“Extensive” practice: watch out for fake taxis!

Scams involving fake taxis are becoming more “widespread” across Canada. The Canadian Taxi Association (CTA) warned the public on Wednesday against taxis using fake signs on the roofs of their cars.

These generic illuminated “taxi” signs on the roofs of cars sold online are a new tactic by fraudsters in Canada.

Police services in Toronto, Sarnia, Sudbury and Ottawa have also reported several cases of scams involving fake taxis, in which two people pose as a passenger in distress and a taxi driver, ACT explained in a press release Wednesday.

The scam includes refusing passengers cash and asking them to pay by debit or credit card. The trick is simple: the fake traveler offers to pay the victim in exchange for using their debit or credit card.

When an alleged taxi driver swipes a target's debit or credit card, he can steal their personal identification number (PIN), then empty their bank account or use their credit card, ACT said.

In Sarnia, Ontario, authorities estimate between $980 and $9,900 was stolen from victims this summer.

A “broad” practice

Canadian Taxi Association president Marc-Andre Way confirmed Global News This practice is largely “widespread”.

Other cities in Canada are not immune to this scam, but Mr. Way believes “it goes from city to city.”

Marc-André Way also stresses that “a taxi driver should never give a card to someone who says they don't take cash,” because most of the time, drivers prefer this method of payment.

ACT suspects that this may be a group of fraudsters who move to different cities.

Sold on Amazon

Fraudulent use of a “taxi” sign sold on Amazon or Facebook Marketplace is “available to everyone” and is “not a safe and practical way to distribute credible “taxi” signs,” maintains the president of ACT.

He contacted Amazon's CEO asking him to stop selling these generic “taxi” signs to avoid this type of scam.

Amazon Canada responded instead Taxi news These “lights are legal for sale in Canada and are therefore offered for sale in the Amazon.ca store,” we read in the press release.

The Ottawa Police Service warned the public on Monday after receiving several complaints about people being scammed by taxi or Uber.