Waterloo Regional Police have issued a warning about a taxi scam targeting residents and their debit cards.

How the Taxi Scam Works

A duo of suspects act as a taxi driver and a passenger. The “passenger” tells a nearby person that the taxi driver is refusing to accept their cash for fare payment and asks if they could exchange their cash for the person to use their debit card to make the payment.

Once the debit card is used in the taxi’s point of sale terminal, the card’s PIN is recorded, and the card is swapped out with a different, similar looking card.

The suspects would then have access to the victim’s bank account with PIN and proceed to withdraw all available money through ABMs and in-store purchases.

Advice from Waterloo Regional Police

“Waterloo Regional Police are requesting the public be aware of the ongoing transportation frauds throughout the region,” WRPS’s media release said.

“Do not provide your debit card information to anyone, for any reason, and in particular anyone asking with assistance paying for their fare.”

Unfortunately, it’s a case where a person is trying to be a good citizen and their helpful nature is being taken advantage of. The police warning is an important reminder to remain aware and vigilant of unknown persons making requests that involve money or sharing of personal information and/or payment cards.

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