A sneaky cabbie cheated nearly $40,000 out of passengers in a six month period, in what authorities are saying might be the biggest rider rip-off ever. Wasim Khalid Cheema, 22, of Brooklyn, overcharged 574 passengers in a single month alone, according to the News. Cheema was able to pull off the passenger heist by manipulating his meter manually; he switched to out-of-city rates (Westchester, Nassau) for rides within city limits (the suburban rate is double the city rate). In the month of July 2009, "Cheema earned $11,499 for 642 trips that month. The other driver who shared his cab made only $4,803 for 439 trips," according to the Post.
Cheema was discovered after a passenger noticed the inflating rate of a trip from Manhattan to Woodside, Queens, and reported him, which prompted an investigation by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. He skipped a January administration hearing, which was revealed today along with the rest of his scam. It's unclear if Cheema, who has been a cabbie since May 2007, began scamming passengers before the six months that authorities reviewed. It's also unclear if he will face criminal prosecution, though the TLC has taken steps to strip him of his license.
