The Cobourg Police Service is alerting residents about a recent fake taxi scam that led to a $480 loss for a local victim.
The scam typically involves two individuals: one pretending to be a taxi driver and the other posing as a customer. They approach potential victims, claiming the taxi service doesn’t accept cash and request payment with a debit or credit card instead, providing cash to the victim for paying the fare.
When the victim enters their PIN on a modified point-of-sale terminal, the device records the card information. After the transaction, the scammers hand back a fake card.
In a recent case, a Cobourg resident was approached by a vehicle marked as ‘TOOP Taxi’ and fell victim to this ploy. To protect against such scams, Cobourg Police recommend never handing over your card, always verifying returned cards, and being wary of requests to pay by card when cash should be accepted.
If you have been a victim of a scam, please report the incident to the police and contact the Canadian Anti Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501 or visit www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.
(Written by: Joseph Goden)