Brampton man scammed out of $1,500 in taxi cab fraud
Published May 10, 2022 at 1:31 pm
Scammers could be preying on Good Samaritans in Brampton and Mississauga with a taxi cab and debit card swap con.
Around 8:00 p.m. on April 28, a victim says they were approached by a man in the parking lot of the Walmart at 9455 Mississauga Rd. in Brampton.
The individual, who wishes to remain anonymous, told insauga.com that the alleged scammer said he needed help to pay for a taxi cab.
The man reportedly said the driver was refusing to take cash for the ride and would only accept debit or credit card payments.
The victim said the cab was a black sedan that had a company name on the top of the vehicle, but the individual says they can’t recall what the name was other than it “started with letter M.”
The Good Samaritan obliged, handing their debit card over to pay the driver for an $8.00 fare, receiving cash back from the passenger before heading home.
Videos
But a few minutes later, the victim says they received an email notification that $1,500 had been withdrawn from their chequing account.
After contacting their bank, the victim noticed the bank card they were handed back from the cab driver was not their card but somebody else’s.
“It took me no time to realize that was a fraud,” the victim told insauga.com.
The victim believes the cab driver and passenger were working as a team, and Peel Regional Police have confirmed there have been other incidents of a similar scam.
They described the passenger as a Caucasian or Middle Eastern male approximately 30 years old, standing around six-feet-tall.
The taxi driver is described as an East Asian ale about 40 years of age.
Police are investigating, and the victim says they shared their story to further “avoid ordinary people being victimised.”
If you are a victim of a fraud or a scam, visit a Peel Regional Police station to file a report.
Fraud reports are not taken over the phone, but you can contact the Fraud Bureau at 905-453-2121 ext. 3335 for inquiries related to fraud trends and scams.
Visit PeelPolice.ca to learn more about how to protect yourself from scammers and fraudsters.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising