Rideshare drivers in New York City find themselves under siege by a collective of thieves known as the "Tap and Snatch Crew," a menace that has increased in action over the past months. The New York Federation of Taxi Drivers (NYFTD) has vocalized their concerns, offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to arrests and urging drivers to remain vigilant in protecting their devices which are pivotal for their livelihoods, the rideshare services effectively immobilized without these mobile conduits, as reported by ABC7NY and reiterated by statements obtained by Hoodline.
Spanning Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, nearly two dozen incidents have troubled the boroughs with at least $37,000 unlawfully siphoned from the drivers, tactics employed by thieves extending from false booking to outright violence where punches and kicks were administered to defenseless drivers according to Hoodline, and this stratagem has placed an undue burden on the gig workers contrasting with the city's overall decrease in grand larceny which, according to police data, has dipped by about 23 percent.
In response, the NYFTD spokesperson Fernando Mateo told ABC7NY, "Your phone is now your cash, these predators know that by stealing a driver's phone, they're not just taking a device—they're emptying bank accounts, draining digital wallets, and shutting down that driver's ability to work." The NYFTD President, Steven Rivera, also highlighted the urgent need for better communication with NYPD to preemptively tackle such predatory crime patterns.
The NYPD has contributed to the effort by disseminating images and footage of the alleged assailants and requests that any pertinent information be relayed through the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline or via their website, neighborhoods like Jackson Heights and Jamaica spotlighted as areas of frequent occurrences with one Staten Island event turning particularly sinister as a knife was deployed to culminate in the forcible transfer of $7,000 from a stolen iPhone and a driver in Arrochar suffered a loss of $10,000 through a fraudulent transaction, as further detailed by Hoodline.
