Taxi rank in Stoke-on-Trent

By Sarah Wells and Gary Kirk: Taxi drivers in Stoke-on-Trent have been dealt another blow after the latest in a series of scams.

An 18-year-old man was conned out of £80 after he was made to use his credit card to pay for his fare back from Hanley.

The driver gave him back a different card and withdrew the money from the victim’s account.

Staffordshire Police confirmed today the case is being investigated but no arrests have been made.

It comes after other negative stories which have damaged the reputation of taxi drivers in the area.

Last month, Hiwa Hamza was found guilty of attacking his passenger with a metal steering lock after a dispute about the fare.

In another incident Mohammed Qaddier was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving after he drove off with his cab door open resulting in 21-year-old Katie Bennett’s death.

Stoke-on-Trent taxi driver Roy Pickering, 50, told StaffsLive how to avoid being conned:

Another driver advised: “When you get in, always check for a licence number inside before you set off to make sure you’re in a genuine cab.”

Licensing regulations mean only Hackney carriages are allowed to pick up people in the street without being pre-booked.