MIAMI – According to police, a Miami man who said he was a Lyft driver picked up a rider from Wynwood in early November but claimed he had a problem: his phone wasn’t working, so he needed to borrow the rider’s iPhone for GPS.
Investigators said that the man agreed — and it would prove to be a costly mistake.
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According to the Miami-Dade Police Department, the crime happened on Nov. 2.
Police said the victim was standing near Northwest 23rd Street and First Court at around 3:30 a.m. waiting for 20 minutes after his request for a ride with Lyft was cancelled.
An arrest report states that Jorge Milan-Romero “presented himself as a Lyft driver” and asked the victim if he needed a ride home.
Seeing a “Lyft” sign in the 35-year-old’s Ford Explorer, the victim said “yes,” and agreed to let Milan-Romero borrow his phone for navigation purposes when asked.
Authorities said when the victim got home and out of the SUV, Milan-Romero “sped off” and the victim realized his phone was still inside.
The report states the victim woke up his mother and father and called his phone in an attempt to get Milan-Romero to answer. He didn’t pick up.
Instead, authorities said Milan-Romero accessed the victim’s Zelle, Cash App and bank accounts and sent himself $8,100. Police said he also opened a Cash App credit card under the victim’s name.
Police took Milan-Romero into custody at his Overtown apartment on Wednesday.
The report states that Milan-Romero claimed he regularly gives people rides outside of the Lyft application but said he couldn’t remember the victim.
Police said he claimed that if any passengers forgot their phones, he would usually “discard them by throwing them out the window” or charge them to return the phone to the rider.
Detectives arrested Milan-Romero on one count of third-degree grand theft, one count of fraudulent use of personal identification and 23 counts of organized scheme to defraud.
According to jail records, he was set to leave the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $7,500 bond as of Thursday.
A Lyft spokesperson told Local 10 News that Milan-Romero has been permanently removed from the platform.