HALIFAX -- A 57-year-old taxi driver from Lower Sackville, N.S. has been charged with theft after police say he stole more than $20,000 from a client’s bank account.

East Hants RCMP say they received a report on Nov. 23 that a taxi driver in the East Hants area had stolen a passenger's bank card and gained access to the passenger's PIN.

Police say McCarthy instigated a business relationship with a frequent female passenger, a woman in her 70s.

The partnership took place outside of his position with the cab company.

"He was able to gain her trust and access to her bank card," said Nova Scotia RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Andrew Joyce."He was able to take her bank card and return it without her knowing and obtained her pin number."

Police say he used the banking information to steal more than $20,000 from the victim over a period of time, and also allegedly uttered threats related to the victim of the theft.

On Wednesday, police charged 57-year-old Rodney Bryan McCarthy of Lower Sackville with theft over $5,000, and uttering threats related to the victim of the theft. 

McCarthy was released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in Shubenacadie Provincial Court on Jan. 18, 2021. None of these charges have been proven.

Experts with the Better Business Bureau say seniors are often the targets of such alleged schemes.

"Often times, seniors may not have close family, close friends, that network of people who are looking after their best interests," said Peter Moorhouse, president of the Better Business Bureau Atlantic."Often times seniors also have resources, seniors have, in many cases, money."

Investigators believe there may be more than one victim. They’re asking anyone who who has been approached about a similar scheme to contact the RCMP.

"We're reaching out to people of that area that have persons of possible vulnerability and may have forged a relationship with the accused," Joyce said.