Ontario Provincial Police are reminding businesses to beware of a particular type of credit card fraud.
Superior East OPP warn fraudsters could manipulate a point of sale terminal in as little as ten seconds to alter the amount being charged to a credit card, then navigate the terminal so the card number can be entered manually, entering a stolen card's number so it will instead be charged the full amount - the fraudster can then point out they were overcharged, and try to use the card they pretended to pay with knowing it'll be declined and the merchant may agree to refund the "overcharged" amount to a different debit or credit card, allowing the fraudster to leave with all the merchandise and the "overcharged" money, while another person's charged for the transaction.
Police recommend business owners and staff familiarize themselves with the terminals, password protecting processes like manual card entry and changing total charge amounts - if a refund's declined, look closer at the initial transaction prior to refunding a different card, and - if you suspect someone is or has defrauded your business, contact police, as it's likely they have done so at other businesses and will continue to do so until caught.