Mon Mar 10 15:20:38 UTC 2025: ## American Lawyer Foils Hotel Scam in Jaipur

**Jaipur, India** – An American lawyer visiting Jaipur narrowly avoided a scam involving a taxi driver and a Holiday Inn hotel manager, according to a viral social media account. Andrew Hammel, a writer and lawyer based in Germany, detailed his experience on X (formerly Twitter), describing how he was targeted for a ₹3,000 (approximately $36 USD) extortion attempt shortly after returning to his hotel.

Hammel’s account describes how a taxi driver, shortly after dropping him off, returned to his hotel room with the hotel manager, falsely accusing him of shortchanging the driver. Despite Hammel’s insistence that the fare was settled, the manager sided with the driver, demanding the money. The pair persisted in their demands for 45 minutes, escalating their intimidation tactics.

However, Hammel’s quick thinking proved crucial. He located a barely legible international complaint hotline number provided by the hotel and contacted them. Even while on the call, reporting the incident and the hotel manager by name, the manager continued his demands and threatened to involve the police. Only after Hammel began repeating words like “police,” “crime,” “arrest,” “harassment,” and “fraud” did the manager finally relent.

Hammel’s story highlights a concerning incident of alleged collusion between a taxi driver and hotel staff to defraud a guest. The incident underscores the importance of being vigilant against scams, even in reputable hotels, and the potential value of readily accessible and functional customer service hotlines. The Holiday Inn has yet to publicly comment on the allegations.

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