CTA requests Amazon stop selling roof signs, clarifies that all Taxi drivers accept cash

Fake Taxi drivers using generic signs to scam the public

Generic Taxi roof light signs available online and confusion over cash payments have led to a rash of scams and cons involving fake Taxis across Canada this summer.

Police in Toronto, Sarnia, Sudbury and Ottawa are reporting instances of these scams, in which a team of two people pretend to be a distressed passenger and Taxi driver. The fraudster posing as the passenger approaches the targeted victim (whom police refer to as “the Good Samaritan”) holding cash in hand and saying their driver will not take cash.

The fake passenger offers to give cash to the target in exchange for use of their debit or credit card. The scammer posing as the Taxi driver then swipes the card and steals the targets Personal Identification Number (PIN), later to drain their bank account or fraudulently use their credit card.

In Sarnia, amounts between $980 and $9900 have been stolen this summer.

On August 4^th, Canadian Taxi Association president Marc Andre Way spoke to Andrew Pinsent on CFRA radio and explained, “Often it is a young person who approaches the target, pretending to be very upset, claiming they need a debit or credit card because their driver will not take cash. The fake driver then captures the PIN number of the victim and uses it to drain their bank account.

“Sometimes, to show supposed appreciation, the distressed young person will offer to give cash above the amount of the fare – for example, offering the target $20 cash to put a $15 charge on their card.

“NEVER give any card to anyone telling you a Taxi driver won’t take cash. All legitimate Taxi drivers are ready to accept cash; in fact, they prefer cash over anything,” Way stated emphatically.

Two relatively new occurrences appear to be at work in these latest scams.

First is public confusion over the difference between ridesharing companies like Uber or Lyft and municipally licensed Taxi companies.

Rideshare drivers can be booked ONLY through an account attached to a credit card and are never supposed to take cash. In contrast, traditional, municipally-licensed Taxi drivers take both cash and cards, certainly preferring cash whenever possible.  

Second, is the fraudulent use of  “Taxi” roof lights which may have been stolen off of a proper licensed Taxi; or, more likely, the simply purchased on Amazon or Facebook Marketplace.

When one of these generic Taxi signs is attached to the roof of the scammer’s vehicle, it adds to the impression that the pretend distressed passenger and the fake Taxi driver are legitimate.

Way recently wrote a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy to request that Amazon cease selling the generic “Taxi” roof signs being used by criminals to defraud customers.

“Traditionally in Canadian cities, branded roof signs were available only through specialty shops which supplied the Taxi industry. The sellers knew who was making the purchase; for which Taxi brokerage the person drove; and in most cases, also installed the roof sign on the legitimate vehicle,” Way wrote in his letter.

“However, the generic signs being sold through Amazon and other outlets are available to anyone. This is not a safe, practical way to distribute the trusted ‘Taxi’ signs which have become synonymous with physical and consumer safety for over a century.

“On behalf of the Taxi industry in Canada, I am requesting that Amazon to consider no longer selling generic ‘Taxi’ signs. We all fear that something much worse than a financial scam will be enabled by the disingenuous use of these Taxi signs by individuals who would misuse them to physically harm innocent persons. Please assure us you will act before this happens.

Taxi News contacted Amazon regarding the sale of generic “Taxi” signs and the dangers associated with them and received the following reply from Octavia Roufogalis of Amazon Canada:

“Safety is a top priority at Amazon, and we require all products offered in our store to comply with applicable laws and regulations. These lights are legal to sell in Canada and as a result can be listed for sale in the Amazon.ca store. Unfortunately, like many products, these products can be misused. Amazon will continue to monitor the situation and adapt to any developments on regulation and compliance of these items.”

In his interview with Andrew Pinsent, Way listed things consumers should look for in a legitimately licensed Taxi including a municipal tariff card hanging over the passenger seat and visible from the back; a meter running in the front, and the driver’s identification card posted in the front; and usually a municipally-issued Taxi plate number painted on the sides of the vehicle and stamped on a metal plate affixed to the trunk.

A vehicle lacking these items, but equipped with a generic roof sign, is likely fake.

In its August 12 statement, the Ottawa Police fraud squad advised:

• 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.
• For more tips, click here.