What's the biggest scam to avoid in Sofia?

The taxi-mafia pattern at SOF airport — legitimate Bulgarian taxis charge BGN 0.79-0.99/km (rate posted on the back window) and OK Supertrans cabs from the official rank inside Terminal 2 charge BGN 12-18 to the centre. Look-alike companies called 'Sofia OK Taxi', 'OK Taxi' or similar use slightly different logos and charge 5-10x the rate (BGN 80-150 to centre). Use only the named operators (OK Supertrans, Yellow! Taxi, Eco Taxi) or Bolt, which works cleanly in Sofia. Other patterns: ATM card-skimming at outdoor Easycash machines near Serdika (use bank-lobby ATMs at UniCredit Bulbank, DSK, Raiffeisen), DCC card-readers asking you to pay in your home currency rather than BGN, and 'leftover currency' street sellers offering terrible exchange rates.

How bad is the Sofia taxi scam, really?

Bad enough that it's the city's defining tourist incident. The SOF airport version is a structured operation — multiple lookalike companies operate ranks just outside the terminal with names slightly different from OK Supertrans, slightly altered logos, and meters that tick at 5-10x the regulated rate. A BGN 12-18 (€6-9) airport-to-centre ride becomes BGN 80-150 (€40-75) by the time the meter is read. The defence: the official taxi counter inside the airport (just after baggage claim) prints a fixed-rate voucher; use it. Or take Metro line 1 from Terminal 2 directly into the centre for BGN 1.60 (€0.80) in 25 minutes — the cheapest and cleanest option. For street taxis, look for the specific operator names (OK Supertrans, Yellow! Taxi, Eco Taxi) on the door, not just the colour, and confirm the per-km rate on the back window before getting in.

Common Tourist Scams in Sofia (and How to Avoid Them)

By The Kakapo Editorial Team · Last updated 2026-05-06 · Part of the Sofia safety guide

Scams — taxi mafia is the headline

"OK Supertrans" vs "OK Taxi" trap at Sofia Airport (SOF): the legitimate operator is OK Supertrans (yellow cabs). Several look-alike companies use names like "Sofia OK Taxi" or "OK Taxi" with slightly different logos and charge 5-10× the rate. The official taxi counter inside the airport (just after baggage claim) prints a fixed-rate voucher; use that. Bolt also works and is the cleanest option.
"Broken meter" on street taxis: walk to the next cab. Legitimate Sofia taxis charge BGN 0.79-0.99/km (rate posted on the back window). Anyone quoting BGN 5-10/km is overcharging.
Petition / clipboard at Vitosha Boulevard: the standard European city-centre scam. Walk past with hands in pockets.
"Romanian / Hungarian / Czech currency" sellers: people approach offering to "exchange leftover currency" at terrible rates. Tourist scam; never works in their favour.
Card-skimming at outdoor ATMs: real, especially Easycash machines near Serdika metro. Use ATMs inside bank lobbies (UniCredit Bulbank, DSK, Postbank, Raiffeisen).
"Free walking tour" tip trap: Sofia has genuinely good free walking tours (Free Sofia Tour, 365 Free Tours), but a couple of operators are aggressive about €10-15 tips at the end. The reputable ones explicitly tell you the suggested tip range; €5-10 per person is fair.
Card-terminal DCC: always pay in BGN, not "your home currency". DCC adds 5-7%.
Counterfeit BGN: rare. The 50-leva note is the most-faked. Spot-check change at smaller shops.

FAQ

What's the biggest scam to avoid in Sofia?: The taxi-mafia pattern at SOF airport — legitimate Bulgarian taxis charge BGN 0.79-0.99/km (rate posted on the back window) and OK Supertrans cabs from the official rank inside Terminal 2 charge BGN 12-18 to the centre. Look-alike companies called 'Sofia OK Taxi', 'OK Taxi' or similar use slightly different logos and charge 5-10x the rate (BGN 80-150 to centre). Use only the named operators (OK Supertrans, Yellow! Taxi, Eco Taxi) or Bolt, which works cleanly in Sofia. Other patterns: ATM card-skimming at outdoor Easycash machines near Serdika (use bank-lobby ATMs at UniCredit Bulbank, DSK, Raiffeisen), DCC card-readers asking you to pay in your home currency rather than BGN, and 'leftover currency' street sellers offering terrible exchange rates.
How bad is the Sofia taxi scam, really?: Bad enough that it's the city's defining tourist incident. The SOF airport version is a structured operation — multiple lookalike companies operate ranks just outside the terminal with names slightly different from OK Supertrans, slightly altered logos, and meters that tick at 5-10x the regulated rate. A BGN 12-18 (€6-9) airport-to-centre ride becomes BGN 80-150 (€40-75) by the time the meter is read. The defence: the official taxi counter inside the airport (just after baggage claim) prints a fixed-rate voucher; use it. Or take Metro line 1 from Terminal 2 directly into the centre for BGN 1.60 (€0.80) in 25 minutes — the cheapest and cleanest option. For street taxis, look for the specific operator names (OK Supertrans, Yellow! Taxi, Eco Taxi) on the door, not just the colour, and confirm the per-km rate on the back window before getting in.

Read the full Sofia safety guide — score breakdown, every neighbourhood, all 4 sources →

Live Sofia safety score (updates daily) →

Sources

Scores are the Kakapo Safety Index — compiled from government travel advisories and public crime, health and transit data. All data sources.