THUNDER BAY – NEWS – Thunder Bay Police Service is warning the public of a unique scam that may be targeting local businesses.
Members of the TBPS’s Economic Crimes Unit have become aware of a relatively unique tipping scam.
In one incident a fraudster appeared at a local business in-person. Upon paying for the product, the fraudster gave a tip of $500 during a credit card payment. The fraudster then told the cashier the intended tip was for $5, and asked for the extra funds to be reimbursed back to the credit card.
The business complied and there appeared at the time to be nothing out of the ordinary.
Later the business was notified by the bank that the credit card used was stolen and that the reimbursement was made to a different card. The business, at the time of the transaction, was unaware the fraudster had swapped cards during the refund.
In light of this incident, the TBPS’s Economic Crimes Unit is asking that businesses practice due diligence when refunding credit cards. Always double check to ensure the credit card being reimbursed is the same card used during the original transaction.
To learn more about ongoing frauds and scams visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre online at: https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm.
