The association representing taxi drivers in Canada is asking Amazon to stop selling fake cab signs on its marketplace over a growing number of card swap scams involving fraudulent drivers.
Canadian Taxi Association president Mark Andre Way sent a letter to the Seattle-based company, calling attention to a growing scam where criminals are able to fool victims with generic “taxi” signs on the roofs of their vehicles, many of which are available on the online marketplace.
Traditionally, roof signs are only available through specialty shops through the taxi industry, where the sellers are able to verify who made the purchase, and in most cases, installed the roof sign on the vehicle.
“On behalf of the Taxi industry in Canada, I am requesting that Amazon to consider no longer selling generic ‘Taxi’ signs. We all fear that something much worse than a financial scam will be enabled by the disingenuous use of these Taxi signs by individuals who would misuse them to physically harm innocent persons,” Way said in a letter to Amazon’s president and CEO Andy Jassy.
“This is not a safe, practical way to distribute the trusted ‘Taxi’ signs which have become synonymous with physical and consumer safety for over a century.”
CTV News has reached out to Amazon for comment.
The scam has been growing across Ontario and has been reported in Ottawa, Hamilton, Sarnia, Kingston and Toronto.
Ottawa police has been warning residents to be vigilant when approached by people asking to use your debit or credit card to pay for a taxi or rideshare.
The scam typically involves two suspects, one posing as a taxi driver and the other as a customer, and a vehicle that looks like a taxi parked in a high-traffic area.
The pair stage an argument over the taxi driver refusing to accept cash payment. Then a passerby is approached and asked to help by using their own debit card to pay in exchange for cash, according to police.
If the victim accepts, police say that when they enter their PIN, the terminal records the card information. After processing the payment, a fake bank card is handed back to the victim.
The scammers, now in possession of both the real debit card and PIN information, make fraudulent purchases.
Ottawa police say you should not agree to use your debit or credit card to pay for someone else’s transaction, even if you are offered compensation, and to regularly monitor your bank and credit card statements for suspicious activity.
In a statement on Aug. 12, the Ottawa Police fraud unit advised:
- Don’t accept to pay with your debit or credit card for someone else’s transaction even if you are offered monetary compensation, equivalent or superior to the original transaction amount.
- When making purchases, protect your PIN.
- Do not share your PIN with anyone.
- Choose a PIN that is not easy to guess – avoid birthdays and phone numbers, etc.
- Keep a close watch on your incoming bank and credit card statements.