Munroe addresses Bay Street stores allegedly defrauding tourists, calling it ‘foolish’ and ‘self-destructive’

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe is concerned that some Bay Street businesses are allegedly defrauding tourists, thus jeopardising the country’s tourism industry.

Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) research and training manager Lavade Darling said last week that “certain stores” on Bay Street target tourists, particularly cruise ship passengers.

“They would purchase an item for X amount of dollars and they give you some free items, and when these tourists get back to their home, they find that their credit card has been charged $10,000, $15,000 for an item that really only should cost what they agreed to purchase.”

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NATIONAL Security Minister Wayne Munroe met with US Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts speaking on issues with Bay Street businesses allegedly defrauding tourists. Photos: Moise Amisial

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander said he had “no information” about this when asked yesterday.

Mr Munroe also said he is unaware of the issue but urged people to complain to authorities if they are affected.

“(For) police to become involved, a complaint (is required),” he said. “Once a complaint is made, then that one should be very easy to investigate because the charge would be at a merchant terminal which would be assigned to a particular business which would be used by a particular person. And then if they cannot show that they have provided goods to the value of what is shown on the charts, then there would be a problem.”

Mr Munroe said defrauding tourists is self-destructive.

“You are foolish, because you can track credit card charges back to a terminal,” he said. (And) that’s self-destructive for your business, (for) every hotel worker, (for) everyone who depends on a hotel worker to work, (for) everything that drives this country’s tourism.”

“And if you mess with that, then you’re messing with the country’s prosperity, and there should be strict enforcement of that. And if it’s happening, we would invite the complaints.”

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