Travel warning: Australian robbed of $23,000 gold necklace by fake taxi driver while holidaying in Bali

An Australian tourist’s trip to Bali has been soured to the tune of $23,000 by a local who posed as a taxi driver.

The 37-year-old visitor, known by his initials GHK, was on holiday in the west coast hotspot of Legian when, after a night out on September 16, he decided to walk back to his hotel around 2.30am, local time.

According to local media, GHK was walking down Legian Road — the main street that runs north-south between Kuta and Seminyak — when a local stopped by a man posing to be a motorbike taxi driver offered him a cheap lift home.

The Aussie initially refused the ride, local news outlet Nusa Bali reports, but agreed when they settled on a cheap price.

The pair drove down Kubu Anyar Street to Sada Sari Alley, where the driver reportedly stopped.

It is alleged the driver then pushed the bike over so it landed on GHK, knocking him to the ground.

As GHK struggled to get the bike off him, the local allegedly forcibly removed the gold chain necklace the Aussie was wearing. The driver then pulled the motorcycle up and sped away, according to the Bali Sun.

The necklace was reportedly worth $23,600

GHK reported the incident to Kuta police, who began an investigation into the crime. After obtaining CCTV footage from where the incident took place, police arrested a 22-year-old Balinese man, Ketut Manih, for the theft.

First inspector Anggi Wahyu Romadhon said as well as arresting Manih, police also obtained “a set of gold necklaces and a cross pendant resulting from the perpetrator’s crime”, Nusa Bali reports.

“The suspect admitted to having forcibly pulled the victim’s necklace. The plan was to sell the necklace and use the proceeds for daily needs,” Romadhon said.

It is understood that the suspect said he was going through financial hardship, and was not part of an organised crime syndicate nor had he committed similar offences.

He faces a possible five years in prison for the crime.

Meanwhile, police are also investigating a number of thefts at Canggu villas after several TikTok stars returned to their rooms to find they had been ransacked.

Indonesian influencer, Willie Salim — who has more than 57 million followers on TikTok — and a handful of social media influencer friends had returned to their villas in Pererenan Village in Canggu at about 6pm on September 21, according to the Bali Sun.

The group reportedly left the villa on Jalan Banadan at about 9.30am that day and returned to find several items missing, including a MacBook Pro M2, iPad Pro M1, cameras, several iPhones, and rupiah in cash.

Head of Public Relations of Badung Police, Ipda I Putu Sukarma, said the losses experienced were “hundreds of millions” and police were actively investigating the case.

He also noted that the thieves had forcibly entered the property.

Tourists visiting the popular holiday hotspot have been warned to store their valuables securely when leaving their accommodation. They have also been warned about tagging the holiday properties and locations they are staying at to social media.

Foreigners have also been warned to be aware of the red flags to look out for when using taxis or ride share services in Bali.

The most recognised taxi company is Bluebird taxis, which revealed it was working with authorities to crack down on a rising number of fake taxis attempting to scam tourists by copying Bluebird vehicles, colours, and its logo.

Bluebird advised tourists to check if a driver is wearing an official uniform, has clear meters and fares, displays their driver data ID card on the dashboard, and IoT screens in the car.

Taxis should also have a fleet code (of letters and numbers) on the back, side, and inside of the vehicle.

Customers should also be wary of drivers who are aggressive in offering their services.

Grab and GoJek are other popular, cheaper option for booking bike taxis. Customers have been warned to check the app for their driver’s name, photo, and license plate, and look for company stickers or route info displays on the vehicle before jumping on board.

Customers using rideshare service apps shoudl also use live location tracking and journey sharing services if they are available, or share their location via their phone.

Tourists should also head to common and official pick-up locations such as airports, hotels, or recognised taxi stands.