Toronto police are warning the public about an ongoing taxi and food delivery scam happening across the city.
According to investigators, it’s been alleged that a woman has been approaching unsuspecting victims from a taxicab with a sob story, claiming that the driver does not accept cash and will only accept debit.
How the scam works is the suspect will offer to pay the victims in cash, if they agree to pay the cab fare with their debit card. The driver of the cab then claims that the tap feature on their payment processing machine is not working and will ask the victim to insert the card.
Investigators believe the payment machines are modified to record the victim’s card data and PIN number.
“After the transaction is successful, the victim is given another bank card that resembles their own,” police explained in a statement released Friday. “The suspects are now in possession of the victim’s debit card and use the PIN to make a number of fraudulent purchases and/or withdrawals.”
Authorities are reminding the public to never leave their debit or credit cards unattended inside a point-of-sale terminal.
“Be aware of the driver’s identification that is displayed to the customer in clear view in the rear of the cab,” police added. “If there is an error code, or the debit machine is not functioning, always REMOVE your debit card before returning the machine for assistance.”
Police also advise the public not to make payments for an unknown person in exchange for cash and to inspect your card after each transaction to ensure that it is the same card.
“Cover your fingers when entering your PIN,” police said.
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
