Theft of point-of-sale card reader caught on camera in Burnaby store

The operators of a Burnaby furniture store are warning their fellow retailers after thieves stole a point-of-sale card reader off their checkout desk.

The incident happened at the Accents@Home store in Brentwood Town Centre earlier this week. A couple walked in as staff were preparing to close up for the night, according to one of the store's directors.

They spent between three and five minutes in the store, and took the device while a staff member wasn't looking.

Video of the theft shared with CTV News shows a man standing close to the till, facing away from it, apparently talking with a woman who is looking at a couch.

The man then turns around and quickly removes the card reader from the desk and places it into a blue shopping bag from another store.

The pair then moves to leave the store.

According to the shop's director, the manager who was on duty noticed that the machine was gone a few minutes after the couple left, as she was closing up for the day.

The manager immediately reported the incident to mall security and the RCMP. The store also contacted the point-of-sale merchant to ensure the machine is disconnected and there is no data breach.

The director who spoke to CTV News said the store hopes by sharing the video, it can help other business owners be more aware of the risk of this kind of theft during the holiday season.

Thieves with the right technical knowledge can use stolen point-of-sale terminals to transfer money from a store's ownership to a cardholder, or to gain access to cards the terminal has previously read.