True or false, taxi drivers in the Middle East steal your bags?

I process insurance claims and get a lot for people claiming they pay the driver and then go to get another bag and it speeds off.





I don't buy it, I mean who would get out of a taxi, pay the driver and then go for the bags? I think ppl from these countries tell each other that they can make up a claim.





Anyone from that background? Heard of these robberies?True or false, taxi drivers in the Middle East steal your bags?
Whenever you take a taxi, especially overseas or in a foreign country, it pays well to know the taxi customs:





1. How to recognise an officially licenced taxi.





2. If you are unsure, keep your luggage out of the boot (US: trunk) so it cannot be held to ransom





There are many more to read about too, I suggest this linkt, though there are many others:





http://www.forbestraveler.com/luxury/wor鈥?/a>True or false, taxi drivers in the Middle East steal your bags?
There can't be an absolute true or false answer to this question.





Either one would assume that, either ALL taxi drivers in the Middle East do this, or NO taxi drivers in the Middle East would do this.





It's not a fair question.





From experience as a taxi driver trainer, MOST luggage lost when people claim it was theft by a driver is usually the result of the passenger forgetting the bag, failing to count and check on the bags unloaded and, more often than you might think, because the passenger never had the bag at the cab to begin with. (eithere forgetting the bag at home, or not getting out of the baggage carousel at the airport.)





There are ALWAYS two easy targets to blame for lost luggage: The airlines and the taxi drivers. This is because neither can ';prove'; their innocence without the baggage as evidence. And, of course, passengers are NEVER going to blame themselves for lost luggage when they can blame someone else.





In the cab company I worked for, we had a pretty large collection of cell phones, purses, briefcases, laptops, PDAs and occasional bags, many of which were never claimed. You can imagine how many of these were blamed on the airline's carelessness. In a few cases, we'd get passengers claiming theft by the drivers after the drivers had turned in these items to the company. Again, easy to blame the driver for stealing when, in truth, the careless passenger left the item on the cab floor, or let it slip between the seat cushions.





Are there dishonest drivers? Of course there are, but if one is going to assume a driver is out to cheat or steal, why get into the car in the first place?
I have never been over there but I have read that there are a lot of fake taxi cabs that are pulling scams of all types so it would not be uncommon from this to happen to a U.S. person........but at the same time I have to agree that anytime that I have been in a taxi I always take my laptop or whatever I have out before I would pay....
well just like here-some do-some dont