August 13, 2018 – Chicago Police are again warning about fake ride-hailing service drivers who are robbing people in River North.

In the past two months, three people have been robbed by force or at gunpoint by two women, according to police, after getting into cars that they thought were their ride-hail pickup.

Two of the victims were picked up outside bars on Hubbard Street between State and Dearborn, one on June 30 and the other on August 12. The third victim was picked up in the 600 block of North Franklin Street on July 22. All the incidents took place during early morning hours.

The robbers are described as two black women in their 20s, five-feet-seven-inches to five-feet-ten-inches tall, weighing 120 to 150 pounds.

Police are asking for the public’s help with identifying a woman who may be connected to the robbery crew and specifically a robbery in River North on July 27.

Between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m., a man left Redhead Piano Bar at 16 West Ontario Street and stepped into an SUV that he thought he had ordered using a ride-hail app. Two men and two women inside the vehicle robbed the man by force of his wallet and a gold chain.

Detectives late Sunday released images of a woman who used the victim’s debit card to make withdrawals at a Chase ATM in Crestwood, about 24 miles southwest of Redhead Piano Bar. She also used the man’s credit card at a Walmart in Crestwood. The suspect’s vehicle is a dark blue or black 2003-to-2006 Jeep Liberty with an Illinois temporary license tag that begins with 225U. Anyone with information about the woman, the vehicle, or similar cases is asked to contact Detective John Sego at 773-663-5904 or John.Sego@chicagopolice.org. (Click on image to view larger version.)

Fake drivers prowl North Side bars

Chicago police have repeatedly warned about robbery and sexual assault offenders who pose as Uber and Lyft drivers across the city. The robbers almost always troll nightlife districts where victims may be intoxicated and less likely to compare vehicle and driver details with information provided via their ride-hailing app.

In March, 24-year-old Nytina Raymond was given a pair of three-year sentences for two separate robberies of passengers who were lured into her fake Uber vehicle on the North Side.

In April, undercover detectives watched as 45-year-old Stacey Means, a paroled murderer, and 51-year-old Robert Archer picked up a victim in the 100 block of West Kinzie Street around 3:30 a.m., drove the man to an ATM, forced him to withdraw money, and then robbed him.