Three tourists tracked down a crooked pedicab driver who had charged them more than $500 for a short trip, and now they want him off the streets.
Jennifer Halladay, 44, told The Post she and two friends from Michigan were visiting New York for the first time when they were ripped off.
They hailed the driver near Hotel Mela in Times Square and asked him to take them to the Coyote Ugly bar in the East Village, a 2.9-mile drive, at about 5 p.m. June 14.
“We thought we were going to get killed, he was driving really close to cars, and in and out of cars,” Halladay said.
They didn’t set a price beforehand, but the women had used other pedicab drivers during their trip and thought it would cost $30 to $40.
The driver initially demanded $163.60. Jennifer’s friend, Mary Simons, 40, was stunned by the fee, but said she would pay and then fight it when she got back home.
After Simons paid, Halladay said the driver snapped that it was that much per person, not for the three of them.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Halladay said. “We were standing with our mouths hanging open.”
Not realizing they could call the cops, Halladay said she and Jen Halcomb, 37, let him bill them through Square after arguing with him. It came to $500.80.
“We figured we’d dispute it,” she said. “I’m flabbergasted.”
Halladay disputed the charge with both Visa and PNC Bank, and initially struck out. She reached out to different pedicab organizations for help and forwarded Visa and PNC information the pedicab groups sent her about fraud, including an article about pedicab scams in The Post.
PNC Bank credited her $153.60 and tracked down the merchant’s information, which included the pedicab driver’s name, Ibraiym Denizov, and his license. Halcomb got a $123.60 refund, but Simons has yet to receive a credit.
A PNC Bank spokeswoman declined to comment on how they tracked down Denizov’s information, saying that security and fraud-detection procedures are confidential.
Halcomb filed a complaint with the city Department of Consumer Affairs, which a spokeswoman verified. The women also used Denizov’s name to find his Facebook page, and said it was clear from his profile picture that it was their driver. On his page, Denizov links to two pedicab pages.
According to the Consumer Affairs Web page, Denizov is still a licensed pedicab driver.
“I think he should have to pay all the money back to everyone he swindled,” said Halladay. “I think he should go to jail and pay restitution. He should be off the streets!”