Taxi scam aims to separate victims from their credit cards: Halton police

Residents of Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Halton Hills are being alerted to a fraud which has surfaced in Halton Region.

According to Halton police, on Sept. 5, at 9:15 p.m. the victim was approached by a teenage male in the area of Upper Middle Road and Winston Churchill Boulevard in Oakville.

The male advised the victim he needed to pay for a taxi but his debit card was not working.

The male requested the victim pay for his fare using the victim’s credit card after which the male would e-transfer the same fare amount back to the victim.

Using the point of sale terminal, the victim tapped their card. However, after hearing a beep, was advised by the driver that the tap option did not work.

The victim then inserted their card into the terminal and entered their PIN. When the PIN was entered both suspects quickly drove away still in possession of the victim’s credit card.

A short time later the suspects withdrew $3,000 from the victim’s bank account.

Variations of this scam can include the suspect offering restitution in cash rather than an e-transfer. In addition, the vehicle driver may attempt to deceive an unsuspecting victim by switching the victim’s debit card for another card in order to make an undetected getaway.

However, the scam will typically include a suspect claiming they are unable to pay their fare and requesting assistance through the use of the victim’s credit or debit card, all in an attempt to gain control of the card and defraud the victim.

The first suspect is male, white, mid-teens, light-coloured eyes, long shaggy brown hair, wearing a light coloured dress shirt and light coloured khaki pants.

The second suspect, who was driving a black SUV, is male, brown, 20 to 30 years of age, long hair, wearing a COVID mask.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the 2 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777, ext. 2216.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at the website.