Victims of alleged taxi scam are passengers, not themselves, police say

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Toronto police are warning residents to be wary of a taxi scam in South Etobicoke.

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Police said the vehicles looked like taxis and were parked in high-traffic areas. During the alleged scam, one suspect posed as a taxi driver and another as a passenger. The taxi drivers refused to accept cash from the fake passengers or said their cards didn’t work and they couldn’t pay for the fare.

The unsuspecting victim is then asked to use a debit card to pay the fake passenger’s fare in exchange for cash.

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When the victim enters their debit card PIN into the modified point-of-sale terminal, the device records the card data and PIN if the transaction is successful. The victim then receives a bank card that looks like their own and cash.

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The suspects then took possession of the victim’s debit card and used the PIN to make fraudulent purchases.

The suspects were reportedly driving a blue Honda Civic, a blue Honda Accord, a silver Chevrolet Malibu and a black Honda Accord. The vehicles may or may not have taxi logos on their roofs.

A photo of the suspect has been released.

People wanted by police in fraud investigations. — Police are looking for a suspect in a fraud investigation. Photo taken by Toronto police

Police said people should not leave debit or credit cards inside point-of-sale terminals and should be aware of the driver’s identification, which is usually displayed to customers. They also said people should not use personal cards to pay cash for strangers.

Anyone who is a victim of this scam is asked to call 416-808-2200 or the Crime Line at 416-222-TIPS (8477).