Rise of terrifying taxi scam that sees fake drivers with Amazon-bought signs stealing thousands

An elaborate taxi cab scam in Canada has swinded thousands of dollars from victims with the help of bogus roof signs that are sold on websites such as Amazon.

The scammers light up their signs and pose as cab drivers to trick people into riding with them - before running off with their bank cards. 

Victims of this scam are told they have to pay with a debit card to ride. The taxi driver will take the card and insert it into a modified point of sale terminal, where the device records the card data and pin, according to police. 

Then, the driver hands them back a fake - but similar-looking - debit card. 

The fraudster either races to the bank, where they withdraw as much as they can, or they make fraudulent purchases - leaving victims with fleeced accounts. 

After falling for the unofficial-lit-up taxi sign, victims of this scam are told they have to pay with a debit card to ride. The taxi driver will take the card and insert it into a modified point of sale terminal, where the device records the card data and pin. Pictured: Victim Jessica Chin King

Calgary resident Kathryn Kozody found $2,000 missing from her bank account after she fell for the fake taxi scam

Fraudsters are planting fake taxi signs on the roof of their cars, then stealing the bank details of unassuming customers (stock image)

A total of 919 reports, totaling $1.7million in losses, have been submitted to the Toronto police department since June 2023, CBC reported.

Toronto resident Jessica Chin King fell for the fake taxi sign. After a 15 minute ride, she discovered that $600 had been withdrawn from her account.

Kathryn Kozody, who lives in Calgary, discovered $2,000 was missing from her bank account and that she had a debit card with someone elses name.

Kozody told CBC: It really felt like an invasion of privacy and a violation to be a victim of this scam.

The woman said that she started freaking out when she realized the next day that her account was being fleeced by the fraudster. 

King also expressed similar outrage - saying that she was in shock when money started being withdrawn from her account. But she said she was glad that the only thing that they took was her bank details.

She said: I was in the car with somebody who wasnt a taxi driver. Anything could have happened. I was thankful that it was only my bank [account] that was compromised.

Taxi roof signs used in scams have led to losses totaling $1.7million since June 2023, according to the Toronto police department

This generic taxi roof sign costs $21.99 on Amazon. It has a magnetic base with a strip on the bottom and is powered by plugging the cable into the cars cigaret