NEW YORK, NY – One taxi driver turned the Big Apple into the Rotten Apple!
Wasim Khalid Cheema, a Pakistani-origin can driver, pulled a fast one on New Yorkers. By tampering with his fare meter, he pocketed an extra $40,000 over six months. Officials have described his actions as the biggest rip-off in New York’s cab history.
In July of last year, the scam earned him $11,499 for that month alone. The driver who shared his cab made only $4,803. Over a period of six months dating back to that July, Cheema went on to pull in $40,000 more than other taxi drivers by his malicious practices.
Cheema overcharged as many as 574 passengers in July 2009, transporting them in the city’s Nassau and Westchester boroughs. He accomplished his scam by setting the fare meter at rate code 4 meant for suburban areas, instead of code 1 meant for the in-city rates. The suburban rate is double the in-city rates, allowing for Cheema to make more than double what other cabbies made during the same time.
Cheema’s hack license has been revoked and he has been fined $500.
Fined only $500? Make him pay it all back . Make the check out to The City of New York.
Thats Crazy
Both Nassau and Westchester are suburban areas outside of NYC itself. They have never been boroughs of NYC. The five boroughs are the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island.
That's it…"Cheema’s hack license has been revoked and he has been fined $500". Big deal. Does the city actually think he won't be driving again next week. This dude will find another way to scam in the city.
Soo cute in that case! Gorgeous baby girl!