Taxi drivers are defrauding unwitting customers, charging phantom trips to credit cards and pocketing the cash.
The taxi scam, which comes in the wake of card-skimming fraud investigations across the city, involves drivers taking card imprints in manual swipe machines after claiming the Eftpos machine is broken.
Trips of a similar value are then charged to the card over following weeks and months.
The Victorian Taxi Directorate investigated 52 complaints last year and canceled or suspended 10 driver’ licenses during the 2007-08 financial year.
A spokeswoman labelled the scam a serious problem and confirmed six drivers were under investigation.
A 23 year old girl was in Spain earlier this month when she noticed a $35 charge on her Australian Visa card to “Taxi express pay Abbotsford”.
The girl alerted the Commonwealth Bank, which promised to investigate the fraud.
One person canceled his Visa card last week after noticing two credit card charges from “Metropolitan Taxi.
Victorian Taxi Association spokesman said that a small number of taxi drivers took part in “inappropriate and illegal” activities, but it was quickly stamped out.
A spokesman for Public Transport Minister said there was no excuse for faulty Etfpos machines and urged customers to report all problems to the Taxi Directorate.
Why is this happening? Is this one effect of credit crunch? Are those people who did such thing in deep need? Oh God bless them.
Beware of Taxi Skim Scam
Posted in announcement, Australia, hottest news
Ver nicee Thansks
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I can bet you $1000 they are Indian. This race will lie cheat and steal anything not tied down.
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Joy0z Reply:
March 12th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
yeah you’re right!
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Wow, that is so racist!! I too have been a victom a credit card fraud under TAXI EXPRESS PAY ABBOTSFORD for 50.00 but people that do this are from every race, it happens everywhere in the world and some of the biggest scammers in the world are white middle class multi-nationals so I would get educated if I were you before you start classifying a whole race of people that way, people that often are the ones the would give you the clothes off their back if you were in trouble.
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