Waterloo Regional Police are warning the public to be “extra vigilant” when paying for food delivery after a second reported instance of a pizza payment machine scam.
The second victim came forward a day after police reported the initial incident last month.
On Nov. 23, police say the victims ordered pizza to be delivered to their homes. In the first reported incident, police say they used an app to make to order to a home in Cambridge. They did not say what happened in the second which occurred in Kitchener.
“Prior to them receiving the pizza, it gets intercepted and then the suspect then poses as the delivery driver,” Const. Ashley Dietrich told Global News.
“In terms of how that’s being intercepted, I think that’s part of this still ongoing investigation as well as efforts to identify the individuals.”
Police say that when the victims asked to use a payment machine, the suspect went to the car and got the machine.
The suspect then distracted the victims and swapped out their payment cards. In the first instance, the suspect used a debit card while in the second instance, they used a Visa card.
Police are warning area residents about how to avoid being a victim of the new scam.
“Always take control of the payment transaction machine, don’t lose sight of that,” Dietrich explained. “Don’t lose sight of your debit card.”
“Just be extra vigilant. Unfortunately, these are unforeseen circumstances, you don’t expect this to happen.
“In the future, pay online or just take extra precautions when paying in person for any food delivery.”