Fell for the con

[SuperB]

Ok. Feel free to beat me over the head with what an idiot I am but I fell for the Change Raise con.
http://www.fraudtech.bizland.com/short_change.htm I can't believe I did since I'm pretty dilligent in making sure change is counted out, people aren't walking away and then claiming they gave me more, etc. I am absolutely floored that I fell for it.

Of course I have my husband and my son as well as the kid who used to work for us all telling me they wouldn't have fallen for it but the two Sheriff's I spoke to couldn't follow what happened either. One, in fact, still did not see it even before he left.

And it happened just like the link shows the con to work only I was taken for $50. The guy was pushy, controling, in your face, throwing the bills at me and onto the till, leaning over the counter to look in the till... and this all happened in a very short amount of time. I knew he was going to try something with the "buy my bill back" but I honestly thought I followed him. Even after the fact I didn't think he got me and it wasn't until the uneasy feeling prompted me to call my mother-in-law, who's been doing this a lot longer than I, to talk through the transaction that I saw the con. After going over it unendingly I now wonder how I didn't see it.

So I called and reported him. Felt like an idiot the whole time but he was so good, I guarantee you this guy's been conning old ladies out of their husbands pension checks as well as businesses. Then I watched a replay of the DVR and saw the direction he went. I called the next logical place for him to stop to warn them and they just happened to be there. The clerk I spoke to was able to get me their license plate number and told me he was doing the exact same thing to the other clerk.

I called the Sheriff back, gave them the plate number and told them where the guys were. (two men came in, one pulled the con) They sent a Sheriff there and managed to get a copy of their surveilance video before leaving. Mine was partially obstructed inside but I did manage to get enough to prove they were there.

Then I started making more calls. Turns out he got the store down the road, me and the store up the road all within an hour and he may have hit a store further west a week ago. They're reviewing their tapes this week to see if it's them. (poor kid who was hit there has felt pretty bad about it for over a week)

I saw (and got for the Sheriff) the video of the store just down the road and it looks to me like he got them for a lot. She doesn't speak very good english and would definitely been a good target for this guy. According to the first Sheriff, an acquaintance of ours actually, he was more forceful at the store I called when the clerk tried to stop his constantly changing transactions and may have pulled money out of their till before leaving. Kind of scary when they had two employees there and more customers and I was by myself. He said it was probably best I fell for it. Heh, worth the lesson I guess.

The car was rented in a city 3 hours away so I don't know yet if he used his own identity or someone elses. I still can't believe I didn't see it but like I said, the Sheriff's also had a hard time understanding it.

I'll update if he's caught, but in the mean time I'm tempted to print out his image from the videos I have from the other store and circulate them around the area.

[Pedersen]

Whoa. Just reading that was difficult to follow. And if I follow it correctly, the con artist made $10, and got something for free. All in all, quite amazing.

I think I'm going to have to read more of that site now.

It's sad that people like this exist, and even worse that they do manage to take advantage of decent people. I'm sorry you were a victim.

[slick]

I wouldn't freel bad at all for "falling" for that one. Its way too complicated to keep track of while reading it! Just know that one day, that person will get what they deserve.
I hate when people like this take advantage of a hard working person just trying to make a living.

[MadRocketScientist]

The only defense is to be firm and force the con man to let you do one transaction at a time. I had folks try that on me when I worked a hotel front desk. As soon as they made the first "request" for something different, I was alert. If they started getting pissy or in my face, I would politely ask them if they wanted correct change, or would they prefer I made a mistake in my favor and short-change them. Since the answer would always be no, I would take my time and count it out right, and keep control of all the cash at all times. If they started in on how they did not trust me, I would end the transaction right there and count out my drawer.

Management was not stupid, they knew that foks like that were not customers, so we could be polite, but do whatever was necessary to keep from getting conned.

[powerboy]

I hate when people like this take advantage of a hard working person just trying to make a living.

So do I.


I am sorry that you have been taken advantage of. It is not your fault.

[rerant]

People try this at my work ALL the time. I almost fell for it one time but now what I do is simple: I ignore people who try to change the money they've handed me, pretending I can't hear them then shut the drawer.
If they complain, oh well. I'm responsible for that money and, subsequently, my job.
If anyone ever puts up a stink about not getting the right change then protocol at my work is simple: the customer doesn't get a dime until we've finished cashing out our tray.
By this I mean we call a supervisor, tell them what's up, they take us in the cash office and cash us out. If we balance we know the customer is lying, if we don't they get heir money and we apologize.

[Sparkticus]

We've had this scam happening in our area a lot lately (by an organised group... we got warnings from head office they were working their way down the area)

Now I find it very very hard to do mental arithmetic... To the point where on a bad day, I can very much understand how people with dyslexia must feel! So whenever I have someone go "actually, if I give you this/that/whatever I tend to pretty much ignore them and carry on with what I originally recieved...

[Andara Bledin]

Ah, I think I might have had people try this on me when I was still selling tickets at Medieval Times.

Unfortuantely for them, I have a very good head for numbers, and a natural tendency to deal with numbers one step at a time (I taught myself collegiate algebra one summer because I was bored).

But if you're busy or aren't the type who does math for fun, this sort of thing can be really hard to spot.

^-.-^

[Imogene]

But if you're busy or aren't the type who does math for fun,

And the chicks for free?
Or, wait, that's 'Money for nothin'...'

[SuperB]

My husband actually took the picture and a copy of that web page to a couple of businesses today that we know that would be likely targets. They all think they'd never fall for it. He said he hoped not but the guy did get 4 businesses up here. Hopefully they'll report him if he even tries it.

I sooo want this guy caught!

[aurelemsrealm]

I had difficulty following the scam on the website, but think I understand it now. I usually recount their payment and set the money off to the side. Then, I usually just ignore the customer until I'm done collecting their payment and counting out any change. Once the drawer is closed, I'll consider any other requests. I have a knack for ignoring unnecessary distractions from my primary goal.

I especially love the ones who will try to distract the clerk with excessive chattiness. I'm only chatty with family and friends. I'm much less sociable toward people I don't know so well.

[SubwayGirl]

I think that would be really easy to fall for. Even if someone asks for me to trade a $5 I always make sure that I complete the transaction, hand them their change and close the drawer. Then I smile and ask what they wanted me to do. If they get pissy, I just tell them I get confused easily and want to make sure I get it right.

[ds_36]

I think just about anybody would fall for that trick, don't be to hard on yourself. The written description is pretty confusing, I think somebody needs to make a video of it so that I could understand it better.

[Sparkticus]

I especially love the ones who will try to distract the clerk with excessive chattiness. I'm only chatty with family and friends. I'm much less sociable toward people I don't know so well.

That reminds me of this matey I had come in with a bad card... bought a couple of high value items totalling about £700, and all the way through was just... TOO chatty, especially when he handed over "his" card...

oh well, he didn't get the items and didn't get the card back

[K'Z'K]

I think just about anybody would fall for that trick, don't be to hard on yourself. The written description is pretty confusing, I think somebody needs to make a video of it so that I could understand it better.

Somebody *did* make a video of it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcFUZqLAYDs

I had to watch the darn thing twice to really get it...

-K'Z'K