17-07-2025
4 Ontario men wanted in 2024 Calgary and Edmonton taxi frauds
A person hands a debit card to another person sitting inside a vehicle in this undated file image.
Four people from Ontario are wanted on 64 charges related to 18 incidents of taxi fraud that Calgary police say defrauded victims of more than $28,000.
In 2024, between July 9 and July 14, Calgary police received 19 reports about taxi frauds that appeared to have been committed by an organized group.
Police were able to identify two methods the group used to pull off the scams. The first one involved one member approaching strangers and pretending to be trying to pay for a cab. They would ask the stranger to help with the payment by using their credit/debit card as the taxi would not accept cash.
The ride was for between $7 and $7.50 and the suspect would offer the stranger $10 in cash to use their debit or credit card.
The second way was when a suspect driver accepted fares as a regular taxi.
In both scams, the driver would hand the victim a terminal and say the tap function was broken, requiring them to insert the debit card. When the victim did that, they had to enter a PIN number, which the suspects may have captured on a skimming device.
The suspects would also swap the victim's debit card for another stolen debit card.
Once the transaction was complete, the group would use the victim's debit card at banks or stores, withdrawing money from ATMs or buying prepaid VISA gift cards.
An investigation determined that the same type of scams took place in Edmonton, Toronto and Metro Vancouver.
Police believe the suspects weren't licensed taxi drivers in Calgary.
Investigators believe the suspects have left Alberta and are now possibly in Ontario, where they may live. All four are wanted on Alberta-wide warrants.
Arvinder Singh, 24, is wanted on 17 counts of theft of a credit card and seven counts of fraud under $5,000.
Martin Hudec Siron, 19, is wanted on 15 counts of theft of a credit card and six counts of fraud under $5,000.
Ibrahim Kald, 24, is wanted on five counts of theft of a credit card and three counts of fraud under $5,000.
Matthew Tani, 24, is wanted on four counts of theft of a credit card and seven counts of fraud under $5,000.
Police advise people never to hand over their card and always keep it in their possession. They also recommend using mobile payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay, which offer extra encryption and protection.
People should never let their payment card out of their sight when paying.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 403-266-1234. Those wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online or by downloading the P3 Tips app.
