Teen falls victim to school dinner scam

ACCOUNT emptied . . . Becki-Jo Wood

A teenager was forced to go hungry when her lunch account was cleared by other pupils.

Now Aaron Greaves, the father of Royton and Crompton year 10 school pupil Becki-Jo Wood, is calling for an overhaul of school-dinner payments because the system is easy to manipulate and open to abuse.

Becki-Jo has a thumbprint ID for her account, which her parents top up online. But the system can also be used with a four-digit pin code. Accounts at the Blackshaw Lane school can also be topped up by cash at a machine in the school.

When the system was introduced, some parents didn’t want their child’s thumbprint on file, so all pupils have an alternative four-digit access code.

Pupils can enter any four digit number at this machine until they find one that works - then use that at the canteen till in the canteen. He believes around £70 has been stolen from Becki-Jo’s account in this way in the past few months.

Aaron, of Bromley Street, Royton, said: “It’s so easy to use other pupils’ accounts to buy food. You just have to keep trying codes until one works: then it tells you the name of the student and their account balance. There’s been times when my daughter has had to go without dinner because all the money has been taken from her account.

“I spoke to someone at the school about it and they said there’s nothing they can do. My next step is to go to the police as there has been fraud to obtain Becki-Jo’s pin, then theft to buy the food and drink with it.”

A school spokesman said concerned parents should contact the school. Similar systems are in operation at several other secondary schools across Oldham.


twitter: @DawnMarsdenOC