Montreal woman scammed out of almost $10K in taxi debit fraud

In hindsight, Donna Rindress says there was a clear red flag during her taxi ride home last week that ended with her bankaccount drained and her life upended.

After a night out with friends, the Montreal woman hailed a cab at Bishop StreetandSte-CatherineStreet West.She said the ride seemed completely normal in fact, even better than usual.

"He was so nice. He was more helpful than any taxi driver I've ever had. Maybe that should have triggered something," said Rindress, who uses an electric wheelchair that she said the driver helped fold up and fit into the vehicle.

She saidthe only unusual thing that happened appeared to be an innocuous technical difficulty with the cabbie's credit card machine a scam tactic she's now warning others to be wary of.

"He said, 'Oh I'mso sorry, my Visa machine isn't working, but Ican still take debit,'" saidRindress.

The driver then did what one bankersassociation says is happening more and more frequently. He tookRindress's debitcard, swiftly swapped it out fora nearly identical oneand had her typeher PIN into a fake payment machine to steal it.

Within an hour, almost $10,000 was removed from Rindress's bank account without her believing anything to be amiss.

Fraudster spent $1,000 at dpanneur

Shortly after arriving home,Rindressbegan receiving text alerts from her bank, CIBC, notifying her of unusual activity on her account.

By the time sherealized she'd been duped and managed to reach the fraud department, she said$5,000 had already been withdrawnfrom her account.

"He went into my line of credit, went into my credit card, my overdraft, you name it," Rindress said. Looking at her online banking, she said she could see more and more money draining out of her accounts while on the phone with the bank.

According to Rindress's bank statements, the scammer made several withdrawals from the same ATM in Montreal's Parc-Extension neighbourhood. He also spent $1,000 at a nearby dpanneur.

Scam too common to investigate, victim alleges

When contacted by CBC Montreal, CIBCsaid protecting its clients is a "clear priority."

"When we identify an issue or one is reported to us, we work quickly to investigate and resolve the matter, as we did for our client in this case," the statement reads.

ButRindresswants to know how$10,000 could have been taken out of her accounts in the first place.

"I have a lot of limits on my account for presumably this reason. And [the scammer] seems to have bypassed most of them," she said.

WATCH| Victim of taxi debit scam explains how fraudster duped her:

'He gave me back a dummy card,' says victim of taxi debit scam

2 years ago

Duration 0:42

Donna Rindress revisits the moment she was scammed while paying for her taxi fare.

Rindress said the bank told her an investigation into her case could take up to 10 days andthen, the money might be returned.

"When I heard the 'might,' that started worrying me a bit more," she said.

Rindress said she called the police, against the advice of her bank, but said she was surprised to learn they wouldn't let her file a police report.

"[The officer] said, 'well, I'm not going tocome and take a report because this is too common and we don't have the time or resources to investigate,'" Rindress said. She said the officer told her to call him back to file a report if her money wasn't reimbursed.

When reached for comment, Montreal police said theywerenot available to respond to a request from CBCMontreal.

Within two weeks of the fraud, Rindresshad all of the funds returned to her account.

How to avoid becoming a victim

The Canadian BankersAssociation (CBA)says taxi scams such as the one Rindress fell prey to are on the rise, but there aresteps customerscan take to avoid becoming a victim.

"Be skeptical," it said in a statement. "Taxis do accept cash, even during the pandemic, so if someone tries to convince you otherwise, this is a red flag."

The CBAsaid never to hand over your card to a driver or, if you must, ensure that the card that is returned is your card.

It said to be wary of fake wireless payment machines or those not connected to the internet. "If something seems strange, don't go through with the transaction."

Rindress said she's learned her lesson and will be extra cautious when, or if, she takes another cab.

"If I do take a taxi, I'm going to be hyper aware of, you know, the taxi driver permit and the picture and everything that's going on," she said.

"I certainly won't let my card out of my hand again."