Customer hit with $2,000 bill after cafe employee makes brutal mistake in social media post

A woman has spoken out after being hit with $2,000 charges after a cafe employee made a pretty jaw-dropping mistake.

Rhonda Deaver is a regular customer at Smith's Cafe in Kinston, North Carolina, however, she might not be after this.

Last week on 30 April, Deaver visited the cafe after attending a doctor's appointment but accidentally left her card behind after paying.

When a bank representative called to notify her, she quickly turned around and headed back to the establishment, but in that time - in a bid to try and relocate the card with its owner - an employee of the cafe took to its Facebook page to make Deaver aware they had her card.

And well, you can probably guess what issue arose.

In a bid to identify the card owner, the employee took to the group 'Word of Mouth Kinston'.

The caption of the post read: "Hey guys Mrs Rhonda Deaver you've left your debit card here at the store we have placed it in a secure location please if you know her let her know we have it and would love to make sure it's returned!!"

And what makes the caption so tragic, is that despite the employee's best intentions in letting Deaver know her card was safe and in 'a secure location', they also uploaded two pictures of the credit card - the front and the back.

Not only this, but they did so without editing the image, meaning Deaver's details were on full show for all of the social media group - sort code, bank account number and security code.

Alas, the card wasn't so 'secure' anymore and the employee's mistake led to some consequences for Deaver.

Deaver told WCTI as quoted by ABC 7: "I couldn’t believe that they did that, but I was sick, thinking I might be responsible for all those charges."

By the time she was reunited with her card, thankfully, a 'whole lot' of charges had 'declined' but there were 'a whole lot that went through' before she was able to close the account connected to the card.

She told WRAL that she lives on a fixed income and so doesn't have 'extra money every month to cover the bills' that someone charged to her card - the card racking up a total of around $2,000 after its details were posted online.

Better Business Bureau's Mereditch Radford has since revealed that you should never upload a photograph of a debit or credit card to social media even if you block out the numbers, because someone may be able to reverse a scribbling out of the details in some way.

She added: "Even if it is to find the person, it’s easy enough to cancel your credit card and get a new one with your company, that’s not worth it."

Source : https://www.unilad.com/news/money/north-carolina-customer-bill-cafe-posts-card-details-572533-20240509

Comprehension

What happened to Rhonda Deaver at Smith's Cafe in Kinston, North Carolina?
How did the cafe employee try to locate Rhonda Deaver?
What did the employee post on the Facebook group 'Word of Mouth Kinston'?
What information was visible in the photos of Rhonda Deaver's debit card?
How much money was charged to Rhonda Deaver's card after the incident?
How does Rhonda Deaver describe her financial situation?
What advice did the Better Business Bureau's Mereditch Radford give regarding posting photos of debit or credit cards on social media?
What should Rhonda Deaver have done instead of posting the photos of her debit card?

Discussion

Have you ever accidentally left your debit or credit card behind at a store or restaurant? How did you handle the situation?
What are some other ways a cafe employee could have tried to locate Rhonda Deaver without posting her card details online?
How do you think Rhonda Deaver felt when she found out about the charges on her card?
If you were in Rhonda Deaver's situation, how would you have reacted to the cafe employee's mistake?
What are some steps you can take to protect your financial information and prevent identity theft?
Do you think the cafe employee's intentions were good, even though their actions caused harm to Rhonda Deaver?
How can businesses educate their employees about the importance of protecting customer information?
What are some ways you can be a responsible and cautious social media user when it comes to sharing personal information?
Have you ever experienced a similar situation where a business made a mistake that affected you financially or emotionally?
What advice would you give to Rhonda Deaver or others who have been in a similar situation?

Vocabulary

Debit card- A payment card that deducts money directly from a consumer's checking account to pay for a purchase.
Secure location- A place that is safe and protected from unauthorized access or harm.
Sort code- A 6-digit number used in the United Kingdom and Ireland to identify a specific bank branch.
Security code- A 3- or 4-digit number on a credit or debit card used for additional security when making purchases.
Declined- When a payment is rejected or not approved by the card issuer.
Fixed income- A steady source of money, such as a pension or government benefits, that does not fluctuate.
Reverse- To undo or change the direction of something.
Identity theft- The fraudulent use of someone's personal information to obtain credit, loans, or other benefits in their name.