A margherita pizza paid for its weight in gold and a scam that took away from the bill as well 6,500 euros within three months. This is what happened to a couple from Busto Arsizio who were deceived by the owner of the pizzeria where they usually went. As? With a tool that we use every day: the Pos.
Pizza for 900 euros: the story
Husband and wife used to treat themselves to a takeaway pizza every Friday evening. For three months they paid by credit card, until they realized the scam in June 2021. A discovery occurred by chance, when the couple received a notification that the card’s monthly limit of 5,000 euros had been exceeded. At that point, having examined the bank movements, they saw the anomalous disbursements towards the pizzeria. Among the many expenses included was a margherita pizza paid for 966 euros.
The incident happened three years ago, but is now in court with the manager of the restaurant accused of aggravated fraud from abuse of work performance.
How the POS scam works
The restaurateur used a devious strategy to steal money from customers. Pretending Pos network coverage problems, had the transaction repeated several times, declaring that the previous ones had not been successful. Each attempt, however, turned into a real charge on the account.
The couple’s trust in the owner and the little attention loaned by the spouses to the current account allowed the fraudster to continue undisturbed.
How to defend the account
To avoid becoming victims of similar scams, when making a payment with the POS it is essential to follow some precautions:
- To make sure that it is located in a safe place and that there are no additional or suspicious devices connected.
- Check check your bank statements regularly to identify suspicious charges.
- After each transaction, ask and keep the POS receipt for cross-checking with your bank statements.
- Be wary of recurring network problems: if a merchant frequently complains of POS malfunctions, it is advisable to pay in cash or use another payment method.
- Activate immediate notifications via text message or email for every transaction made with your credit or debit card.
- In case of suspicion, to block the card immediately and contact the bank to report possible fraud.
It is good to remember that POS is only one of the many forms that a scam involving credit cards can take. Among the most common is the phishingan activity in which scammers send phony emails or text messages posing as financial institutions or various companies to obtain sensitive information such as credit card numbers and security codes.
Another common scam is the so-called ATM scam card skimming, in which criminals install illegal devices on payment terminals to capture customers’ credit card information. It is important to be aware of these threats and take security measures such as regularly verifying bank transactions, enabling transaction notifications and using secure payment methods.
