The Kingston Police issued a public warning on March 18, 2026, about a recurring taxi scam that is targeting people near Queen’s University and surrounding areas in Kingston, Ontario. The fraud involves people being tricked into giving up their bank cards to strangers pretending to be in need of help.
In this scam, suspects pose as passengers who claim they are having trouble paying for their ride and ask a bystander to pay the fare with a debit or credit card. Once the victim provides their card, the scammers quickly swap it for a similar-looking one and record the victim’s PIN to later drain their bank account.
Investigators say the suspects are using a grey Mazda SUV outfitted with a Capital Taxi sign to appear legitimate. The suspects are described as a South-Asian or Middle Eastern woman between 25 and 30 years old who is about five-foot-five and a South-Asian or Middle Eastern man between 30 and 40 years old.
Another version of the scam involves the fraudster asking for the card and inserting it into a payment machine themselves before telling the victim to enter their PIN. Police advise residents to never offer to pay a fare for an unknown person using their own personal financial cards.
