Montreal police (SPVM) have arrested two men in connection with two fraud cases at family-owned restaurants in the city’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. Dity Pour, the owner of the Oxford Café, claims thieves stole her payment terminal and quickly withdrew $2,000 last month. The same thing happened in May when thieves took the payment terminal from the Sunshine Dumpling House. SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said officers arrested a 28-year-old man and a 37-year-old man, who now face several charges, with more possibly on the way. “First of all, we’re talking about theft over $5,000 and fraud that were committed. But other accusations could be held against them in the next few weeks when they reappear in court,” he said. He added that businesses should be vigilant. “Always look at your PIN pads. If you could, maybe even lock them to make sure they’re safe.” On Wednesday, the SPVM said the thieves were involved in scamming eight businesses in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Lachine, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Léonard and Ville-Marie boroughs, as well as in the Town of Mount-Royal and Pointe-Claire. The targeted businesses include restaurants, hotels, car dealerships and a store selling musical instruments. “The scheme used in several of the incidents was the same: the thieves entered a targeted business with the intention of distracting the owner or employee. They then took advantage of a moment of inattention on the part of the victim to steal the payment terminal from the counter and replace it with a similar one,” the SPVM said in a news release. “After leaving the business, the thieves would quickly use the refund function on the stolen machine to make fraudulent refunds on debit cards,” it added. Both suspects will remain detained until further court proceedings scheduled in August and October. The arrests come as a relief to Pour. “This is amazing. When I received this call, I could not even believe it. But after, I called the police department and asked them if this was true or not. They told me, yes, it is,” she said. The Oxford Café has not yet been compensated for the loss. Pour said she’s hoping insurance will cover it now that charges have been laid.
