When Saja Kilani was stopped by a young man in downtown Toronto asking for her help over the weekend, she says it was her instinct to help the boy.

“He seemed very desperate and he looked young,” Kilani told CTV News Toronto Tuesday.

Kilani, an actress and model living in Toronto, says she was walking along Bay Street and Yorkville Avenue on Oct. 16 when a boy who appeared around 15 years old stopped her and asked if she could pay for his taxi fare with a card. She says he informed her the cab company only took cards, and that all he had was cash.

“He had the cash on him,” Kilani told CTV News Toronto. “It seemed like a fair situation.”

“And I’d want someone to help me if it were me,” she added.

So, Kilani says she agreed to help the boy and headed to the cab to make the payment.

According to Kilani, the driver asked if she had a card before setting up the transaction on his machine. When she handed her card to the driver, she says the young boy immediately began “fidgeting” and “trying to distract her.”

Within the confusion, Kilani noticed something awry.

“I could see from the corner of my eye that he placed my card between his legs and he pretended to work the machine,” she said.

The driver returned the machine, card inserted, and Kilani made the payment, but when she pulled the card out, she says she noticed someone else’s name on the card and realized she'd been scammed.

“I leaned into his car [...] and I said, ‘This is not my card. I see what you're trying to do. I found my card between your legs. Give it to me,’” Kilani said.

She says the man eventually relented and returned her card, but not before she pulled her camera out in an attempt to record him and his license plate.

Upon recording, Kilani said the boy jumped into the car with the driver, and they both put on masks before driving away.

When reached for comment, Toronto Police Service (TPS) said the incident had been reported to them and an investigation was ongoing.

TPS said residents should not leave their debit or credit cards unattended inside a Point of Sale terminal anywhere, and that they should try and be aware of taxi numbers, company names, and driver identification when patroning a cab company.

When making any payment with a debit or credit terminal, TPS recommends covering your fingers while entering your pin.

TPS is encouraging anyone who believes they have fallen victim to a "taxi scam" to contact them.

As for Kilani, she says she hopes her story will help others think critically if they find themselves in the same situation.

“In a situation like this where cards are involved, just be careful,” she said.

“Beware that it's probably something bigger than what you think it is.”