File photo Cindy Goodman, North Shore News
North Vancouver RCMP is warning business owners to keep an eye on their “customers” after a spate of frauds using point of sale terminals.
In the wrong hands, credit and debit machines can be used to reverse charges, the modern day equivalent of reaching into the cash register when the clerk isn’t looking.
Local businesses have reported losses from $20 to more than $9,000 in a single transaction in recent months, resulting in charge-backs to the merchant, according to a release from the RCMP.
“Criminals will often cause a distraction for the merchant at the time of a sale giving them extra time to manipulate the device for fraudulent purposes. With the busy Christmas shopping season upon us, police are offering tips to merchants to prevent POS fraud transactions from occurring to them,” Cpl. Richard De Jong said in a press release. “Be suspicious if the customer appears to be entering a large number of digits during the transaction or is taking an unusually long time to complete the transaction. Examine point of sale transaction receipts and verify how the transaction was processed. Watch for manual entry transactions, refunds, force post or offline transactions.”
Merchants should also keep a close hold of their “admin cards” and make sure they have difficult-to-guess pin numbers. Unlike most bank cards, admin cards are often white.
Anyone who has been victimized in a POS fraud is asked to contact police.
