TORONTO — On February 9, the Toronto Police Services issued a public safety alert regarding a new “taxi scam” in the city.
The scheme involves two suspects, one masquerading as a “taxi driver” and another as a “passenger,” who fraudulently take debit card PINs with a modified point of sale terminal, according to the news release.
The fake passenger approaches the victim, asking to help them pay for the ride with a debit card, citing a contactless payment policy due to COVID-19. The suspect then offers to compensate the victim with cash, and when the victim inputs their card’s PIN, the machine will record the digits.
“After the transaction is successful, the victim is given another bank card resembling their own card and accepts cash from the one suspect before leaving,” according to the Toronto police.
The suspects will then have the actual debit card and use the PIN to make more fraudulent purchases or withdrawals, the police said.
The Toronto police are currently investigating the scam and believe that there are similar scams afoot and more victims. The authorities urge anyone with relevant information or anyone who suspects they were a victim to contact the police.
⬡
Wiki Production Code: A0632
