Man Posing As East Village Uber Driver Robs Fare, Say Police

EAST VILLAGE, NY — A crook posing as an Uber driver robbed a would-be fare in the East Village, police said.

A 25-year-old man was waiting for a cab on E. Houston Street between First Avenue and Avenue A on Nov. 11 at 3:30 a.m. when the imposter picked him up, police said.

The driver asked to borrow the man's iPhone 6 to use the GPS. The victim, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, compiled.

Instead the robber pocketed the phone and managed to lift the man's wallet — packed with debit and credit cars — without him realizing.

Later that day, the fake cabbie bought $650 worth of clothes and electronics using one of the stolen credit cards at a Walmart in North Bergen, New Jersey, authorities said.

Police describe the man as in his late 20s with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black baseball cap, and a black bubble jacket, jeans and boots.

Anyone with information in regard to the incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).

Photo courtesy of NYPD