McHenry police say man posed as driver, refused to let woman out of his SUV until she gave him $1,400

A McHenry County judge issued an arrest warrant Monday for a man accused of posing as a black car driver and driving a woman from an airport to McHenry then detaining her until she gave him $1,400.

Tamer Refaie, 33, of the 8600 block of Meade was charged with intimidation-physical confinement or restraint, a Class 3 felony, unlawful restraint and theft of rented or leased vehicle of property valued over $500, according to the criminal complaint filed in the McHenry County court.

Refaie is charged with similar offenses in Chicago involving two separate women he picked up on separate dates at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, according to a story in CWBChicago and the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County website. In those cases he is charged with kidnapping, robbery, theft and unlawful restraint, the story said.

He currently is detained on those charges in a Cook County jail pretrial, said Grace Cronin, communications specialist for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. He is due in a Cook County courtroom on Dec. 16.

McHenry police said that at about 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 14, Refaie picked up the 46-year-old woman who landed at O’Hare from out of the country. Refaie pulled up in the taxi lane in a black BMW SUV. The woman, in town for business, asked him to take her to a hotel in McHenry. He drove to McHenry but before letting her out of his vehicle he intimidated and detained her until she gave him $1,400, according to the complaint. He drove her to an ATM at a bank in McHenry where she withdrew the money, McHenry Police Public Information Officer Ashley O’Herron said.

When she first entered the vehicle at O’Hare, Refaie said he took credit cards and that he works for a Chicago black car service but did not provide a specific company name, O’Herron said. Police have not been able to connect him to an actual car service company.

The woman called police from the hotel and made the report, said O’Herron, who confirmed Refaie is being held in Cook County.

She said other agencies have looked into additional, similar alleged offenses where Refaie is suspected of waiting in the taxi line at the airport, posing as a taxi, Uber or black car driver, picking people up, driving them to where they want to go, then ramping up the fair prices.

Refaie then allegedly takes them to an ATM after saying his credit card machine is broken, O’Herron said, noting that not all reports have resulted in charges.

O’Herron said people should confirm the driver is legitimate before getting in any ride share or taxi vehicle. She also said an average ride share ride from O’Hare to McHenry is between $85 and $140.

“Make sure if you are going with someone they can verify the company they work for,” O’Herron said.