Rona customer victim of credit card fraud says retailer should have called police

A Toronto woman says she has filed a report with Toronto police after she claims a man attempted to steal hundreds of dollars from her credit card.

Suzanne, who doesn’t want her last name published, told CityNews she was notified of the attempt when an employee from Rona called her Saturday evening to ask if she had authorized a man to pick up an item that was purchased online with her credit card.

With her full name, address and credit card number in the hands of the man, she said she and the employee quickly realized it was a theft.

“I felt victimized by an anonymous person and I felt like there was no support and no help from the people who could have done something to put this to a quick end,” she explained.

Though she was grateful to that employee for realizing what was happening and that her money was refunded, she said she was shocked when they didn’t alert the authorities right away.

“I spoke to the manager and they did not call the police,” Suzanne said. “They said that they didn’t want their staff to be in harms way, they had to protect their staff but I didn’t ask them to do anything with the perpetrator, just to call the police.”

A Rona spokesperson said the retail giant is still gathering details to confirm the facts, but told CityNews proper protocol was followed that night when the employee immediately cancelled the order after speaking with Suzanne, and advised her to report the incident.

“While we do not share specifics regarding fraudulent individuals with customers as this could raise privacy issues, the loss prevention team did make sure to save the video surveillance tape (which is only accessible to that specific team and not to the store personnel) so as to be in a position to collaborate fully with the authorities should the victim of the tentative fraud file a complaint, which in the end is her responsibility and not the store’s. We will not comment further at this time,” the spokesperson said in an email statement.

When asked about their procedures in these situations, the spokesperson said: “When online orders look fraudulent, store protocol is to contact the phone number on the invoice before releasing the order and confirm with the customer if they indeed placed the order. If not, the order is immediately cancelled by the store and the customer is advised to contact their credit card company to report the incident.”

A cyber security consultant told CityNews retailers don’t tend to call law enforcement when there may be a fraud case, because there are safety concerns and fears of lawsuits.

“A person is just trying to do their job behind the counter and they’re telling the person there’s an issue, so it can become violent, very dramatic in the store,” said Daniel Tobok, CEO of Cytelligence.

Tobok also advises credit card holders to become more vigilant with checking their transactions daily, and also conducting a credit review if they suspect anything. He said these forms of bold thefts are becoming more common as technology advances.

Although the credit card has a chip and the customer puts in their pin, Tobok suggests that the retailer ask to see the signature at the back of the card.

“Because what we see with fraudsters, is that they don’t even bother signing the card,” he said.

Suzanne’s credit card has been cancelled, and she said Visa is also investigating the incident. But this experience has left her questioning how retailers respond to these calls.

“Retailers are on the front lines in terms of stopping these kinds of acts, and I think they have a responsibility to do something,” she said. “They need to find a protocol that is suitable, not just to protect employees and their property but to help protect the community at large.”