Over $40,000 lost in taxi scams in Toronto since June 2023

Toronto police have issued an arrest warrant for a 25-year-old man in connection with a taxi scam.

Investigators say the Toronto Police Service’s Financial Crimes Unit has received over 60 reports of “evolving” taxi scams since June 2023. In total, the scams resulted in over $40,000 in losses.

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The scam involves both a taxi operator and another suspect pretending to be a rider. As part of the fraud, a victim is typically approached by an individual who says the taxi operator is not accepting cash payment for the fare.

The scammer will ask the individual to pay the fare with a debit or credit card, offering them the cash in exchange.

The payment card is then skimmed or swapped for a similar looking card before being returned to the victim.

This allows the scammers to make fraudulent withdrawals or purchases using the victim’s information.

Police say they recently identified a suspect in connection with several of these incidents.

The suspect, identified as Brampton resident Steven Chambers, is wanted for fraud over $5,000, attempted fraud under $5,000, three counts of assault and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

Police are urging individuals not to make payments to strangers in exchange for cash and to inspect credit cards after each transaction. Individuals should also be aware of taxi numbers and company names when using their services.