Thousands of cab drivers in New York City have swindled hundreds of customers by setting their meters on rates that can only be used in the suburbs, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission.
In the past two years, taxi drivers have used the rate that is double of what should be charged while driving in the city. The total money over the past 26 months scammed from 2 million people has added up to USD 8.3 million.
Now, city authorities have said that they will try to recover some of the money that was overcharged. The customers who used credit card can hope to get some money back unlike those who paid by cash, the New York Post reported.
“We are going to recover as much money as we can. We’ve done it before,” TLC Commissioner Matthew Daus said.
In March, Pakistani cab driver Wasim Khalid Cheema was caught by the TLC for over-charging hundreds of passengers in what authorities describe could be the biggest cab fraud in the city’s history.
By setting his meter to charge passengers a higher fare rate, Cheema made USD 40,000 more than an average cab driver in six months.
The authorities began investigations after receiving complaints from passengers about the expensive trips between short distances.
22-year-old Cheema, at the time, told the NY Daily News that the charges against him were “ridiculous,” then asked “why would my name be out there if others are doing it too?”