Yo, Taxi!

I am a cabbie in NYC.  One of my fellow cabbies is a born and bred New York Italian guy.  But because his hair and complexion are so dark, he gets mistaken for being from the Middle East all the time.  He decided to use this to his advantage.  When people he obviously spots as tourists or foreigners (he knows not to try it on the natives) get into his cab, he pretends to speak limited English.  By acting like he doesn't understand his passengers, he winds up taking long routes and going totally out of his way to their destination, thereby jacking up the meter.

He says it works best with people from the Midwest; they are afraid to complain and actually tip him MORE because they feel bad for the poor non-fluent immigrant.

Anyone going to visit NYC, watch out for the cabbie with the Middle Eastern accent that has a distinct underlying native New Yawk twang. 

Yo, BillyBoyo, thanks!!