Transit Police said the scam is believed to have played out at universities and shopping malls across the Lower Mainland
Two men were arrested and may face charges after police say they busted a fake taxi scam that preyed on unsuspecting Good Samaritans.
Transit Police said the scam is believed to have played out at universities and shopping malls across the Lower Mainland and relies on one person posing as a cab driver and a second person pretending to be a passenger who can’t pay their cab fare.
The individual pretending to the passenger gets out and asks passersby for help paying the fare. When a victim agrees to help and hands over their debit or credit card, the card is swapped by the individual posing as the driver.
“In some cases, fraudulent purchases and withdrawals are then made on the victims’ real cards,” Transit Police said in a news release.
On Dec. 6, around 9 p.m., police working near Surrey Central SkyTrain Station spotted a black Hyundai Elantra that had parked. Police watched as a passenger got out of the car and put a yellow “taxi” sign on the car’s roof, before getting back in the vehicle. The car then drove toward Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus.
When police tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver rammed the Hyundai into an unmarked Transit Police cruiser.
Officers from the Surrey Police Service and B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit were sent to help, and two suspects were arrested. A search of the Hyundai uncovered 29 debit and credit cards, a debit card payment machine, and a magnetic “taxi” sign.
The suspects are from Ontario and several charges have been submitted approval by prosecutors.
“We caution the public to never let their credit card out of their sight if they choose to help a stranger who appears to be in financial need,” said Const. Amanda Steed with Transit Police.
Anyone with information about the incident or who has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact investigators at 604-515-8300.