Toronto police arrest 11, more than 100 charges laid in taxi scam that cost victims $500K

Toronto police say 11 people have been arrested, and more than 100 criminal charges have been laid in an extensive taxi scam that involved several unsuspecting victims.

Investigators unveiled the results of “Project Fare” on Thursday, saying several accused deliberately deceived victims to make them think they were legitimate taxi drivers, resulting in half a million dollars being lost in these alleged scams.

Detective David Coffey said the victims were lured into rides and asked to pay their fare using a debit or credit card. During the transaction, police allege the suspects covertly swapped the victim’s card with a nearly identical one, allowing them to keep the real card and the PIN.

“The scam involved the suspects masquerading as legitimate taxi operators,” said Coffey, who added that the genuine cards were then handed off to accomplices.

“These fraudsters use the stolen cards and PINs to withdraw funds from ATMs, deposit fraudulent cheques to artificially inflate account balances, and make high-value purchases, including electronics, gift cards and luxury clothing,” Coffey said.

Eleven people have been apprehended, and two suspects remain at large. Police also shared images of a woman who they say is a person of interest in the investigation. The 11 accused face a total of 108 charges.

“Initially, 61 linked incidents were identified. By the conclusion of the investigation, that number rose to over 300, with total losses to victims exceeding $500,000,” police stated through a news release.

On May 21, 2025, investigators with the Financial Crimes Unit executed three search warrants at properties linked to the suspects. Police seized a range of items believed to be linked to the scheme, including multiple point-of-sale (POS) terminals, luxury clothing, electronics, artwork, numerous bank cards, and vehicles made to resemble taxis.

Those arrested are facing several charges, including fraud, possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000 and forgery offences.

Ekjot Nahal, 22, Brampton

• Fraud Over $5000 (5 counts)
• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over $5000

Harjoban Nahal, 25, Brampton

• Fraud Over $5000 (5 counts)
• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over $5000
• Flight from Peace Officer
• Dangerous Operation
• Operation of Conveyance while Prohibited (2 counts)
• Breach of Conditional Sentence Order

Connor Wybenga, 26, Toronto

• Fraud Over $5000 (5 counts)
• Attempt Fraud Over $5000
• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over and under $5000
• Unlawfully Deal with Device for Forgery

Korbin Sonley, 22, Toronto

• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over and under $5000
• Unlawfully Deal with Device for Forgery

Michael Denine, 24, Newfoundland

• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over and under $5000
• Unlawfully Deal with Device for Forgery

Harpreet Singh, 24, Brampton

• Fraud over $5000 (3 counts)
• Fraud under $5000 (9 counts)
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5000 (12 counts)
• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over $5000
• Obstruct Peace Officer
• Possession of Instruments to Commit Forgery (2 counts)
• Unauthorized Use of Credit Card Data
• Attempt Fraud over $5000

Luis Collado, 24, Mississauga

• Fraud over $5000
• Fraud under $5000 (3 counts)
• Attempt Fraud under $5000
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5000 (5 counts)
• Possession of Instruments to Commit Forgery
• Unauthorized Use of Credit Card Data

Reazuddin Shaikh, 50, Toronto

• Fraud over $5000 (3 counts)
• Fraud under $5000 (6 counts)
• Attempt Fraud under $5000
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5000 (8 counts)
• Possession of Instruments to Commit Forgery
• Unauthorized Use of Credit Card Data

Anastasia Zacharopoulos Johnston, 19, Vaughan

• Fraud over $5000
• Fraud under $5000
• Possession of Proceeds of Crime over and under $5000
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5000 (2 counts)

Gurnoor Singh Randhawa, 20, No Fixed Address

• Fail to Comply with Release Order
• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime under $5000 (2 counts)
• Possession of Credit Card Obtained by Offence (2 counts)

Gaurav Taak, 23, Brampton

• Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000
• Possession of Instruments to Commit Forgery

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In 2024, Toronto police recorded just over 16,700 fraud reports, with total estimated losses reaching approximately $368.6 million, equating to an average of 45 reports per day.

According to Toronto police data, the top five financially damaging scam types (by reported dollar losses) were online investment scams ($71.2 million), account takeovers ($36.1 million), romance scams ($34.5 million), cryptocurrency scams ($32.8 million) and identity theft ($16.4 million).