ATLANTA — Thieves are getting creative — not just stealing money, but food, too.
A new scheme is targeting restaurants and their customers, and one beloved Atlanta business is feeling the sting.
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Aviva by Kameel, which has three locations in Atlanta, says it lost nearly $1,000 from a single fraudulent online order.
According to the restaurant, someone ordered food online using a stolen credit card number, entered a building address but no unit number, then picked up the food in the building lobby before walking away. Later, the real cardholder noticed the charge and disputed it, leaving the restaurant stuck with the loss.
“You’re hurting a small business and an Atlanta institution,” said owner Nas Srouji. “Me and my family, we’ve been in Atlanta for years. I’ve grown up in Atlanta. You’re hurting our employees who work so hard to prepare these meals, and you’re hurting the guests whose credit cards you’re stealing.”
Srouji told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers the restaurant only began offering online ordering a few months ago and soon noticed a surge in disputed transactions. When staff reviewed receipts, they discovered that several fraudulent orders were linked to the same phone number and email address.
Now, they’re blocking emails and numbers connected to disputed claims.
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Channel 2 Consumer Advisor Clark Howard said small restaurants often take the hardest hit when it comes to stolen card schemes.
“If somebody orders something online from a small business and they’re using a stolen card, I lose as the business,” Howard said. “If, as the business, somebody comes in person, then that’s on the credit card company.”
He added that the problem goes beyond the initial loss.
“Restaurants are getting hurt so badly by stolen cards because they have all the cost of the labor and the food and everything, and then that money just goes out the door. And to add insult to injury, not only does the bank charge it back to the restaurant, but they charge the restaurant fees for having taken a stolen card number,” Howard said.
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The Better Business Bureau urges customers to regularly check their bank and credit card statements to spot suspicious activity as soon as it happens.
Aviva by Kameel, which first opened in 2012, is considering pressing charges. For now, the restaurant hopes sharing its story will protect other small businesses from becoming victims of the same scheme.
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