Dec 10, 2011

Rigged Taxi Meters Found in Sao Paulo

Brazil News

| SAO PAULO – About two months ago, authorities in Sao Paulo discovered a device being used by some malicious taxi drivers to inflate their fares by twenty percent. The electronic equipment, which is attached to the taximeter and activated by remote control, inflates the distance traveled and the time of the ride, increasing the fare.

Sao Paulo taxi meter. Authorities have uncovered a scam devise being sold to unscrupulous taxi drivers in the city which allows them to inflate the fare by 20%

Sao Paulo taxi meter (photo: nacahaca.com)

The scam was discovered by the Office of Weights and Measures (IPEM) and the Department of Public Transportation (DPT), which oversees the 33,000 regular taxis in the capital. The instrument is sold by criminal gangs and installed by mechanics and electricians who need to break the taximeter seal.

According to the superintendent of IPEM, Jose Tadeu Rodrigues Penteado, the gangs also sell a similar device used at gas stations to defraud big rig truckers by showing a greater amount of fuel being pumped than actually is. Investigations are being conducted to identify drivers using the device.

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Brazilian online news source for this article: G1 Sao Paulo

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