$3,500 for a 10 minute cab ride? One man shares his story

We’ve all been there before. It’s late, you’re tired and want to get home from a bar, restaurant or nighttime event.

Such was the case at midnight, September 7, for Harish Aggarwal, and his friend who live in Niagara Falls but were staying at a downtown Toronto hotel.

“We had just left a concert at Budweiser Stage so we went to the cab pick-up area.”

He says a man approached him, claiming to be a cab driver.

“He was outside a car that looked like a legitimate taxi and said he’d take us wherever we wanted to go.”

The man told them his meter was not working, so they agreed on a fixed price that the driver said could be paid with a debit card.

They take the cab but when it came time to pay, things got weird.

“First my friend paid with his debit card and the machine read: connection error,” Aggarwal said.

The driver, according to the two men, said there was something wrong with his friend’s card.

“So, I said, ‘fine I’ll use my credit card,’ he took it and put it into the machine and asked me to enter my pin, which I did.”

Again, card error. Aggarwal was given back a card that looked identical to the one he gave the driver.

“I then said, ‘you know what we’re going to get out and take an Uber.’ He said ‘no, use another card, please, I have a family to feed.’  So, I give him my debit card, once again: connection error.”

He was given back, what he thought was his card.

“So we just said we’ll get out, give you $10 in cash and be on our way.”

The driver agreed.

“A very short time later, I get an automated text message on my phone from my bank saying suspicious withdrawal for $1,000 from my bank account, was this you? I replied no and they locked my account.”

He then checks his email.

“I get an email from my credit card saying you’ve exceeded your cash advance limit — I never take cash advances with my credit card from an A.T.M.” Aggarwal said.

In total, $3,500, plus cash advance fees were taken from his account.

He called the banks. When they asked for his card number, he was shocked. Neither cards were the originals.

“They’re essentially telling me your cards were swapped, and you are not in possession of your own cards right now.”

He was the latest victim of an ongoing scam — fake cabs using fake credit card machines.

“This fake taxi driver swapped my cards instantaneously with ones he had in front that looked the exact same and his machine captured my PIN. It happened incredibly fast,” Aggarwal said.

He reported it to police immediately.

Toronto Police confirmed they have a detective on the case but had no other information on the status of the investigation at this time.

Stories of similar cases have been reported to police for years, so many in fact, Toronto Police sent out a news release last month warning customers to be on the lookout for fake taxis.

They’re often targeting highly-attended nighttime events where multiple people are waiting for a ride home.

Aggarwal had to work hard to get refunds.

“I have called the banks every day since this happened where my cases were being investigated,” he said.

His debit and credit cards were with two separate banks.

His debit card bank refunded the money after several days, the bank where he had his credit card was much tougher.

“They said because it was a chip and PIN transaction, they would not refund the money and closed the case,” he said.

CityNews reached out to the bank to inquire about the declined refund. Shortly after, Aggarwal got a call saying his refund was approved.

Aggarwal wanted to speak out to warn others.

“If someone is approaching you for a ride that may not be a great start. If they say their meter is broke, another red flag.”

A lesson he learned the hard way.

“A $3,500 cab ride which got us not even 10 minutes away,” he said.

Toronto Police also gave us these tips:

• Do not leave your debit or credit card unattended inside a point of sale terminal
• Be aware of taxi numbers and company names when using their services
• Be aware of the driver’s identification that is displayed to the customer in clear view in the rear of the cab If there is an error code, or the debit machine is not functioning, always REMOVE your debit card before returning the machine for assistance
• Do not make payments for an unknown person, using your personal card, in exchange for cash
• Inspect your card after each transaction and ensure it is your card
• cover your fingers when entering your PIN