A fake taxi driver and fake passenger in Richmond have managed to trick another person into giving up their debit card.
The Richmond RCMP reported last week seven people had fallen victim to this scheme whereby a fake passenger asks for helping paying for a taxi ride with a debit card.
This brings the total known victims to eight since April 22.
After helping the passenger by paying for the ride with a debit card, the victim is then handed back a bogus debit card by the fake taxi driver who then proceeds to make hundreds of dollars worth of purchases using the real card.
In all cases, a young man approaches would-be good Samaritans in a busy parking area saying he needs help to pay for a taxi using a debit card, Richmond RCMP explained.
The fake driver claims he doesn't take cash because of COVID-19 and neither does he take credit cards.
When the victim agrees to help, the fake taxi driver says the tap function doesn’t work, so the victim inputs his or her PIN.
The fake taxi driver has been using various cars in this scam with a white taxi sign on top.
The fake driver is described as a Fijian or South Asian man in his early 20s, and the fake passenger as a Middle Eastern man also in his early 20s
Richmond RCMP Cpl. Ian Henderson said last week this scam appears to be new in Richmond.
Anyone with information on this matter is asked to contact Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212, quoting file number 2202-10686.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or go online to solvecrime.ca
