Chicago Taxi Driver Charges Chinese College Student $4,200 For Ride
By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 3, 2013 2:10PM
Police in Chicago and the University of Illinois are looking for a “cab driver” who convinced a student from China to take a taxi from O’Hare International Airport to the university’s campus in Champaign—a 150-mile journey—and swindled the student out of over $4,200.
The 18-year-old student arrived at O’Hare around 6 p.m. Aug. 20 and was looking for a bus to Champaign when a man approached him, said the bus wouldn’t arrive until midnight, and offered to drive the student to Champaign for a flat fare of $1,000—a cab ride that far, based on Chicago cab fare rates, would cost around $300.
When the pair arrived in Champaign, however, the driver demanded payment of $4,800. The student, believing he had no other recourse, handed the driver everything he had on him: $4,240. University of Illinois Police Sgt. Tom Geis said the student, who has a limited command of English, emailed Chicago Police, who informed university police of the situation. They’re looking for a white male, 5-feet 9-inches tall, with a medium build and lighter short hair driving a dark-colored SUV.
Neither campus police nor U of I director of International Student and Scholar Services Julie Misa know why the student had so much cash on him. "We try to get them basic information. We do talk about how much cash to bring to get started. I think our suggestion is more in the neighborhood of $2,000," said Misa.