Fraud Tip: Card Payment At Restaurants

The other day, I was at a restaurant with my colleagues for a team dinner – our manager was treating us with a sumptuous meal for a job well done. Post the dinner when the bill was presented, he pulled out his wallet, took out the Credit Card, and slid it inside the folder. What followed next was surprising. He called the waiter who gave us the bill and whispered something in his ear.

I threw a curious look as if asking if the manager was wanting something more to be served when the bill had already been presented. To this, he meekly revealed that he shared his card PIN with the waiter so that he wouldn’t have to get up and go up to the billing counter and make the payment by punching the PIN himself. I was aghast at his admission!

It is natural to feel lazy after a heavy meal at a fancy restaurant, heavy enough to not get up from the seat and walk up to the billing counter to pay the bill. But sharing your card PIN is not just an insecure practice, it may also be in violation of the cardholders agreement that you have in place with the Bank that issued you this Card.

Remember these tips when making a payment at Find-dining Restaurants and Fastfood Chains alike

1. Never share your Card PIN
2. Ask for the waiter to bring the POS machine to your dining table and discretely enter your PIN after verifying that the amount is correct
3. If the restaurant does not have a portable POS machine, walk up to the billing counter and punch your PIN there
4. Keep an eye on the Card and never let it out of sight (some restaurant staff have known to mischievous and compromise card data in the past investigations)
5. If your Card is contactless and the bill amount is within limits, pay through contactless (that way, you won’t have to enter any PIN and no chance of eavesdropping)

Remember: Protecting your sensitive data is in your own interest and first step towards fighting cyber crimes.