THE RCMP is warning business owners after a cunning new scam has cropped up, draining the bank accounts of retailers around the Lower Mainland.
The scam involves suspects using point of sale terminals to "refund" themselves huge amounts of money onto debit cards while pretending to make a purchase.
The con artists typically punch the POS manufacturer's default code to carry out a refund and then key in a large sum of money to be transferred.
If the merchant becomes suspicious at the inordinate amount of time or button-pushing required, the suspect pockets the receipt and claims the transaction did not work. Retailers have been taken for amounts between $500 and $2,100, according to the North Vancouver RCMP.
"If the default code is not changed by the business merchant, it makes it possible for the suspect to conduct the refund transaction by pressing a few numbers on the POS terminal, (and) the merchant is responsible for any financial loss," said Const. Dave Townsend, investigator with the RCMP's economic crime unit, in an email to North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Members.
To combat the scam, businesses are encouraged to change their POS's refund code and keep it closely guarded among trusted, current staff. Business owners can also limit the amount of money the machines are allowed to refund.
Merchants should also never leave wireless POS machines unattended.
