Police are warning passengers about a new scam in which some illegal taxi drivers in Beijing's Sanyuanqiao area have tricked passengers and driven away with their belongings.

Police in Chaoyang district said they have received two reports so far, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

A photographer surnamed Ge reported to police that he was robbed of all his cameras and lenses and a cell phone when he was taking a taxi in the Sanyuanqiao area around 3 am on Jan 12.

During the ride, the driver asked Ge to lend him his cell phone, saying his cell phone was out of service. He then asked him to help close the car trunk.

When Ge got out of the vehicle, the driver drove away quickly, taking all his photographic equipment and his cell phone, the report said.

Ge said he was not sure whether the taxi was an authentic or faked one.

A similar case occurred to two high school students who took a cab in the Sanyuanqiao area around 7 pm on Jan 16.

The taxi driver asked them to get out of the car to help push the vehicle because the vehicle was “running out of battery”.

The driver drove away as soon as the students got out, taking all their belongings, including 17,000 yuan ($2,700) in cash, a laptop computer and an admission ticket for the college entrance examination.

Police said they are still looking for the robbery suspects, and the taxi drivers involved could be fake ones.

Police warned passengers to be alert when taxi drivers ask them to leave the vehicle with all their belongings in the car.

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