By Arturo Conde
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The city will try to reimburse the victims of a widespread taxicab scam, but relief will likely be limited to riders who paid with credit cards, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday.
Nearly two million riders have been overcharged at least $8.3 million over recent years in a scam that saw cab drivers change the fare from city to suburban rates, instantly doubling it.
"I don't know how practical it is to get rebates for people, but we'll certainly try to do that," Bloomberg said on Monday.
However, the mayor pointed out that records of credit card charges can only be legally kept for 30 days, so those that were scammed outside of that time frame may be out of luck.
Riders who paid with cash are less likely to be reimbursed because proof of payment would be difficult to verify. The city will work with credit card processors to identify victims of the scam, the AP said.
About 3,000 cabs are believed to be responsible for the majority of the illegal trips.
Cabbies could face criminal charges.
