£600 for cheese? The Brazilian beach scams that cost visitors dear

When Lisa Selby* used her debit card to pay for two slices of barbecued cheese from a beach vendor in Rio de Janeiro, she expected to pay 40 reais (£5.90) for the snack. But shortly after the payment had gone through, she realised that she had been charged 4,000 reais (£590) after the vendor added two extra zeros to the card reader. “He showed me the right number on the contactless terminal, but then turned it round to face him and, unbeknownst to me, added two zeros just as I was about to tap with my phone,” she said. “He then gestured that there was no paper for a receipt and walked away.” Holidaymakers have been warned to beware of the crime in Rio. Last month a beach vendor was arrested after a British man was duped into paying £1,500 for a kebab , while an Argentinian tourist discovered a £3 corn on the cob had cost her £3,000. What it looks like Unscrupulous traders take advantage of tourists who are unfamiliar with the local currency and are less likely to notice a doctored sum. A common ploy is to ask the customer to confirm the correct figure on the card reader, then to alter it surreptitiously before the card is presented. Some scammers thrust their card reader at the customer’s card or phone to complete the payment before the customer has checked the total. What to do The scam exposes a gap in UK consumer protection. …