HOUSTON \u2013 A little beep at the register is the sound of business. But for one Montrose restaurant owner, it\u2019s also come with a costly question mark.<\/p>\n
Leighton Dickson, owner of Leighton\u2019s \u2014 House of Lamb and Ramen, says the convenience of tap-to-pay is turning into a serious problem. Since opening in May, his restaurant has dealt with 30 to 45 chargebacks \u2014 leaving him out more than $5,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cA customer comes in and evidently they\u2019re using someone else\u2019s debit or credit card that\u2019s loaded onto their phone,\u201d Dickson said. \u201cThey\u2019re using the card and then we\u2019re getting a dispute or a chargeback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickson says he partnered with his point-of-sale system, Toast, to dig into the data \u2014 and what they found painted a clear picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got a 60-year-old lady who lives in Utah \u2014 you think she ordered $200 worth of lobster and lamb chops in Houston at 10 p.m.?\u201d Dickson said. \u201cAnd then the lady\u2019s proven like, \u2018Man, I haven\u2019t left my house.\u2019 It\u2019s a lot of those types of things going on. It\u2019s not even just to protect me \u2014 it\u2019s more of an integrity thing, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
So how does someone else\u2019s card information end up loaded onto a stranger\u2019s phone in the first place? A cybersecurity expert at Intezer says most of the time, it\u2019s not a sophisticated hack \u2014 it\u2019s a trick.<\/p>\n
Mitchem Boles, says it often starts with a phishing email or text that looks legitimate \u2014 one that gets the victim to hand over their card or login information without realizing it. Once a thief has that information, they don\u2019t need the physical card. They can load it onto a phone and start spending immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they have already tricked a victim into giving up their card information, the thieves are just using whatever biometrics they already have,\u201d Boles said.<\/p>\n
And when a chargeback comes in, it\u2019s the business owner \u2014 not the bank \u2014 who often takes the hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt that point, it falls on me to just take a loss,\u201d Dickson said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s where I\u2019ve taken over about $5,000 or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dickson says he\u2019s now tightening up how customers can pay at his restaurant. if you\u2019re dining in or taking out Leighton\u2019s is asking you pay with a physical card or if you tapping by phone you need an ID that matches the card.<\/p>\n
The policy changes have received little to no pushback from customers so far.<\/p>\n
His advice to other business owners? Keep a close eye on your finances and track every chargeback that comes in \u2014 because by the time you notice a pattern, the losses can add up fast.<\/p>\n
For consumers, the best defense starts with being skeptical of unsolicited emails or texts asking for card or login information \u2014 even if they look legitimate. If something feels off, it probably is.<\/p>\n
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