The Halton Police is warning of a scam involving taxis.
It says that two suspects, a driver and a customer, will get into an argument on the street over only accepting debit, often citing COVID-19 as the reason. The customer will then ask nearby residents to pay for the cab using debit, offering cash in return.
Once someone accepts the deal, the driver reportedly gets the PIN numbers through their point of sale machine. The driver then swaps the debit cards while the customer distracts the victim.
The two suspects then immediately use the real debit card to take out money or buy items.
This scam has been occurring across the province and eight such incidents have been reported in the Region of Halton since late October (five incidents in Oakville and three in Burlington).
The Halton Police has provided the following tips:
- Taxi’s DO and WILL accept cash
- Never give your debit/credit card to someone else
- When making a purchase, always remember to cover your PIN when entering it
- Be mindful of the point of sale machine when making a purchase and if you suspect it has been tampered with, choose another payment method
- If you believe you are the victim of a scam, contact police immediately
Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to contact Detective Constable Mike Tidball of the Halton Regional Police Service – Fraud Unit at 905-825-747 ext. 8743.
Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers “See Something? Hear Something? Know Something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca. ​
(Photo courtesy of jarmoluk)
