The guide shares details about the new Wagon Wheel Scam targeting many restaurant owners and customers.
A local establishment in the United States has reported that they believed many restaurant employees were using the Wagon Wheel Method to steal money from businesses in the past three months. The case was registered on 20th Sept 2021, and the local police arrested four individuals under different sections.
The establishment claims that four employees from the restaurant are using the common industry scam to rob money from the business over three months. It is referred to as Wagon Wheel Scam. Continue reading to learn more about the scam and the people involved in the scam.
What is the Wagon Wheel Method?
The wagon Wheel scheme is the old method of doing frauds and scams. When a customer orders a meal, the waiter comes to take the order, and they not only serve the meal but also add a milkshake as complimentary.
In the end, when customers receive the bill, they pull out cash or a card to pay the bill. But, before closing the transaction, the waiter tricks and open a new bill and transfer the cost of the milkshake from original bill to a new one and closes the server and steal the price of the milkshake.
Who Are Involved in the Wagon Wheel Scam?
After evaluating, we found details of the four individuals that are being alleged for the scam. As per the sources, the four employees that are involved in the scam are:
- Katarina Zirdum, 31, Cape May
- Bojan Balaban, 28, Seattle
- Ana Galesic, 34, Cape May
- Verginia Gheorghita, 27, Miami
These are the employees from the city restaurant that are being charged for conspiracy and committing the scam. According to the detectives and local police, these individuals have committed the Wagon Wheel Scam to steal an amount of $25 000 over three months.
How Does the Scam Work?
The wagon Wheel scheme is a commonly used scam across the hospitality industry. The scheme involves transferring the complementary meals that the server is liable for, making themselves across diverse bills, and then stealing the meal’s price without the restaurant owner’s knowledge.
After the investigation, the detectives and Cape May Police Department found the employees mentioned above guilty, and they were committing the Wagon Wheel Scam by creating ghost checks.
So, these scammers were charged with 2C:20-3a (third Degree Crime), Conspiracy for Theft 2C:5-2A (1), and other charges.
How to Prevent the Wagon Wheel Method?
Restaurants are requested to implement solutions to monitor and resolve the tactics and behaviors that often go unnoticed. There is a data analytics platform designed to help identify profit-making behaviors by implementing intelligent analytics to the data sources to gather information and alert restaurant owners about any fraudulent activities.
Restaurant owners must also learn the tips on how to protect yourself from a scam.
Conclusion
Wagon Wheel Scam targets many restaurant-goers and other loyal customers. Hence, the city restaurant owner reported the scam after identifying the profit-gaining behavior of some employees. As the case was lodged, the authorities investigated and found four employees performing the scam and charged under different sections.
Have you ever got scammed by the scammers by the Wagon Wheel Scheme? Then, please mention in the comment section how you reported the scam.