Taxi scam victims warn Torontonians to look out for fake drivers, stolen cab

Toronto resident Neil Hetherington learned the hard way: if you feel like you're being swindled out of money, you probably are.

The CEO for Daily Bread Food Bank says he was scammed $2,500 at the beginning of the month by a fake Co-op taxi cab driver.

Despite the warning signs he spotted — there was no taxi driver identification number, the driver didn't want cash, and demanded he hand over his card to slot in the machine himself — it wasn't hard to be convinced to bat that aside in the heat of the moment.

"I just grabbed the receipt, put it in my pocket and I wished him a very Merry Christmas," said Hetherington, noting the even the receipt came out odd, charging him €29.

Hetherington says he realized what happened after getting a notification of suspicious activity on his card shortly after. He says he's thankful his bank later restored the money to his account — it didn't have to since he willingly handed over his PIN number during a transaction, even though it turned out to be fraudulent. 

Now, he and other taxi scam victims hope increased awareness can help others learn from their experience. After the incident, Hetherington says he lowered his withdrawal limit and marked his credit card to help him easily identify it.

"There's a whole host of things that we can do to make sure that this type of fraud doesn't happen again," said Hetherington. 

Look out for stolen Beck taxi

Stephen Lautens, another Toronto resident, says he saw similar red flags as Hetherington. What stood out the most, looking back, is just how realistic the cab looked.

"It had the lights, it had the colours, the licence — it had everything going on," said Lautens. 

Lautens was duped into giving his card over on Dec. 9 in a similar fashion as Hetherington but realized he was most likely caught in a scam after he paid and was given the wrong card back — twice. He luckily got away with all his savings in tact after quickly shutting his cards down online before any funds were withdrawn.

He filed a report to Toronto police and reported the Beck taxi to the company, only to find it had no record of a taxi being in the area where he was picked up or dropped off.

A hit to the taxi industry

Beck Taxi Operations Manager Kristine Hubbard confirmed one of the company's cabs was stolen in October, and that they heard reports of it being used to dupe customers.

To make sure their taxi is legitimate, Hubbard says customers can call or order a taxi through their app, where you can track the ride and see the driver's name and cab number.

But beyond a change in customer habits, more needs to be done to stop the problem, she says. While customers can often get their money back, it's actual taxi drivers and the overall industry that takes the hit.

"I also think this is just indicative of the city's sort of willful decline in paying attention to this industry, which, you know, does supply such an important service to Torontonians," said Hubbard.

"We're just not seeing that there's any collaborative effort to make sure that this is a strong system with strong enforcement."

Toronto police, when asked how often taxi cab scams happen, declined to comment. However, they say residents can follow a few tips to avoid getting scammed:

• Don't leave your debit or credit card unattended inside a point-of-sale machine. 
• Be aware of taxi numbers and company names.
• Be aware of the driver's identification that's displayed to the customer in clear view in the rear of the cab.
• Don't make payments for an unknown person using your personal card in exchange for cash.
• Inspect your card after each transaction and ensure it's your card.
• Cover your fingers when entering your pin.