Two arrests have been made in connection with a string of fraudulent purchases made throughout Victoria and Esquimalt over the past two months.
A woman and a man were taken into custody Thursday afternoon in the 800-block of Johnson Street, after an investigation that began Oct.24. A search warrant was executed and the investigation is ongoing.
Both were released on a promise to appear.
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The suspects would allegedly enter a business and once they were handed the point of sale terminal to pay, the purchasers would manually enter an authorization code causing an override on the sale that would end in a ‘forced sale,’ a tool that is intended to be reserved for merchants.
Since the code is manually entered, the process is susceptible to exploitation by criminals.
“Business owners need to be cautious and keep an eye on their finances,” said Cst. Matt Rutherford. “If you have one of those point of sale terminals, be aware and pay close attention to your statements. Call us if you suspect that you have been a victim of fraud.”
VicPD believe that more businesses may have fallen victim to this fraud. If you have information or concerns, call 250-995-7654.
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