Kingston Police investigating reports of a taxi scam

A woman was seen getting out of a fake taxi early Saturday morning asking a random person to help pay for a cab fare.

Kingston Police are warning the public of a taxi scam.

An individual was walking along Princess St at Alfred St around 1 am Saturday when a grey car pulled up next to the victim.

A woman in her 20s, either of South Asian or Middle Eastern decent, got out of the car and asked the individual to help pay for a $7.50 cab fare. She told the victim that the driver does not accept cash and offered $10 to use the individual's debit card.

The driver, a South Asian or Middle Eastern male between 30 and 40 years of age with a beard, offered to swipe the card and the individual enter the PIN on the card terminal and the driver return the card with a receipt.

During the transaction, the woman offered to hold the victim's cell phone and was using it during the process. Both the woman and man then sped off in the vehicle.

It wasn't until the individual got home that a notice of a suspicious transaction of almost $1,000 from the bank was received. The victim later realized the card that was returned was not theirs.

Investigators say neither the man or woman spoke with an accent. They say the vehicle had a taxi light positioned in between the driver and passenger seat.

Police are reminding individuals to be aware of this type of scam and to never allow anyone to physically handle their debit or credit card as well as their cell phone.

Anyone who believes they have been targeted by this type of scam can contact the Kingston Police at 613-549-4660 ext. 0. or file a report online via the online reporting portal.

Story by Ken Hashizume