‘Bad man, not taxi driver’: Aussie sisters recall terrifying moment they were almost abducted in Italy

Two Aussie sisters have issued a stark warning to women travelling overseas after revealing how they were almost abducted in Italy.

Melbourne locals Steph and Holly Davey, who host the Girls Next Door podcast, recalled the moment a man posing as a taxi driver tried to lead them away from an airport towards an underground area where an unmarked black van was waiting.

Sharing their encounter in a recent podcast episode titled ‘Don’t Get Taken: Stories That Changed How We Travel’, the sisters shared their ordeal alongside a string of frighteningly similar stories from female travellers in Milan, South Africa, Bali and Marseille — including being followed through airports, chased by cars and moments when listening to their gut may have made all the difference.

The sisters had been travelling through Europe with their three friends six years ago when their troubling saga began during a chaotic arrival at Naples airport.

“It’s a bit of a hustle and bustle. You’re a bit like whiplash and confused,” Steph recalled.

“Straight away, I see two men dressed very similar, a little bit older, gold chains, standing there just watching us.”

Brushing it off, the group focused on finding a taxi big enough for all five women and their luggage, when a “well-dressed man with neck tattoos” approached them and offered them a ride, speaking in fluent English.

“He walks over and it was like he was the calm amongst the storm,” Steph continued.

’Girls, girls, girls, are you looking for a taxi? Come with me. I’m a taxi,’ he told them.

The group began following the supposed driver but soon realised he wasn’t taking them towards the official taxi rank — instead leading them in the direction of an underground area, where an unmarked black van was waiting.

Sensing there wasn’t something quite right, the group stopped and asked why the vehicle wasn’t with the rest of the taxis at the rank, but the man allegedly continued insisting the van was a taxi and urged them to keep walking.

That’s when legitimate taxi drivers nearby began shouting at the group, with one man warning: “No, don’t go, bad man, not taxi driver”.

The women immediately turned around, despite their supposed taxi driver continuing to tell them they were ‘so close’ and insisting the vehicle would fit everyone.

The legitimate drivers alerted police and, according to the sisters, the man fled as soon as he realised he had been identified.

‘”The police started sprinting through the crowd, and we look at the guy that originally approached us, and he just takes off to God knows where,” the sisters recalled.

Steph and Holly insisted they were not discussing their ordeal to dissuade women from travelling, but to encourage them to stay aware, protect their personal information, stick together if travelling in a group where possible and trust your gut when something feels wrong.

The podcast episode has since garnered a flurry of comments online, with more women sharing their own ‘close-encounters’ and agreeing with the importance of staying alert when travelling solo.

“This happened to me in Medellin, Colombia”, one woman shared, with another commenting: “I have travelled all over Europe and always felt safe but when I went to Naples, I literally feared for my life.”

A third person commented: “It’s so important that these experiences are shared so women can learn about how this looks in real life” and another adding: “Number 1 rule is you always get into official taxis. This applies to any major cities.”