Toronto police have issued a public safety alert following an investigation into an ongoing taxi scam in the city that could see unsuspecting good neighbours become potential victims.
Police said that the scam begins with a “fake” taxi being parked in a parking lot with one suspect posing as the driver and another as the customer.
One of the suspects asks a victim for help paying for his taxi fare by explaining that the driver refuses to take cash due to COVID-19, police said.
“He asks for help by letting the suspect use their debit card to pay for the cab fare, in exchange for cash,” police said in a news release issued Tuesday. “The victim then inputs the PIN for their debit card into the modified Point of Sale terminal.”
From there, police allege, the suspect’s device records the victim’s card data and PIN. Once the transaction is complete, the suspect then gives the victim another bank card resembling their own and hands over the cash.
Police say the suspects are then in possession of the victim’s actual debit card and can use their PIN number to make fraudulent purchases and withdrawals.
Investigators believe that there may be multiple victims of the scam and are asking anyone with information to come forward. They also believe that there may be multiple fraudsters operating similar scams in the city.
Police are advising the public to stay vigilant and recommend exercising caution when using public transport that requires debit or credit card transactions.
This includes not leaving your debit or credit card unattended inside a point of sale terminal at any time. People are also advised to be aware of taxi numbers and company names while using their services.
Police are also asking customers to be aware of the taxi driver's identification that is displayed in the rear of the cab.
