Supermarket scam: beware of the “overpayment” technique

In front of ATMs, on the highway and even in cemeteries… Scammers are around every corner. Supermarkets, too, are a favorite haunt for crooks who are after your money. According to information from Nice Matin, a couple in their forties have been scamming elderly people for several months when they leave their shopping for damages estimated at 18,000 euros.

The well-honed technique of criminals is to identify their targets in supermarkets, as well as the amount of their shopping. At the exit, an accomplice approaches you by presenting himself as a store employee who must correct an error in the amount paid at the checkout. Most of the time, the scammers explained that an overpayment had to be refunded to the customer.

“The scammer then asks the elderly person to redial his code to credit his account with the overpaid balance, then alleging a new error in the system, extracts his bank card from him to solve the problem in store: ‘Don’t move, I’ll be back right away!'”, explains the daily.

In some cases, the pair, already known to the police for similar acts, or simply the woman, sometimes went so far as to accompany their victims home to carry their shopping in order to gain their trust.

Never give your bank card or secret code to anyone. Also, do not retype your code under any circumstances. If in doubt, head to the store management.