Taxi Driver Arrested for Allegedly Defrauding Dementia Patient of Tens of Thousands of Shekels

A 56-year-old taxi driver from Rehovot was arrested on suspicion of stealing tens of thousands of shekels from a 75-year-old dementia patient. The elderly man, a resident of Petah Tikva, had taken the taxi in central Tel Aviv after a medical appointment, requesting a ride home. During the trip, he asked the driver to buy him a pack of cigarettes and handed over his credit card. The driver allegedly took the card, left the taxi for about two hours while the man waited inside, and used the card to purchase various items including cell phones, headphones, whiskey, and other alcohol products worth tens of thousands of shekels until the card’s limit was reached.

After exhausting the credit card, the driver reportedly diverted from the original destination and left the elderly man alone at the Tel Aviv port instead of taking him to Petah Tikva. Following a complaint filed at the Lev Tel Aviv police station, detectives launched a covert operation to gather evidence. A court issued an arrest warrant for the driver on charges of theft and fraud. Police suspect the driver’s actions may be part of a systematic pattern and are investigating the possibility of additional victims.