A 55-year-old Canadian national made the mistake of trusting the driver of the cab that was to take him to his hotel in Ermita, Manila.

Victim John Steve Rickaby, a business consultant, was left with no choice but to file a complaint before the Manila Police District-General Assignment Section (MPD-GAS) after the cab driver took off with all his belongings and money at noon yesterday. 

In his complaint, Rickaby told MPD-GAS chief Maj. Mar Reyes that he was on his way to a hotel in Manila when he asked the driver to stop at a convenience store near the Times Plaza located at Taft Avenue. 

As soon as he got off the cab, however, the driver sped off, leaving the Canadian national shocked and penniless. 

Unfortunately, the victim failed to get the cab’s plate number or the driver’s name. 

Reyes said the victim rode the cab in front of the Oasis Park Hotel in Paco, Manila and was to transfer to H2O hotel at the Ocean Park on Roxas Boulevard, Ermita when he decided to buy something at the said store. 

According to Reyes, the victim had said that there were a lot of people in the area that he did not expect the driver to just speed off and that none of those present in the area was also able to jot down the cab’s plate number.                      

In connection with this, Reyes advised the public to be vigilant about what is happening around them and to try aiding victims of crime by jotting down plate numbers should they be witnesses to a crime and there be an opportunity for them to do so, saying it will help a lot in resolving crimes.

Meanwhile, the victim reported having lost two laptop computers and a bag containing two expensive watches, two pearl necklaces, 3,000 Canadian dollars and a cellphone.