Debit card scam targeting victims in downtown Calgary: police

A customer swipes a MasterCard debit card through a machine while checking out at a shop in Seattle, Nov. 2, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Elaine Thompson

Calgary police issued an alert late Friday afternoon about a rise in debit card scams targeting people visiting downtown.

In a Friday X post, police said there have been five separate incidents this week where victims discovered unauthorized withdrawals from their bank accounts after using their debit cards.

In the reported incidents, young male suspects approach potential victims and ask for help to pay a small cab fare, as the "driver"doesn’t accept cash.

Victims then offer their debit cards to a driver to pay the person's fare.

Later, each victim realized the card returned to them wasn’t their debit card and that unauthorized withdrawals had been made from their accounts.

Police believe the cab wasn’t legitimate.

People are advised to remain vigilant against scammers. Be skeptical and ask questions, never give out personal or financial information, never let your debit card be out of view when paying for something, and be suspicious of anyone staying overly close to a cardholder.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234.