Child helps steal from victims in new ‘taxi scam’ twist in Guelph
Posted September 10, 2024 6:19 am.
Guelph Police say a child was used to steal from multiple victims in a new twist on the ‘taxi scam.’
The first of four such cases happened around 8:00, Friday night, at a business on Woodlawn Road West.
A boy told a man he needed to pay for a taxi, but the driver would not take his cash – asking the victim to cover the cost using his debit card in return for cash.
The victim complied, and later discovered the cab driver gave him back a debit card that wasn’t his.
He learned from his bank someone had stolen $3,000 from his account.
Three other cases happened over the weekend, including one instance on Saturday night, and two on Sunday.
In one case, a victim lost $1,500; another lost $1,000.
Another realized what had happened in time and was able to lock her bank account before any money was taken.
Police say the supposed taxi driver in all four cases is described as a brown-skinned man in his 20’s with a thin build, possibly with a beard and wearing a mask at the time.
The child was possibly white, 11 to 14-years-old with dark hair and at the time of the scams was wearing a blue shirt, grey and white shorts and black and red shoes.
The ‘taxi’ was described as a white Audi, with an orange and white taxi sign on the roof.
Anyone who knows anything about what happened is asked to call Guelph Police at 519-824-1212, or reach out anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by clicking here.
