500 NYC cabs installing cameras to fight fraud ‘cartels’ that stage phony accidents, ditch fares

A new pilot program will equip 500 New York City cabs with vehicle surveillance cameras in a new effort to combat the “cartel” behind a $1 billion insurance fraud scam targeting taxis.

“Operation Bright Eyes” puts eyes inside Big Apple cabs to snuff out ride-and-run scammers and insurance fraudsters who fake accidents to cash in on potentially lucrative payouts.

“We have cartels that have built their fortune on our industry,” Fernando Mateo, a spokesman for the New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, told The Post this week. “These cartels fabricate car accidents to the tune of 70% of every car accident for livery and black cars are fraudulent.

“They’re fabricated. And these cartels are comprised of lawyers, doctors, physical therapists, and of course those that are making these accidents happen. They are making billions of dollars on us.”

The project, a partnership with dashcam company Displayride, American Transit Insurance and Queens-based NYAB Brokerage, will equip the 500 cabs in less than 30 days — with a goal of eventually having 100,000 taxis wired for video, organizers said.

Abdul Kasim, CEO of Displayride, said the gear typically costs about $250, but drivers in the program will get wired up free of charge for the first year or so — and said the installation is a breeze.

“You just plug it in, it turns on,” Kasim said. “It takes about 30 seconds to actually install, self-install. So that’s not a question that you get. I think the question they ask is, How do I access the data and all that.

“But that’s again, they just need to press a button on the device. It connects,” he added. “There’s no apps to download.” 

Under the program, a camera is installed inside the car, with lenses facing the front and the back of the vehicle, capturing both the traffic outside and the customers inside.

Taxi federation president Steven Rivera called the program “a declaration of war” against fraudsters.

For taxi drivers in the five boroughs, it’s a much welcomed gizmo.

“Sometimes, a lot of passengers, they want to insult you,” said driver Francisco Jorge, a Bronx resident. “Also, we have accidents with cars that they push the brake hard and then you hit them to the back because they want to make a fraud accident where they can get some money from you.

“So, having a desk camera is very important, because it’s going to be recording everything around you – the front, the back – around you,” he said.

Another Bronx driver, Eltayeb Mohamed, said one pal had to dole out $24,000 in one insurance scam.

“The lady backed up and said, ‘I’m OK, are you OK? OK, you can leave,’” Mohamed said. “My friend left and then she called the police and say he hit and run.”