BEWARE: Taxi Charging Outrageous Fares At Gunpoint

INQUIRER: Four people who hailed cabs in the early-morning hours last month were taken on a wild ride at gunpoint when the hack and his accomplice turned out to be armed robbers, police said yesterday. They warned city riders to beware, especially if there is a passenger up front with the cab driver. All the victims were college-aged.

Central Detectives Lt. Richard Brown said it appears the robbers are using a real cab that had been put out of service. It is described as a black Ford Crown Victoria with a white logo. Victims, including one from the University of Pennsylvania, told police that when they got into the cab, there was a passenger up front with a goatee [NOT pictured].

Brown said once the cab began moving, the passenger pulled a gun and the victims were driven to automated teller machines and ordered to withdraw cash. In some cases, Brown said, the victims were driven to more than one machine before they were dropped off. MORE