Police say child is involved in Guelph taxi fare scam
Police in Guelph are investigating after four people were defrauded of thousands of dollars in a fake taxi scam involving a child.
The first incident reported to authorities happened around 8 p.m. last Friday.
Guelph Police Service (GPS) said that a child approached a male from Guelph who was entering a business on Woodlawn Road West and told him he was trying to pay for a taxi, but the driver wouldn’t take cash. The boy then asked the male to pay his fare with his debit card and said in return he’d give him cash.
The male complied and was handed back a receipt and his bank card, police said, however, he later realized it card was not his.
The victim contacted his bank and learned that his debit card had been used to withdraw $3,000.
In a separate incident at about 10:15 p.m. on Saturday, police said a woman, also from Guelph, was in her car at a business on Woodlawn Road West when a child approached her and told her the same story.
In this case, the woman also paid the cab fare, but realized a short time later that she’d been handed back someone else’s card. The victim was able to lock her bank accounts before losing any money, police said.
The following day, on Sunday, GPS said they were contacted by another woman who reported that she was waiting outside a business near Edinburgh Road South and Stone Road West on Saturday evening when she was approached by a similar vehicle. After paying the “fare,” the victim realized $1,500 had been withdrawn from her bank account.
Also on Sunday, a third woman contacted police to report a similar interaction with the two males matching the same description. They said that this incident happened at about 9:30 p.m. on Saturday in the parking lot of a business on Stone Road West. Investigators said the victim later discovered that the duo had kept her card and had withdrawn almost $1,000 from her account.
In all cases, police described the driver as a brown-skinned male in his 20s with a thin build and possibly with a beard. He also wore a mask, police said.
The child is described by police as “possibly” white and 11 to 14 years with dark hair. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, grey and white shorts, and black and red shoes.
Police are describing the car as a white Audi with an orange and white taxi sign on the roof.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Guelph Police Service at 519-824-1212 or Crime Stoppers anonymously.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bloc beats Trudeau Liberals in Montreal byelection, NDP holds on to Manitoba seat
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been handed his second byelection upset in recent months, as the Bloc Quebecois won LaSalle-Emard-Verdun, Que., a longtime Liberal seat in Montreal.
NEW Toxic chemicals used in food preparation leach into human bodies, study finds
More than 3,600 chemicals that leach into food during the manufacturing, processing, packaging and storage of the world's food supply end up in the human body — and some are connected to serious health harms, a new study found.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is arrested in New York after federal indictment
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the hip-hop mogul who has faced a stream of allegations by women accusing him of sexual assault, was arrested late Monday in New York after he was indicted by a federal grand jury.
'Not that simple': Trump drags Canadian river into California's water problems
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised "more water than you ever saw" to Californians, partly by tapping resources from a Canadian river.
Fall back: When does the time change?
The signs of the upcoming autumn season are here as Canadians are starting to notice the skies getting darker earlier, and brightening later.
Body recovered from B.C. lake after unclothed man leads investigators to crash site
Mounties are investigating a fatal crash north of Whistler, B.C., after an unclothed man who was found along the side of the road led police to a pickup truck submerged in a lake with one occupant still inside.
Watch out for texts offering free gifts — it's likely a scam
An Ontario man thought he got some good news when he received a text message offering a $30 gift for being a loyal Giant Tiger customer. 'I do go to that store so I clicked on the link and it said it was a customer appreciation award they were going to give people,' Mark Martin, of Simcoe, Ont., told CTV News Toronto.
GoFundMe cancels fundraiser for Ontario woman charged with spraying neighbour with a water gun
A Simcoe, Ont., woman charged with assault with a weapon after accidentally spraying her neighbour with a water gun says GoFundMe has now pulled the plug on her online fundraiser.
'Phantom finance minister': Freeland says she's 'not going anywhere' after Conservative critique
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland declared she is 'not going anywhere' when pushed by the Conservatives on Monday about her future as finance minister.