Ottawa police warning of ongoing card swap scam involving taxis and rideshares

The Ottawa Police Service says it continues to receive reports of a card swap fraud involving illegitimate taxis or rideshares.

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Police say residents should be vigilant when approached by a person asking for assistance in paying for a taxi fare by debit or credit card.

The victim is told the driver will not accept cash and is offered change in exchange for paying for the ride with their card.

A notice from police warning of the scam was first made in August after a similar issue was reported in Kington, Ont.

Police say that in at least one case, the vehicle bore a roof sign and taxi plate stolen from a legitimate taxi company licenced to operate only in Toronto.

Ottawa police and bylaw are reminding the public that all licenced taxis in the city will have a City of Ottawa logo located on the right side of the rear bumper. The plate is either blue with white lettering or white with green letters.

In addition, a roof sign will indicate the taxi company and plate number. There will be an identification number on both sides of the vehicle and a taximeter with a City of Ottawa seal.

Taxi drivers must also have a driver identification card with their photo and driver number.

There are only four licenced taxi companies licenced to operate in Ottawa. They are Blue Line Taxi Co. Ltd., Capital Taxi, West-Way Taxi and Executive Cabs.

Police are providing the following safety tips:

• 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.

Reports of fraud can be made by calling the Police Reporting Unit at 613-236-1222, ext. 7300 or by filing a report online.