The Cobourg Police Service reminds residents to protect themselves against fake taxi scams after a recent scam resulted in $480 in losses for a Cobourg resident.
Fake taxi scams often involve two fraudsters, one posing as a taxi driver and one posing as a customer.
Victims think they are helping someone by paying for a taxi with their debit or credit card because the taxi service does not accept cash. The victim inputs their PIN, and a modified point-of-sale terminal records the card data.
After the transaction, the victim is given another bank card resembling the one they used.
In a recent report, a resident was approached in a parking lot by a vehicle identified as ‘TOOP Taxi.’
Scammers posing as customers explained that the taxi driver would not accept cash payment and asked the victim to pay with a card in exchange for the cash. The victim agreed and handed over a debit card to pay. The driver returned a fake card to the victim. The bank later notified the victim of a fraudulent transaction at a business in Port Hope for $480.
A similar incident was reported in Port Hope. No loss of funds occurred.
Police encourage the public to be cautious if approached for assistance.
• Taxis generally do accept cash. If someone tries to convince you otherwise, this is a red flag.
• Never hand over a debit or credit card or disclose your PIN to anyone else.
• If you hand over your card, ensure that the card returned to you is yours.
• If you’re asked to insert or tap your card, beware of fake or modified point‑of‑sale terminals or those
not connected to the internet.
• If you think you may be a victim of debit card fraud, contact your bank immediately.
If you have been a victim of a scam, please report the incident to the police and contact the Canadian AntiFraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca. Please visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website for a list of known scams and learn more about how to protect yourself.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
