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August 07, 2013 - 12:32 PM
KELOWNA - A West Kelowna man is now is police custody for scamming two downtown shops with a fradulent credit card scheme.
On Monday the man managed to purchase $565 in clothing from Mac D's Lakeside on Bernard Avenue without using any cash, card or ID. Telling the store clerk he was robbed of all of his belongings during the Centre of Gravity festival over the weekend, convincing staff he could enter his credit card number manually to make the purchase.
Yesterday at 2 p.m. the same man went into MacDermott's, another Bernard Avenue clothing store, to make a purchase. This time staff became suspicious when the chip didn't work on the credit card he provided. He suggested he had the "magic touch" and could enter the number in manually on the pin pad. When staff asked to see some ID the man fled the store, leaving behind his shopping items.
Police managed to track him down, arresting him with potential charges of fraud under $5000 and failure to comply with recognizance.
But RCMP say there could be another three to four suspects using the same trick to target local shops.
Business owners are cautioned to follow these security measures:
Check a second piece of identification, preferably photo identification
Check the signature block on cards
Check security features on cards:
Quality of embossing and quality of holograms
First numbers on card consistent with issuing company
Name/numbers on card consistent with transaction records
Be cautious of magnetic strips that do not work
To contact the reporter for this story, email Julie Whittet at jwhittet@infotelnews.ca or call (250)718-0428.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013