Toronto police warn residents of ongoing fake taxi scam and release images of suspects – NOW Toronto

Toronto police are warning residents about an ongoing taxi scam in Etobicoke and have released images of the suspects.

The scam begins with a vehicle resembling a taxi being parked in a high traffic area with one person posing as the driver and one as the customer, police said in a release on Tuesday. The driver refuses to take the fake customer’s cash and claims their card isn’t working so they can’t pay the fare, police added.

Then, a nearby victim offers to help the fake customer by using their debit card to pay for the fare in exchange for cash. The terminal sales device records the card data and PIN number after the transactionand the victim receives a bank card that looks the same while accepting the cash payment, the release continued. 

The suspects in the scam have been collecting innocent peoples’ debit card information and PINs to make fraudulent purchases or withdrawals. 

Taxi Toronto says it hasn’t received any reports about this scam.

“All of our customers are allowed to pay by debit, credit, cash, or apply pay. We don’t collect anything with the PIN for debit cards because the bank won’t allow that. To avoid the scam, use a credit card because the credit card company won’t accept the fake purchases,” a Taxi Toronto spokesperson told Now Toronto.

READ MORE: $40,000 stolen since June 2023 in Toronto taxi scam involving debit and credit card swaps

Toronto police say the suspects have been known to use blue Honda Civics and Accords, silver Chevrolet Malibus, and black Honda Accords.

Police also released several images of the suspects in the release. 

They suggest to not leave debit or credit cards unattended in a point of sale terminal, be aware of taxi numbers and company names before using their services, remove a debit card if the machine says it’s not functioning, inspect your card after each transaction, and refrain from making payments to unknown people in exchange for cash. 

Anyone who has information, or believes they have been a victim of a taxi scam, is urged to contact police.

If you are a victim of any related scam, please contact the police at 416-808-2200 to report the incident, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.