Police searching for 2 men accused of stealing $2K outside Jewel through alleged tap-to-pay scam

SOUTH ELGIN, Ill. (WLS) — South Elgin police are searching for two men accused of stealing $2,000 from a suburban grocery store customer through an alleged tap-to-pay scam.

Chris Louangrath said he was walking into a Jewel-Osco in South Elgin when he was approached by a group asking for donations to help a young relative who was a gun violence victim. Louangrath said he wanted to donate $10.

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“I’m a big advocate toward helping people in the community,” Louangrath said. “And I figured, why not help out?”

According to Louangrath, the group offered a contactless payment option when he said he did not have cash.

“So they said, ‘oh, we’ll do tap-to-pay,” he said. “Just tap on the phone.”

Louangrath said he pulled out his debit card and tapped it against a phone.

Later, he checked his bank account and discovered a $2,000 charge instead of the intended $10 donation.

“I looked at the transaction on the phone and I saw a negative $2,000 out of the bank account,” Louangrath said. “I was shocked. I called the bank right away.”

The Better Business Bureau says scammers are using contactless payment fraud to steal money from unsuspecting consumers.

SEE ALSO: BBB warns of fall scams

South Elgin police said they are actively investigating the case.

“Frauds like this are felonies, which by themselves are very serious,” Deputy Chief Brett Czechowski said.

Louangrath said his bank initially provided a temporary credit but later informed him he would be responsible for the funds because he physically tapped his card. He then reached out to the ABC7 Chicago I-Team for help.

“You did reach out right away and I feel like you all can bring the awareness to the whole community,” Louangrath said.

He said the bank contacted him the next day and informed him that his fraud claim had been approved.

Louangrath said he is grateful to have his money returned but remains disappointed by what happened.

“I thought they were doing the good cause, helping out their neighbors, which I can stand for,” he said. “I would say, change your life around.”

Associated Bank said it cannot disclose information about customers’ bank accounts and declined to comment. Square said it has policies and systems in place designed to protect merchants and customers. The company said it monitors activity on its platform and may take steps, including deactivation, in accordance with its policies to help ensure consumer safety.

South Elgin police are asking anyone with information about the two people shown in surveillance photos to contact the police department at (847-741-2151).

Officials also advise consumers not to hand their phones to strangers and not to tap a card or phone to complete a transaction with someone they do not know.