Boycott San Pedro !

gringoloid says on Jun 6, 2008, 17:48:

I've said this before............I was paying my restaurant bill with a credit card and I noticed the cashier fumbling with a phone in one hand and my credit card in another hand.

I didn't figure it out until later that he was photographing my credit card with his camera phone.

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Robert Jorge says on Jun 6, 2008, 17:58:

I have never heard of credit card fraud in the US or Canada.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

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tejasmarcos says on Jun 6, 2008, 18:27:

i never use credit cards out on the town. cash only...

trying to walk a straight line on sour mash and cheap wine...

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brad216 says on Jun 6, 2008, 18:43:

why is it the restaurants fault when it's an individual who stole the credit card. do you think the restaurant looks at every transaction to see if someone is paying two bills? it's the thief you should be mad at not the restaurant. if it was an employee they will be fired if you bring it to their attention. maybe you can make a list of all the restaurants that have had fraud so we will know not to go there anymore lol. san pedro is a very nice restaurant with excellent food and in a great location next to the church. the manager was one of the nicest people i met while in cartagena. don't try to ruin a restaurants reputation because your friend had fraud on his card. next time tell him to pay cash and avoid the 2 or 3% transaction fee

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homer says on Jun 6, 2008, 18:47:

I also had the pleasure of dining at the cafe san pedro and the staff were kind enough to bill me for two meals,3 minutes apart.Im now trying to get the charges reversed

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NCMike says on Jun 6, 2008, 19:03:

This could have happened easily in the States. And it has happened, right here in my city (Charlotte NC). When I first moved here, I had a roommate that turned out to be a thief. He worked at a restaurant and got the idea to scam customers this way: When people paid with cash, he pocketed it. When other customers paid with credit cards, he wrote down the numbers to use later. When someone paid in cash, he would take other customers' credit card numbers he had written down and enter them into the credit card machine that businesses use, but enter the number manually as is done when the magnetic stripes can't be read. I probably shouldn't repeat this story much and give anyone ideas. But he knew he would be found out in time and moved to Atlanta before he got caught. It came to light a couple of weeks or so after he quit, the next time these customers got their statements and saw the had been billed multiple times for one restaurant visit.

A detective interviewed many of the coworkers and those of us who knew him. I got calls at the house from businesses where he had ordered stuff over the phone. (This was before everyone had a cell phone about 12 years ago).

My point would be to try and not hold it too much against the restaurant. They should be able to pinpoint the server that has this happening and fire him or her. I don't know how helpful the Cartegena police would be. But as for the customers' liability, I understand that in the US, depending on the bank and agreement, the customer is responsible for a maximum of $50 in fraud charges. This is sadly a common problem. I've had it happen to me (different thief) and have known others that this has happened to and not had to pay anything. The discouraging thing is that not many businesses nor the credit issuing banks pursue charges against these crooks becuase it costs them more than just to write off the loss.

Having said that, I still go to restaurants where they take my card when I pay. Just check your statements regularly. I like to check mine online you can usually see the next day after you've made a charge. When you see something suspicious, report it!! You will not be charged for it most likely. You may have to file a police report, however, depending on the amount, and where you live.

Sorry about this experience. I hope your friend doesn't give up on Colombia becuase of this. Really, if he does, he's being ridiculous, in my opinion. I would say he shouldn't even give up on that restaurant. I bet the management is very embarrassed, and looking to make some heads roll. Popular places in tourist areas like Cartegena don't want problems. I may be naive. But they could get their permit to use MC/Visa etc. taken away if they continue to have fraudulent charges.

Good luck.

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jinksmiester says on Jun 6, 2008, 22:54:

Credit card fraud can happen anywhere.Ive kept my c.c. usage to a min in colombia and its rare i will even have them in my wallet.I will keep them locked up and put away elsewhere and carry my atm card and cash with occationaly one c.c.Sometimes i won,t even carry the atm card..just cash. If im traveling between citys i,ll take the atm card and one c.c..I figure that if i were robbed it limits access to at least some of my accounts and i won,t end up hung to dry having to cancel everything and no access to any cash.Getting robbed would suck...but getting robbed of everything in a forien country would be even worse without access to cash or at least one c.c..that was,nt canceled.

A man is not old until regret takes the place of dreams

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peteyw says on Jun 7, 2008, 12:12:

You can ripped off in places in Cartagena using cash. A friend came to visit me on his vacation. First night I took him to Mr. Babilla's. My buddy doesn't drink alcohol and ordered a glass of juice. When the waiter came to collect, he told my friend the cost was 50,000 pesos!! It should have been 6,000. My friend had no idea what 50k was in U.S. dollars, he just paid the 50 and another 5K tip. He told me next day, we return to Babilla's and the waiter just shook his head and claimed he didn't remember, the management did nothing.

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chester says on Jun 7, 2008, 12:57:

hahaha...first trip to Cali, I had bought a small cup of coffee from a street vendor near the shopping area Galleria, it was about 200 pesos, worth about a dime at the time. and so I figured I now knew the price of a small cup of coffee on the street.

anyway, a few days later, I was near the central commercial district with a calena when we stopped in a park.

a street vendor was was wheeling about a wagon with cafes and so I ordered a small cup of coffee.

since my spanish is limited, when I asked him how much and he replied 3 thousand pesos, I misunderstood and reached into my pocket for 300 pesos and said 'here you go my good man, and a propino for you too".....

he tried to protest but I kept telling him 'you're welcome" and to keep the change .

finally he looked at the calena and said "this muyerfuyer doesn't understand spanish does he"

she just sadly shook her head and added that I was a cheap b*stard too......hahahahaha

oh yeah, I also demanded the peddler tell me a story about the statue in the park, a statue of the patron homeboy of Cali or something.

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panthdave says on Jun 7, 2008, 15:54:

CC Fraud happens everywhere...Yes at night when I get shit faced I use cash only but decent restaurants use a Credit Card. Won't use my debit card except certain ATM's but comfortable using my credit card...

panthdave Miami

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NCMike says on Jun 7, 2008, 19:17:

chester I LOVE that story!!!! ...I also demanded the peddler tell me a story about the statue in the park, a statue of the patron homeboy of Cali or something.

That cracks me up, especially since you admit you didn't really understand Spanish. haha I don't understand but I want a story dammit!!!!! hahah no wonder they hate us sometimes. They guy probably wasn't telling you about that statue!!!!

There was a shoeshine boy in the Zona T in Bogota that tried to scam me. Shines were going for about 2000 or 3000 I think. I didn't ask him the price, but I'd had shines around there before. He went on and on about his liquido especial... When it was time to pay he said 20000. I said PARA QUE???? again.... LIquido espeCIAL!!!!! Whatever , I think I gave him 4k maybe.. and my friends later laughed at me and said yes he put some dirty black water on my shoes.

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panthdave says on Jun 8, 2008, 04:18:

Where 3000 for coffee..You crazy..Cientos maximum

panthdave Miami

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Ctg Bound says on Jun 8, 2008, 08:17:

capt.lou,

It happens everywhere, it is no Colombia specific, I NEVER pay with a credit card at restaurants or shops IN ANY COUNTRY, always cash.

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tigredelnorte2 says on Jun 8, 2008, 09:08:

use cash dude, always.

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