Ottawa police warning of ongoing taxi scam

Ottawa residents need to be weary of when they do a good deed.

A taxi scam has popped up in the city that sees a victim try to help out a stranger. Police say people are being approached by a young person claiming they aren’t able to pay for their taxifare due to the payment methods not working.

They ask the victim if they can reimburse them with another payment method. The victim uses their card to pay for the taxi that is waiting nearby.

Officials say when the unsuspecting person pays they do not realize that their card has not been returned to them or has been swapped with another.

The scammers then use the card until it’s locked.

Police first issued a warning about the fraud in August saying “several people” have complained about being defrauded.

The police fraud unit reminds people to: 

• Don’t accept to pay with your debit or credit card for someone else’s transaction even if you are offered monetary compensation, equivalent or superior to the original transaction amount.
• When making purchases, protect your PIN.
• Do not share your PIN with anyone.
• Choose a PIN that is not easy to guess – avoid birthdays and phone numbers, etc.
• Keep a close watch on your incoming bank and credit card statements.