Store loses $202K to scam

City police have issued a warning to local businesses after a local contracting supply store lost more than $200,000 to a scammer. Two men called the store in October and November to order home renovation supplies, offering credit card information. The sales were approved and someone picked up the items, valued at $202,000, at the store. The credit information was later determined to be invalid.

Police call this a card-not-present scam. It involves transactions that take place without the cardholder present. The credit information is often stolen or fake, and by the time the business realizes what happened the goods are gone.

Police urge caution for businesses dealing with unfamiliar customers over the phone.

“New customers need to physically come into the store and show either the actual credit card or a copy of the credit card before the business releases any goods or products. This will help ensure the person’s identity and the credit card information,” states Det. Const. Keith Calderwood of the city’s fraud unit, in a press release.