beware of helpful taxi drivers

[gambit5]

Got this from a circulating email..... be warned ....

Friends beware!

IN ORDER NOT TO BE VICTIMIZED, BEFORE GOING INTO THE CAB, GET THE DETAILS
OF THE CAB LIKE - License Plate #, the Taxi's Name on the door, Make -
Toyota Corolla, Lancer, Nissan, FX, etc. Color - white, red, others, THEN
CALL SOMEONE YOU TRUST AND TELL HIM/HER THE DETAILS YOU GOT OF THE CAB,
ALL WITHIN HEARING OF THE DRIVER. THAT WAY YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO REPORT
IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU.


___________________


Dear Friends,
April 13, 2003



I am writing to warn people about a taxi-hold-up that I fell victim to.
Last Saturday after leaving Shangrila Mall, I hailed a taxi to go to a
Makati appointment.

After advising the cab driver of my destination, he, an old man in his
mid 50's with salt and pepper hair and slightly heavy, advised me that
he just came from EDSA and that the southbound lane is choked because of an
accident. Thereafter he suggested that we take the C5/Fort Bonifacio route
instead.

Once he started off, I proceeded to do my calls and texts and didn't
pay much attention after that.

Shortly before the Fort Bonifacio turn, he pointed out a taxi on the
side of the road with its hazards on. He said in a concerned voice that
that was his friend ("Ay kumpare ko 'yon") and pulled over in front of
the cab. I complained because I was in a hurry but he said "pasensiya
nap o, hindi ko naman maiwan basta-basta". So I went back to texting and
making calls.

The next thing I knew, the other "taxi driver" opened the driver side
back door and jumped in the seat next to me, pointed a gun at me and
grabbed the phone and said that I did not need to get hurt if I
cooperated. He was younger than the first driver and had dark skin.

He grabs my purse and attempts to rifle through my stuff and got
irritated with all the papers and small notebooks so he dumped out all the
contents in the seat between us. He proceeded to take 3000 pesos cash I had
in there and asked me for the atms. We then drove to the NEW MANILA area
in an attempt to find an ATM that did not have a lot of f oot traffic,
according to him. He got the PIN and other particulars from me and when we
found a BPI along E.Rodriguez, we drove past it and pulled around a corner.
Then a third man knocked on the window. For a moment, I thought that I was
going to be saved, that was when I turned and noticed the same cab we
stopped for along C5 was behind us and must have been following us all
along and that this guy was part of it. The guy sitting next to me rolled
down the window, gave him my cards and card particulars. He walked back
around the corner and must have gone to the bank. I pleaded with the man
beside me for my purse, keys, the necessary IDs, cards and documents.

The third guy comes back, mumbles something in what I think was Visayan
(although I am not sure) and after that, the guy turns to me and
angrily says that they got only Php 10,000.00. Apparently, the BPI did not
take my other ATM (IBANK) but only the credit card. They said that they had
to look for an ATM that accepts IBANK. At which point, I remembered that
there was nothing in the account because we were switching to a direct cash
system with accounting. They off course did not believe me and the guy with
the gun said that if I tried to trick them that they would kill me and dump
me in Batangas. So guy #2 and #3 discussed among themselves and then guy
#3 drove off with my cards. We waited for what seemed like forever and I
kept my head down and prayed quietly. When I looked up, he was tinkering
with my phone and inquired as to whose (I had a 7650) photo was on the
wall paper and if that guy was my boyfriend (actually, it was a photo of my
husband who is American). I did not say anything and he got angry and poked
me with his gun. I just told him that it was a photo of a guy I met when I
was in the states. Shortly after he turned it back on, messages started
coming in and the phone started ringing and he panicked. At which point I
told him that I was already late for a meeting and that people are probably
already wondering where I am and looking for me. He turned off the phone
and then we waited some more for his third companion. I tried as much as I
could to remember details about the cab but almost all of the inscriptions
inside it had been scratched off. When the third guy came back, he was very
agitated because there was nothing in the ATM. They muttered some more
stuff and he thumbed through the cash that he had, gave some bills to the
third person and indicated to the driver to drive. He brought us back again
to C5 this time nearer Kalayaan and I had walked to the nearest store to
call my home but no one was there. Fortunately, I was able to get a hold of
my client's office and fortunately, was able to get a hold of my husband
through them. I took a cab back home and it was then that the reality of
what had happened sank in.

I thought up until yesterday that I was too street -smart to let something
like this happen and that I am usually vigilant about MOs. I probably would
have caught it if I had paid more attention. One of the more
frightening realizations was without my cellphone, outside of my home
number and my husband's cellphone, I could not even get a hold of anybody -
my family nor my friends. They were either connected to me through their
cellphone or I didn't even bother to learn/remember their
landlines.

Next time you take a cab and the driver suggests an out of the way
route, or want to pull over for anyone or for any reason, watch out.

I hope you can share this with your readers, friends and family so we
can nip this MO in the bud.

Very Truly Yours,

A. MACLANG

[Litespeed]

gambit5,
Excellent post. I'll be vigilant.
Thanks.

[gretzy]

for the girls... BEWARE OF MANIAC TAXI DRIVERS! Make sure that sum1 knows that ur riding that cab, by telling the person the plate#. ako minasan nagkukunwari na im calling sum1 n sinasabi ko plate#. n wag tumabi sa driver... sa likod kau umupo. bring pepper spray especially at nyt n ur alone..

[bardigones]

oh my gosh,

lam nyo guys, delikado talaga dyan sa may c-5... although taga-dyan ako dati eh, lapit sa housing dyan papuntang sampaloc, taguig.

[NightRock]

Kakatakot naman yan!!! Take care nalang sa mga nasakay ng CAB sa gabi

[CoolGal]

meron nga ako ng tita 50+ na sya muntik pa ma rape. buti na lang may dala syang perfume at na sprayan nya yung driver. grabe ngayon walang sinasanto kahit sino na lang papatulan.