B.C. RCMP warn of credit card scam involving fake taxi

A "fraudulent taxi" involved in alleged bank card scams is seen in this image handed out by the Burnaby RCMP.

Mounties in Burnaby are warning residents about a bank card scam that tries to dupe people by using a fake taxi.

The RCMP says that on Dec. 3, a black Hyundai Elantra with a taxi sign attached to its roof approached a group of people at Simon Fraser University. A man posing as a driver allegedly claimed his passenger couldn’t pay the cab fare and asked for help.

When the victims handed over their debit or credit cards to help the stranger, the suspects covertly swapped the cards with fakes and in some cases used the victims’ cards to make purchases and withdraw money, according to police.

Police described the suspects as two men in their early 20s.

The detachment released photos of the fraudulent taxi Friday in hopes of furthering the investigation, and to warn the public not to fall for the scam if they see the sign on another car.

“We would like the public to be aware of this scam and to take a close look at the taxi sign on top of the vehicle, as it could easily be swapped onto another vehicle,” said Cpl. Laura Hirst in a news release.

“If you are approached by a similar vehicle or with a similar story, do not hand over any money or bank cards, and call police right away.”

The Burnaby RCMP asked anyone who was approached or victimized by the suspects or has seen the vehicle to call the detachment at 604-646-9999 and reference police file number 24-41756.