Pix frauds become routine; Police advise merchants in PG

A sequence of Pix scams against bars, restaurants and other food establishments in Ponta Grossa led Abrasel Campos Gerais to seek out the Civil Police. Businessmen report that fraud attempts, mainly with the sending of false proofs of payment, have become frequent in the city.

On Friday (4), representatives of the Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants (Abrasel) Campos Gerais met with the Chief Delegate of the 13th Police Subdivision (13th SDP) of Ponta Grossa, Nagib Nassif Palma, and with delegado Gabriel Munhoz, which works in the stelionate area.

The aim of the meeting was to present to the Civil Police the reports recorded by businessmen in recent months and to discuss ways to prevent new coups.

According to the president of Abrasel Campos Gerais, Lucas Klas, one of the main guidelines is for entrepreneurs victims or targets of fraud attempts to record the occurrence.

“Our meeting was very productive. We present to them the reports of the numerous coups that the associates have reported and the profile of those who do this, but it is worth emphasizing the need for everyone who has gone through this to make the report of occurrences,” he said.

Coup attempts are repeated in different establishments

According to Abrasel, warnings have already become frequent in groups that bring together businessmen from the food sector outside the home in Ponta Grossa. Messages warning of a “scam attempt now” have become part of the routine of merchants, especially in the face of situations involving orders allegedly paid for by Pix.

The executive director of Abrasel Campos Gerais, Amanda Loureiro, reports that the same suspect even tried to apply the coup in three different establishments on the same day.

“The most surprising thing is that we saw the same day the scammer trying three times, in different places, to receive the product with false proof,” he reported.

The fraud usually occurs when the criminal makes an order and sends the establishment an image that appears to be a proof of transfer via Pix. The money, however, is not effectively credited to the company’s account. If the establishment does not check the bank movement before releasing the order, it may end up delivering the products without receiving payment.

Police direct merchants to check Pix directly into the account

Among the main recommendations presented by the Civil Police is the need not to use only the image of the voucher as confirmation of payment. The guideline is that entrepreneurs and employees directly check the statement of the bank account used by the establishment before delivering any order.

The entire team should also be guided to identify possible inconsistencies or signs of forgery in the proofs presented by customers. Another recommended alternative is to use payment via Pix directly on card machines. In this system, the QR Code is generated at the time of purchase and the merchant can wait for confirmation of payment by the equipment itself.

The recommendation is that, in the face of any doubt, the product is not delivered until the receipt of the value is effectively confirmed.

Attempt of coup must also be recorded

The Civil Police also stresses that not only the consummated coups must be communicated to the authorities. Attempts to stelionate also need to be recorded through the Occurrence Bulletin (OB). These records help investigators identify patterns, possible perpetrators, and the scale of frauds committed against city establishments.

The Abrasel Campos Gerais has reinforced the request for entrepreneurs who have gone through similar situations to seek the police and formalize the complaint, even when they perceive the fraud before suffering loss. The entity has been active in Campos Gerais since 2020 and represents companies in the food sector outside the home in more than ten municipalities in the region.

Service

Businesses who identify attempts or are victims of scams must register Occurrence Bulletin and keep information that may contribute to the investigation, such as phone numbers used, conversations, forwarded proofs and data related to the request.