Police warn of on-going taxi scam

The Kingston Police are warning the public of an on-going taxi scam.

Queen’s University and the surrounding area has once again been the target of a “Taxi Scam”.  Citizens should be aware of different methods in which this scam is conducted.

The first method involves a victim being approached by one of the scammers, claiming to be a fare that is having trouble paying the taxi.  The scammer claims to have had their bank/credit card declined, or that they only have cash, which the taxi driver will not accept.

They then offer the victim cash, in exchange for paying the fare using the victim’s card. The scammers then swap the victim’s card with a similar one and retain the victim’s card for later use.

Another variant includes the scammer asking for the card and inserting it into the point-of-sale terminal themselves, the victim is then instructed to enter their PIN. This provides the scammer with information they need to make further charges to the victim’s account and allows the scammer to quickly swap the victim’s card with a similar one.

The suspects involved in two recent incidents of this scam are described as a south-Asian or middle eastern descent female, 25-30 years of age, approximately 5’ 5” tall who is accompanied by a south-Asian or middle eastern descent male, 30-40 years of age.

The vehicle involved has been described as a grey Mazda SUV with a “Capital Taxi” sign.

The Kingston Police are advising residents to never pay for an unknown person’s taxi with their credit and/or bank cards.

Anyone who believes they may have been impacted by this scam are encouraged to file a report online or contact 613-549-4660 ext. “0”.