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London police are warning the public to be vigilant after several reports of debit card fraud involving vehicles that appear to be taxis.
A number of people across the city have lost “large sums of money” after they were approached by a person asking for help to pay a taxi fare, police said Thursday.
The scam plays out as follows: A person getting out of a vehicle that appears to be a taxi approaches a bystander and says the driver won’t accept cash, police said. The bystander agrees to pay the fare on a debit machine and gets reimbursed in cash. Later, the Good Samaritan learns the bank card returned to them is not their own and a large sum of money has been removed from their bank account.
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London police are encouraging residents to remain vigilant about the security of financial documents, bank and credit cards and online banking, to be cautious when being approached by strangers to make a debit purchase, and to refuse when in doubt.
A photo of at least one suspect vehicle was provided by police, but investigators say vehicle descriptions have differed and residents should be wary of the fraud itself rather than any vehicle.
Police ask anyone who may have information on the frauds to call investigators at 519-661-5670.
In an unrelated move in late September, the city issued a public service announcement reminding the public to ensure any vehicle for hire, whether a taxi, limo or ride-share such as Uber, is actually the correct vehicle.
The city says recent bylaw blitzes have led to “numerous penalties” for vehicles without official markings or non-licensed drivers offering transportation services.
They encourage residents to check ride-sharing private vehicles by their licence plate or company identification on the windshield.
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