Suspicious bank transactions reported by restaurant customers in Liverpool appear to extend beyond a single venue, with people who never visited the restaurant also coming forward.
Earlier this week, the ECHO reported how Gary Usher, former owner of Wreck Bistro (previously Wreckfish) in Liverpool's Ropewalks area, posted a social media video saying some past customers had been hit with suspicious transactions from their bank accounts. Scores of people reported mystery withdrawals, all of whom had previously booked and eaten at Wreck, which closed in October.
Wider impact reported
Some people reported transactions listed to companies they had never heard of, such as Brandon Plumbing and Connected. Wreck no longer exists, having changed hands to become Seel & Slater restaurant, operated by different owners.
Now the situation appears to go wider than former Wreck customers. While more people who ate at Wreck have reported suspicious transactions, many others have come forward with similar transactions despite never having booked or eaten at the restaurant.
One person told the ECHO: "I saw the article regarding false payments. I too have had the same. However, I haven't been to Wreckfish... I'm wondering if there's something else at play here?"
Another said: "I've had this though and I never went to Wreckfish or the new one."
Customers share experiences
Responding on Facebook, one reader said: "I've not been to Wreck or the new restaurant but at the weekend I had £73.55 taken by Brandon Plumbing. Bank was brilliant and repaid it. It had been set up as a subscription."
Another ECHO reader said: "I've had these exact same scam payments come out of my bank this week but I haven't been to Wreck - so it must be somewhere else in Liverpool too."
Responding, another said: "Same here. I have been to another Liverpool restaurant but it appears there is no link to the group mentioned."
A number of customers told the ECHO that the money removed from their accounts has now been returned after speaking to their banks.
Payment platform involved
In his comments online, Mr Usher said the reports he was receiving from former Wreck customers showed transactions coming from a payment processing company called Stripe, which allows businesses to accept online payments.
He said: "We immediately let Stripe know last week on Friday, by all accounts they have done nothing about it. A couple of people have got in touch with their bank and it has been refunded by their bank. All we can do is say please alert your bank, please get in touch with Stripe the same as we have. Our hands are pretty tied on this as the business (Wreck) doesn't exist but we will keep you posted."
Stripe is an Irish-American financial services platform that allows businesses to accept payments and manage money movement. The company told the ECHO that while it doesn't comment on individual users, it confirmed it is aware of the situation and that it investigates such matters when brought to its attention.
Seel & Slater response
The ECHO previously heard from a spokesperson for Seel & Slater, which is now up and running in the former Wreck Bistro site.
They told the ECHO: "On Friday, we became aware that a former customer of Wreck Bistro had reported a suspicious transaction of approximately 8 US dollars, which appeared to be connected to Wreck Bistro's former reservation platform. When Seel & Slater took over the premises from Elite Bistros, we did not take on its payment system or reservation platform. We contacted Elite Bistros to make them aware of the matter and also liaised with the payment processing company, Stripe, to bring the issue to its attention.
"Unfortunately, Stripe was unable to provide any information to Seel & Slater, as we were not the owner of the account. We therefore reported the matter to the relevant authorities and have continued to lobby Stripe to ensure that the public and former Wreck Bistro customers are protected. Stripe has confirmed that the transaction in question is not connected to Seel & Slater. We have also continued to support the customer who contacted us, and remain available to assist the relevant authorities in any way we can to help identify those responsible."
