Free Uber this is not. A Chinese student was fleeced for $4,240 after a taxi driver at O'Hare Airport scammed the University of Illinois student (who spoke little English) by lying to him that there were no more buses heading to Champaign that evening.
The 18-year-old Chinese student arrived at O'Hare at 6 P.M. on August 20th, and was approached by a cab driver who offered to drive the student to Champaign, for the low price of $1,000 (not low by any standard).
When the student arrived in Champaign, the cabbie demanded $4,800 for the ride.
"The student said he didn't have that much so he gave him all he had," University of Illinois police Sgt. Tom Geis told the News-Gazette.
Chicago police are now looking for the cabbie, who was described by the student as "a white male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a medium build and lighter short hair."
The International Student and Scholar Services program at the University of Illinois is confused as to why the student trusted the cabbie, as well as why he was carrying such a large amount of money.
"It's hard to know why this would have happened," Julie Misa, director of the program said.
Chicago cabbies, for the record, are incredibly hard-working, salt-of-the-earth scam artists who will attempt to rip you off at every opportunity.
[Shutterstock]
Foreign Student Charged $4,240 for Taxi Ride