Wrong Change Scam

Roquentin

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has been hit with the wrong change scam. Its where you are buying a can of coke or something cheap in a shop and you hand over a tenner and the till operator gives you the wrong change. As in he gives you the change for a fiver instead of a tenner.

It has happened to me twice (two different places). The first time i just assumed the till operator made a mistake. But it happened to me there recently in a petrol station whereby he only gave me change coins and not the five euro note as well. I told him i gave him a tenner and he said no it was a fiver. I was fuming.

On the two occasions it happened, i was not concentrating because i was chatting to someone the first time and then i was on the phone in the petrol station.

Its a pretty neat scam

wmpdd3

Are you sure, usually there's cameras directed right on the till.

The usual procedure if there's a change issue is to take the customer's details and close the till immediately and balance the till and if it is up, return the money to the customer.
Only ever happened to me once and it was returned to me 2 days later.


I have been given too much change 3 or 4 times, always in a clothes shops and always a fair amount <€40. Always gave it back though.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

No never happened to me. You must just be unfortunate.

handlemaster

Roquentin wrote: »

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has been hit with the wrong change scam. Its where you are buying a can of coke or something cheap in a shop and you hand over a tenner and the till operator gives you the wrong change. As in he gives you the change for a fiver instead of a tenner.

It has happened to me twice (two different places). The first time i just assumed the till operator made a mistake. But it happened to me there recently in a petrol station whereby he only gave me change coins and not the five euro note as well. I told him i gave him a tenner and he said no it was a fiver. I was fuming.

On the two occasions it happened, i was not concentrating because i was chatting to someone the first time and then i was on the phone in the petrol station.

Its a pretty neat scam

Its rude to be served by one and be either talking to someone else or on the phone considerate it a lesson on good manners for the future.

Roquentin

Positive, i wasnt even looking at when he was making out the change as in i wasnt looking at the green light on the till. But before i went into the shop i had looked to see what money i had, which was two fifties and a ten. Then when he gave me the change, i was a bit stunned, but said nothing. I was like, was it a fiver or a ten. But if was definitely a ten.

Im not looking for the money back or anything, its only fiver, but theres no harm in being aware and always counting your change.

Like you said though its nice to be fair. I remember i was getting a taxi once and gave him an extra twenty by accident and he told i had given him too much gave it back to me and this was after him driving me from houston station to dun laoirghe complaining about how expensive petrol was these days for taxi drivers. He could easily have just kept it and not told me. Sound guy

Roquentin

handlemaster wrote: »

Its rude to be served by one and be either talking to someone else or on the phone considerate it a lesson on good manners for the future.

Its rude as well for someone not to give you the right change, when you pay for something, regardless of social etiquette.

Roquentin

Dilan Rhythmic Goggles wrote: »

No never happened to me. You must just be unfortunate.

"Fool me once shame on you; fool me twice shame on me."

Like i said, the first time i thought it was down to human error, but the second time i felt pissed off with myself for letting it happen.

wont happen again though.

slimjimmc

As a general rule I usually say something like "here's a tenner" or "have you got change for a tenner" as I handing over the cash,especially in busy places like pubs. It
- makes the assistant aware of what I'm giving in case they don't look at it properly.
- makes the assistant aware that I'm aware of what I'm giving in case it suits them to not look at it properly.
- others behind me can hear and perhaps back me up if there's an issue.

Bepolite

Roquentin wrote: »

Its rude as well for someone not to give you the right change, when you pay for something, regardless of social etiquette.

There are safety implications in relation to being on a phone in a petrol station, on top of being pig ignorant. I pay attention when I'm being served, I've also the superpower (it really is beginning to seem like a superpower) of being able to add and subtract. I can't remember the last time I as short changed.

People make mistakes, it's fairly indicative of your attitude that you think it's a scam.

allthedoyles

Its normal procedure at most tills in my town to leave the note on the tray , until change is given .

By doing this there can be no confusion over amount handed in .

lanber man

Roquentin wrote: »

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has been hit with the wrong change scam. Its where you are buying a can of coke or something cheap in a shop and you hand over a tenner and the till operator gives you the wrong change. As in he gives you the change for a fiver instead of a tenner.

It has happened to me twice (two different places). The first time i just assumed the till operator made a mistake. But it happened to me there recently in a petrol station whereby he only gave me change coins and not the five euro note as well. I told him i gave him a tenner and he said no it was a fiver. I was fuming.

On the two occasions it happened, i was not concentrating because i was chatting to someone the first time and then i was on the phone in the petrol station.

Its a pretty neat scam

Ill be honest here. I think you're just being extremely paranoid. Couldnt imagine any company or business trying this one theres no point if you cant be profitable without stealing then you may give up. Maybe im just a little sheltered in my thoughts but not everyone is out to get you

wmpdd3

True but usually if the person on the till is on the take they have a few options:

- leave a few customers short and pocket the difference before the end of your shift, till shows correct so no issues from boss, but risk of customers complaining and getting you caught.

- do a few dodgy self refunds and pocket the difference before the end of you shift, risk the POS system being checked and you getting caught.

- just plain take form the till, till down boss checks the camera after a while

Of the options , taking from the customer seems the riskiest, but who's to say thieves thinks things through!

doublej

Roquentin wrote: »

Hi

Just wondering if anyone has been hit with the wrong change scam. Its where you are buying a can of coke or something cheap in a shop and you hand over a tenner and the till operator gives you the wrong change. As in he gives you the change for a fiver instead of a tenner.

It has happened to me twice (two different places). The first time i just assumed the till operator made a mistake. But it happened to me there recently in a petrol station whereby he only gave me change coins and not the five euro note as well. I told him i gave him a tenner and he said no it was a fiver. I was fuming.

On the two occasions it happened, i was not concentrating because i was chatting to someone the first time and then i was on the phone in the petrol station.

Its a pretty neat scam

I am of the opinion that each of the 3 parties involved in cash transactions needs to act responsibly towards the other 2 Parties.

1.The owner of the business can programme the POS/till to a "Forced Tender" . This makes the Sales Assistant key in the amount given to him/ her.

The owner can also insist that the cash tendered is never put into the till before the transaction ( change handed over) has concluded with the quantity returned being stated verbally alongside a thank you!

The correct till procedure will NEVER lead to an error but if a customer is convinced that they have given a different amount than the one for which the lower change is being given, the Assistant still has the original note on its own to show to the customer.

The owner/ manager has clear responsibilities to the staff and the customer to eliminate suspicion of till irregularities.
There are scammers on both sides of the counter; management will never benefit from thefts taking place on their premises and it is never in their interest to employ a thief.
It is also not in their interest to give a con artist more change than they were due simply because he had waved a 20 in his hand or said " here's 20" while actually handing a 10 and seeking the backup of persons behind or beside to claim that he had a 20 when a) they have also been duped or b) they are accessories.

2. The sales assistant accepts the cash, puts it on top of the till, keys in the amount tendered, counts back the change and tells the customer the amount, thank them for their custom and once the customer has thanked you for your assistance, put the money into the till and close it.

3.the customer manages to extract themselves from their phone before going to the till, trying not to put the note in their mouth because their hands are full with a phone and a 2 ltr milk!
Why any customer thinks its ok to hand over a note or credit card that has been in their mouth amazes me.
Yes,you are the most important person in the triangle, but that would not allow you to act disrespectfully to the Assistant by miming, ignoring questions, giving partial responses or grunts to queries regarding the pump that you got your fuel( and are still parked in front of) while you carried out a conversation with someone you met on the forecourt for five minutes.

Till etiquette would require you the customer to give the Sales Assistant your attention when they speak to you, they certainly do not deserve to be treated with distain.

If a sales assistant is on a phone when you present they should immediately disconnect or at very least, stop using the phone whilst you are being served. You have done the owners of the shop a great favour by selecting their store as the recipient of your hard- earned cash, you are entitled to undivided attention during your visit to the cashpoint.

Retail isn't easy, but once all sides understands their roles, it doesn't have to be a negative experience.

ted1

It's an honest mistake, the till operator would probably get a slap on the wrists fir not matching his till

mathepac

I've been short-changed 4 times in my local Centra, every time by part-time staff. I challenged each incident on the spot and had the CCTV pointed at the tills reviewed, leading to immediate refunds.

The "Forced Tender" suggestion above with a till receipt showing the change due is a good idea, but I find outside of the Dunnes & Tescos of this world, a receipt seems to be a massive inconvenience to staff. Requesting a receipt often leads to deep sighs and "tsk tsk" noises from cashiers.

The plastic clip on the outside of the register to isolate the notes tendered until completing the transaction seems to be a thing of the past.

nlgbbbblth

When buying drinks in a pub I never ever handover a €50 note. Always try and pay with the lowest note possible and use coins as much as I can instead of this breaking-a-large-note-every-time-I-go-to-the-bar bullsh*it..

Soundman

This is why if I am going to a shop I don't usually frequent, I normally put very hard creases in the note in a strange manner so it will be identifiable in the till even after it has been laid flat.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Lord, but some people are very untrusting and bordering on paranoid!

sbsquarepants

slimjimmc wrote: »

As a general rule I usually say something like "here's a tenner" or "have you got change for a tenner" as I handing over the cash,especially in busy places like pubs. It
- makes the assistant aware of what I'm giving in case they don't look at it properly.
- makes the assistant aware that I'm aware of what I'm giving in case it suits them to not look at it properly.
- others behind me can hear and perhaps back me up if there's an issue.

For some reason I can't help but picture rainman when I read this:D
No offence slim, it's probably a good idea in fairness!

UCDVet

Dilan Rhythmic Goggles wrote: »

Lord, but some people are very untrusting and bordering on paranoid!

Trust is earned. If I get the correct change all the time, I trust that I'll get the correct change in the future.

I don't really keep track of how much cash I have. I go to an ATM take out a few hundred quid and I use that to pay for things. It might last five weeks before I visit another ATM. Before I came to Dublin I was very trusting - I don't remember ever having a problem with being short-changed.

Because I don't count my change or know exactly how much money I have, it means I'm unlikely to even notice if I've been short changed. The first time I did notice, I have to assume, it could have happened before. After the first time, I lost my trust, and I started paying careful attention at every register and now I find that I'm given the wrong change once every two or three months.

I don't believe companies are doing it on purpose. But that doesn't mean employees aren't trying to make a few extra euro or that employees are just incompetent. Still, I've never been given too much change, always less.

Sometimes it's a small amount - a euro coin is missing. The biggest amount was paying with a 50 at a McDonald's and being given change for a 20.

In all of the cases, the employee quickly apologized and made the correct change - and that by itself makes me a suspicious that they weren't doing it on purpose. If I were a cashier and you gave me a 20 and told me it was a 50; well, I'm going to have to look at the register see where I put that last bill, or make sure I have a 50, or hit some buttons on the register where the computer keeps track of the amount of cash on hand and compare it to what I actually have.....so yeah, I'm suspicious.

Is it really that hard to believe that there are people who would like to have more money and have no problems taking it from customers?

Frynge

wmpdd3 wrote: »

True but usually if the person on the till is on the take they have a few options:

- leave a few customers short and pocket the difference before the end of your shift, till shows correct so no issues from boss, but risk of customers complaining and getting you caught.

- do a few dodgy self refunds and pocket the difference before the end of you shift, risk the POS system being checked and you getting caught.

- just plain take form the till, till down boss checks the camera after a while

Of the options , taking from the customer seems the riskiest, but who's to say thieves thinks things through!

Slightly off topic but if an employee is 'on the take' the third option of just plain take it from the till is by far the hardest one to catch. My company has over thirty tills on the go at any one time and obviously there will be problems from time to time. When an employee is on the take they try to be smart about it land this is how they get caught ( which unfortunately a few have done). If they just lift the money out and straight into their pocket as one previous member of staff did it becomes very difficult to catch them.

I once short changed someone by €50 when they handed in a €100 note, I was adamant I had given the wright change but when the till was cashed up it was up by €50 and the customer was contacted and had it returned to them.

I have been the victim of a number of attempts at scamming when I worked on tills. They all revolve around confusing the till operator in some way. One was where the customers starts a conversation and keeps on mentioning 'fifty euro' but then hands in five and you mistakingly hand back change of fifty.

Another was someone buys a pint with a €100 but when you give them back their change they say that they found a fiver or tenner in there pocket and would like to hold onto the €100. They try to give you the small note and get the €100 back. While in the meantime the €95 is in their pocket.

WhyTheFace

Roquentin wrote: »

Hi

On the two occasions it happened, i was not concentrating because i was chatting to someone the first time and then i was on the phone in the petrol station.

Its a pretty neat scam

The fact that both times you were ignorant enough to not engage with the cashier means:
1) you probably were given the correct change but were to distracted to know
2) you deserved to get scammed for being so rude.

Thankfully the business I work in has a policy of not engaging with anybody at the till if they are ignorant enough to be on the phone. Either they are left standing at the till while on the phone or else everyone around them is served first.

coylemj

CCTV cameras, barcodes and tighter security (including private detectives masquerading as customers) means that retail staff can't easily rip off the shop owner via pilferage any more so they just rip off the customers instead. In pubs, your best defence is to pay at the counter while you are facing the cash register, that way the barman knows that you can see the amount clocked up and therefore you know what change you're entitled to. In a pub where they don't give receipts and you pay out of sight of the till, you are a sitting duck to be ripped off.

The biggest culprits are the over-friendly staff who treat the customers so well that they (the customers) feel guilty checking their change so the customer just shoves the change straight into their pocket or purse and they get ripped off every time.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Are there any decent, honest people employed in retail any more? Reading this, it appears not.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

dudara

@lala88 - Please note that your targeted attacks on another specific poster will not be tolerated any longer. Boards will not act as a vehicle for this "vendetta". If you do this again, you will be facing a lengthy ban from Consumer Issues.

dudara

Roquentin

sorry ive forgotten this thread. it turns out when i complained to the powers that be and they checked the cameras (didnt know they had them at the till) i was right. They offered to send out the "missing fiver" but i told them to give it to charity. What became of the <SNIP> i dont know


it happened me again today and that is why i broach upon the subject. this time it was only loose change. I was missing 45 cent(medical prescription). I said given how small it was, that she probably just made an error. But then i was thinking if she was doing it to everyone (im talking nicking 10 cent) it would add up at the end of the day. Next time i go back i will see what she does (if she is there)

edit: hopefully she doesnt read this

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mistakes happen!

Roquentin

WhyTheFace wrote: »

The fact that both times you were ignorant enough to not engage with the cashier means:
1) you probably were given the correct change but were to distracted to know
2) you deserved to get scammed for being so rude.

Thankfully the business I work in has a policy of not engaging with anybody at the till if they are ignorant enough to be on the phone. Either they are left standing at the till while on the phone or else everyone around them is served first.

i hope you see the glaring contradiction there

seagull

Roquentin wrote: »

i hope you see the glaring contradiction there

I don't. Saying someone deserves to be scammed doesn't equate to saying they were scammed.

Roquentin

seagull wrote: »

I don't. Saying someone deserves to be scammed doesn't equate to saying they were scammed.

you still dont see it