Police are now looking for 4 suspects, after having been previously looking for just two.
Constable Sandasha Bough is the media relations officer for the London Police. She says that after going through additional reports, the investigation has expanded.
“In addition to the silver Nissan Altima that we originally provided a description of, we also believe that there was a second vehicle– a black Nissan Altima– that was being used at the same time in opposite ends of the city.”
“In total, there aren’t only two suspects. We’re looking at four suspects. In each of those situations, we have one younger male and one older male, working together with that purported taxi cab.”
Two of the suspects. Suspect #1 is 18-20. Suspect #2 is approximately 40.
Reports of the scam are consistent and take place across the city. The victim is approached by a man near the vehicle in question. The following scenario then plays out:
- Suspect says the driver will not accept cash due to the new COVID variant.
- He asks the victim for help paying the fare– with the promise to repay them in cash.
- The victim is provided a debit machine and pays the fare.
- The suspect reimburses the victim in cash.
- The driver provides a receipt and a debit card to the victim.
The fake taxi scam has defrauded Londoners of over $100,000 all together. One unlucky victim was defrauded of $13,000.
In total, there have been 35 cases reported. The last one took place on January 10th.
“We haven’t received a new report since the 10th of January, we did receive quite a few additional reports after we shared the general media release. However, they were in relation to incidents that had taken place in the past.”
Constable Bough says that even though a case hasn’t been reported taking place after January 10th, Londoners should still be vigilant and cautious.
“If somebody is the victim of a fraud, we ask them to call 9-1-1. If it’s something that took place in the past, then they can call either the tech line or they can call headquarters.”
Londoners are also encouraged to contact London Crime Stoppers with information.
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