THE 24,000 cabs on the roads here have received an alert about a conman who has cheated at least 20 of their peers.

The man aged between 20 and 30 years has been up to his tricks since December.

Said to be a Chinese male who conversed in Hokkien, the culprit would cheat cabbies of $50 and their fare.

These cases would happen in daylight between 9.30am and 2.15pm, said a police statement which went out to the taxi companies last week.

The culprit who is between 1.58m and 1.7m tall, would board a taxi from Geylang, Boon Keng Road, Bukit Merah, Redhill Road or Kim Tian Road.

He then alights the taxi around Jurong East, Bukit Batok, Telok Blangah and Geylang.

His mode of operation is to ask to borrow $50 in loose change from the cabby on the pretext of repaying a friend.

Dressed in a singlet or T-shirt and shorts or bermudas, the culprit would leave his belongings in the cab as a 'security' deposit.

This includes bags, ATM cards, boxes and even his mobile phone in some cases.

Only when the culprit did not return, did the cabbies realise that they had been cheated.

Police reminded cabbies to be vigilant and cautious of passengers asking to borrow money, especially if they give the excuse that they need loose notes.

If they are to come across such passengers, cabbies are advised to jot down the passenger's identity card details or take a photo of him with their mobile phone.

Things cabbies should also note are the suspect's direction of travel and his physical appearance which will help the police in their investigations.