Toronto police charge 11 suspects in taxi scam investigation
Toronto police say 11 people face more than 100 criminal charges after an investigation into a taxi scam targeting unsuspecting victims in the city.
Police say the investigation dubbed Project Fare began in July 2024 after victims reported being scammed by people posing as taxi drivers in vehicles modified to resemble licensed cabs.
Det. David Coffey says victims picked up by the fake taxis were asked to pay their fare using credit or debit cards.
He says the suspects would swap the victim's card with a similar-looking one, and keep the real card before passing it to other suspects who withdrew cash, deposited fraudulent cheques to inflate account balances, and purchased expensive items.
Police say they initially identified 61 linked incidents and that number rose to more than 300 by the end of the investigation, with total losses to victims exceeding $500,000.
They say investigators executed three search warrants and seized multiple point-of-sale terminals, high-end clothing, electronics, artwork, numerous bank cards, and vehicles resembling taxis.
Ten men and one woman from the Greater Toronto Area, whose ages range between 19 and 50, were arrested and charged with a total of 108 offences including fraud over $5,000 and possession of proceeds of crime over $5,000.
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Police say they are still looking for two male suspects and a female considered a person of interest in the case.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025.
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