty crappy vacation.. Is he sure that they were real police? Some groups in tourist locations can set things up to make the tourist believe they are the cops.. Just to get their money, no questions asked..

Comment #4 Never Again (63.176.159.102) - 12/12/08 09:47

That is a pretty messed up story.. Anybody have any positive stories of their experiences?

Comment #5 Eunice Rogers (24.102.205.25) - 06/08/09 16:29

I am sympathetic to what happened to your son. We were in Cartegena on a cruise with Celebrity in April. We too used our credit card to pay for a $69 emerald slider. Turns out, when we got the bill, we were charged $719.64 for the stone. Of course, the receipt was in Spanish and we trusted the store owner to be honest. After 6 weeks of disputing this charge, we come find out Citicard said we were the responsible party because we signed the receipt. Of course, we have to pay the bill but, we are still trying to fight the charge. We know other people are having the same problem and, in America, I would think the credit card companies would want to help their customers more than they do. Hope something comes from this so that other people won't have to go through what your son and us had to endure.

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