Why do some people scam foreigners?

I have been ruminating over the taxi ride from Changi airport to Changi Village Resort. This was the hotel I found to catch some zzz'z after the wicked flights back this way. I really must learn how to let go of this sort of thing, but for now, I mutter and plot a revenge that will never happen. A friend had taken a cab from Changi airport to our downtown international taxi stand a few weeks ago and told me that the cost of the trip was SD18.  I took a cab (because in the middle of the night the shuttles do not run) to the Changi Village Resort from the airport and it cost me SD30.  I was in no shape to argue with the driver, but I knew then that he hoodwinked me that night.  The scammer needed to drive half the distance that my friend was driven on her downtown trip. I know this because I had a fair idea of where the resort was and now just checked it on google maps.  Yes, half the distance should be half the fare.  I kinda felt like he was driving past a few places a couple of times, but at 4:30 in the morning I was only interested in ending the journey and trusted that he was driving directly to the destination and that my mind was playing games with me.

You can be sure that if I do this again, I will make it clear that I know the distance and route we are taking.  It makes me sad that I have been scammed so many times just because I have blue eyes and all that goes with that. It is almost like joining a sorority here; once you pass the initiation, the costs change, the rates go down, and you qualify for local 'deals', or shall I say, fair fares. A price should be a price for all.  Anyone who lives somewhere is no more worthy of a different price than another just because they live there. Just because you live down the street from a bistro, should your entree cost less than mine?  I think not. Is a local given inferior cuts of meat to accommodate this price difference? Not likely. Tourists are who drive the economy. Not the locals trying to get more for less. I truly hope that this sort of thing does not happen to foreigners in my own country.

I grow weary of this 'passing the test' before I am an equal.  I must add that there are many here who are not like this. They are honest, fair, and helpful in so many ways. I try to leave a tip for my massage therapist and she hangs on to it until I return for the next massage. She insists on returning it to me. I hope the others can learn from her and many like her.