Lee Mark Warns of Credit Card Fraud Tied to BPOs

Restaurant owner Lee Mark Chang says Belize’s BPO sector is at the center of a growing credit card fraud problem. Chang says he has proof that stolen credit card details are being sold and used for online shopping, leading to hundreds of costly chargebacks from banks. While he admits call centers are vital to Belize’s economy, Chang warns this growing scam is hurting businesses so badly that restaurants may have to stop accepting online credit card payments altogether. And it doesn’t stop there, he revealed fraudsters are now beating security checks by sending fake ID photos to override verification systems. His message? This is serious, and it needs urgent action.

 

Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace

“I have not made an issue out of it publicly, reason being our local economy is highly dependent on these jobs. A lot of young people come out. They get paid very well. It is much better than the minimum wage. And so, they make their money and everybody is happy. The call center gets their English-speaking workers. We get our income for the locals, job for the locals and it is a win-win situation. But when credit card information is stolen and I do not say this lightly. I say this with evidence. I am telling you have facts where credit card information is being sold, given, traded or given to people to use and how we know it is fraud is when the bank says there is a charge back for these accounts and we are not talking about five, then fifteen twenty, we are talking about hundreds of charge backs. I quietly investigate these matters and try to come to an amicable solution with person. If you use your credit card, one of the deterrent, was you need an id. That was one of the good deterrents and it was hard for them to get away with the credit cards. Now, they are using pictures of the id, and they are sending it as part to override our security protocols. We will have to see and if it continues, we will stop accepting online credit cards outright.”