2024-01-08 21:35:00
If before traders needed to be aware of counterfeit notes, now the risk is Pix
Customer movement at the cash register of a store in the central region of Campo Grande (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)
In the era of the digital wallet, if before traders needed to be careful about counterfeit bills, now the trend is the Pix scam. The fast and cost-free bank transfer method came to make life easier for those who pay, but it has become yet another reason for apprehension for those on the other side of the counter. From false receipts to payments scheduled and then canceled by the customer, it is rare to find a business that has not defaulted at least once.
After falling for the scam twice, with the same customer, in different stores, the manager of Prisma Cosméticos, on Rua 14 de Julho, in the Center of Campo Grande, Vanessa Alves, 33 years old, says that the solution was to adopt payment via of the QR Code. In just one of the purchases, the loss was almost R$500.
Accepting payment on Pix only via QR Code was a solution found by merchants to avoid scams (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)
“We didn’t file a police report because it takes a long time and people have to move the store. Now, when we make the delivery and the customer makes payment via Pix, we only deliver the product after confirming that Pix fits into the account”, declares the manager.
The owner of the Shop Tudo stationery store, also in the central region, Lucas Fernandes, 32 years old, says that when Pix appeared, they accepted transfers through the company’s CNPJ and always checked payments. But even with all their care, customers were defaulted on at least twice.
Now at the service counter it is only using the QR Code, both to avoid scams and to speed up the process. Here at the front we only release the purchase if the receipt is uploaded to the machine”, emphasizes the businessman.
The owner of the Planeta Baby children’s clothing store, located on Rua 14 de Julho, Kadija Akra, 24 years old, says she is aware of how scammers act, which is why she pays extra attention when receiving a payment via bank transfer. “Whenever they do Pix, we check it first. There are people who don’t like it, but we always do it. There are people who schedule Pix and then cancel it, or even send a false receipt.”
Fake notes – The manager of Prisma Cosméticos, Vanessa Alves, says that at least once a month an unsuspecting customer tries to pass a counterfeit bill into the store. To avoid the problem, employees working at the cash register are instructed to use a pen that detects counterfeit notes. “Most of the time, customers say they didn’t even know it was a fake bill,” she says.
The manager of the Mateplass utility store, Taine Rodrigues, says she has the same problem. “Fake notes are quite common, but they are detected using the pen, Pix is also made using the QR Code”, she explains.
Manager of the cosmetics store, Vanessa says that at least once a month customers appear with fake bills (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)
Petty theft – Despite needing to keep their eyes open as the “smart guys” attempt to take advantage, Lucas Fernandes reports that the store’s main loss is still petty theft, especially of small materials, such as pens and colored pencils. “We already work with a loss margin thinking about these losses and small thefts”.
The manager of the Mateplass utility store, Taine Rodrigues, did not fall for the Pix scam. The trader’s biggest “headache” is also caused by theft. “What we suffer most from is petty theft. Theft of pens, mugs. We don’t register a BO because it takes a long time and there’s no way to identify the person, there are many blind spots in the store, and because it’s big and has a large flow of people, it’s not always possible to prevent all thefts.”
In stationery stores, theft of pens and pencils is frequent, according to reports from traders (Photo: Henrique Kawaminami)
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