Massive Credit Card Scam Alleged in Belize’s BPO Sector

Belize’s booming BPO industry is making headlines tonight, but not for the right reasons. A well-known Belize City businessman is raising the alarm about what he calls a massive credit card scam tied to BPO employees. We’re talking about hundreds of fraudulent transactions, mounting chargebacks, and serious questions about security and accountability. Could this be a threat to one of the country’s fastest-growing sectors? News Five’s Paul Lopez investigates the allegations and what they could mean for the local economy.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Could Belize’s BPO sector be compromised? One businessman warns of credit card fraud linked to employees.

 

Lee Mark Chang, Owner, Chon Saan Palace

“How we know it is fraud is when the banks send back the statement and say ok there is a charge back for these accounts and we are not talking about five, ten, fifteen, twenty. We are talking about hundreds of charge backs.”

 

Chargebacks exist to keep consumers safe. Banks can reverse charges on debit or credit card transactions, usually in cases of fraud. Chang says he’s been hit with hundreds of these chargebacks, all pointing to transactions involving BPO employees.

 

Lee Mark Chang,

“I have not made a big issue out of it public, reason being our local economy is highly dependent on these jobs. A lot of young people coming out they get paid very well. it is much better than the minimum wage and so they make their money and everybody is happy. But when credit card is being stolen and I say this with evidence, I do not say this lightly. I have facts where credit card information is being sold, given, traded to people or given to people to use.”

 

Chang showed us receipts for over 400 chargebacks from online orders at his restaurant, and some patterns stand out. In March, a ninety-dollar charge went to a U.S. card under the name Justice, delivered near New Road and Hyde’s Lane. A month later, the same card was used again, this time listed as Belizean and delivered to a similar spot. Another case? A seventy-nine order in March 2024 using a U.S. card belonging to Jackson, but the customer’s name was Pell. Justice’s card alone was used more than a dozen times by different people at different addresses, all in the same area. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

 

Lee Mark Chang

“If you use a credit card one of our deterrent is you use an ID of the person. That is one of the good deterrent and so it was very hard for them to get away with it. Now what they are using, they are talking pictures of the ID and sending it to override our security protocols.”

 

The BPO Sector has become an important economic lifeline in Belize. To date, the sector has created more than twenty thousand jobs. But Chang says he has found himself at a crossroad, because Belize’s legislation cannot protect him from these actions.

 

Lee Mark Chang

“I have made numerous statement and reports to the police department and their hands are practically tied. Our laws does not have enough teeth to prosecute these instances and I am advocating that the government change these laws ro put stiffer penalties for people who commit fraud.”

 

As the BPO industry continues to provide thousands of jobs and drive economic growth, these allegations highlight a troubling gap in consumer protection and enforcement. For now, business owners like Lee Mark Chang are calling for stronger laws and stiffer penalties to combat fraud. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.