03/10/2026
π¨ WARNING TO ALL LOCAL BUSINESSES π¨
These two men came into our bistro around 1:20 PM on Tuesday, 15th September, to order a takeaway hot chocolate.
They asked to pay by card. While our staff member turned away to prepare their drink, they took the card machine, manually entered stolen credit card details, and forced through a transaction for Β£425.
When the receipt printed, our staff noticed the huge "overpayment" and immediately apologised, offering to refund the whole amount The men then presented a different physical card, which the Β£425 refund was placed onto.
Sometime later, the actual owner of the stolen credit card understandably initiated a fraud chargeback, leaving our small business a hot chocolate and Β£425 out of pocket.
It is clear from the CCTV footage that they are highly practiced at this scam. The incident and the footage are being reported to the police. Please warn your staff to never let customers handle the card machine unattended and never refund a payment to a different card!