A clever little scam...

HellFireClub · 21-07-2011 11:48PM #1

This happened to a girl I know the other day but I only heard about it today...

Basically this scam is set up at the self service checkouts that you see at Tesco and Superquinn checkouts and is being pulled in a second of opportunity on an unsuspecting victim.

You hit the button to finish your shopping which will prompt you to pay, which means inserting your cash into the machine. It takes up to 20 seconds for the machine to take in your 50 Euro note (if that is what you are paying with), and first the coins are returned to you at the top of the machine, beside where you put your money in.

But a few seconds later, the notes that make up your change are dispensed at the bottom of the machine at your knee level.

So what happens is that after you take your coins in change, you are distracted by someone at the self service machine or who is standing beside you and asked a question of some sort (could be someone holding a product such as a can of beans, pretending that it won't scan and asking do you know how to code in the barcode number manually), so you being the helpful person that you are, you get engaged in their problem and turn your back on the machine, your change in notes is taken from the machine by an accomplice and the scam is so effective, that you are actually liable to completely lose track of the fact that you forgot to take the second part of your change (the chance that is returned in notes) from the bottom of the self service machine! You probably won't cop it until you are back in your car or back at home!

There's a sucker born every minute, don't let you be the next one!

joshrogan · 21-07-2011 11:49PM

Thanks for the idea, off to Tesco now.

starbelgrade · 21-07-2011 11:49PM

I hate self service checkouts.

I'd rather queue at the tills.

cosmicfart · 21-07-2011 11:49PM

...might try this sometime....recession and all

bassey · 21-07-2011 11:49PM

You'd have to be some capper to fall for that.

21-07-2011 11:50PM

Use earphones.

Needler · 21-07-2011 11:50PM

Sometimes people just forget to pick up their change out of those things. Always look to make sure the person infront of you has taken their change there might be a nice 20e waiting for you

Standard Toaster · 21-07-2011 11:51PM

If you get done by this 'scam' you're a idiot.

HellFireClub · 21-07-2011 11:53PM

Needler wrote: »

Sometimes people just forget to pick up their change out of those things. Always look to make sure the person infront of you has taken their change there might be a nice 20e waiting for you

This is the thing, you are more likely to forget to take your notes from this checkout than any other type of payment method. The design of the self service check out is poor and the fact that the notes are dispensed at knee level is just a stupid design flaw I think...

Knex* · 21-07-2011 11:54PM

If one day I actually manage to be rétarded enough to put 50 quid into a machine and not wait for my change just because some numpty comes up with a perceived cunning plan (Baldwick) then good luck to him.
I'd nearly be more embarrassed than annoyed when telling friends later.

Nephew · 21-07-2011 11:55PM

Hopefully someone informs the Sunday World of this scam so we can warn the nation.

TheBunk1 · 21-07-2011 11:55PM

If you get caught by this "scam", I'd question your place as a functioning member of society...

Kevin Duffy · 21-07-2011 11:56PM

Someone tried this on me recently. I was very clever in my response - "FÚCK OFF GRANDMA OR I'LL SMASH YOUR FACE IN WITH THE TIN OF BEANS". Ha! That showed her! She was an amateur, she didn't even have an accomplice! She just started crying and had to be helped onto her mobility scooter by a member of staff.....oh....wait....

Phill Ewinn · 21-07-2011 11:58PM

Send me on fiddy euro and recieve an anti-scamming cloak.

AnneElizabeth · 21-07-2011 11:58PM

I think people are being quite harsh. It's easy to to get distracted, I could see this happening to people who are not "idiots".

Latchy · 21-07-2011 11:59PM

HellFireClub wrote: »

. It takes up to 20 seconds for the machine to take in your 50 Euro note (if that is what you are paying with)

There's a sucker born every minute, don't let you be the next one!

Why would you put 50 euro in the machine if your purchases only come to less than 10 or 20 euro ? Only sucker is the person who puts a 50 euro note in the machine in the first place .

HellFireClub · 22-07-2011 12:00AM

Something similar happened to me once, I was filling up my car with diesel and a tourist came along and asked me directions, which I gave him as a finished filling up the car. He had a map in his car and asked me to go over to his car to mark his destination and his current position on the map so he could work it out from there.

So I came back to my car and got in and was 20 miles down the road before I realised that I had forgotten to pay for the diesel.

It happens! Just don't let it happen to you lol!

strokemyclover · 22-07-2011 12:01AM

Here's another tip for drug addicts: Taxi drivers usually count their notes at traffic lights. So, during those hot, drugless summer months dress up as a newspaper salesman, when you see an open driver's window, reach in and help yourself!

Brian.Clowen · 22-07-2011 12:01AM

Thanks for the idea. I do need more money. My pockets are not as full since I retired.

Mr. Denton · 22-07-2011 12:01AM

Luckily I'm unhelpful, paranoid and completely self-obsessed so this scam would probably fail on me.

That said tho, OP how big were her cans again?

Mr. Denton · 22-07-2011 12:02AM

Brian.Clowen wrote: »

Thanks for the idea. I do need more money. My pockets are not as full since I retired.

A good start. Tho it does mean you're going to be typecast from now on.

HellFireClub · 22-07-2011 12:02AM

Latchy wrote: »

Why would you put 50 euro in the machine if your purchases only come to less than 10 or 20 euro ? Only sucker is the person who puts a 50 euro note in the machine in the first place .

Ya never hear of an ATM that can only dispense 50's after all the 20's have been dispensed??? :rolleyes:

policarp · 22-07-2011 12:03AM

Standard Toaster wrote: »

If you get done by this 'scam' you're a idiot.

Not so sure about that.
Anybody can be distracted.
If you could recognise a conman
you would never be conned.

Ruu_Old · 22-07-2011 12:04AM

Great little earner!

Latchy · 22-07-2011 12:05AM

HellFireClub wrote: »

Ya never hear of an ATM that can only dispense 50's after all the 20's have been dispensed??? :rolleyes:

Well that's just tough **** because were I live you can draw up to £200 a day but in notes of tens of twentys...24/7 :rolleyes:

Never had to draw 50 notes out at any time unles I wanted to

Zebra3 · 22-07-2011 12:06AM

HellFireClub wrote: »

This happened to a girl I know the other day

Yeah, right.

HellFireClub · 22-07-2011 12:07AM

Latchy wrote: »

Well that's just tough **** because were I live you can draw up to £200 a day but in notes of tens of twentys...24/7 :rolleyes:

Never had to draw 50 notes out at any time unles I wanted to

We can't all live on Craggy Island.

Latchy · 22-07-2011 12:09AM

HellFireClub wrote: »

We can't all live on Craggy Island.

But you would love to .

Sir Oxman · 22-07-2011 12:09AM

Happens all the time at ATMS (distraction, not an aul'wan asking you how to scan a tin of beans)

Bassboxxx · 22-07-2011 12:13AM

I'm presuming it's a 2 man job, one to distract and one to grab. Lets say 50 euro put in so max 45 in notes. two ways 22.50 each and ur face on camera....sounds a bit of an unworthy risk.

the groutch · 22-07-2011 12:27AM

HellFireClub wrote: »

This happened to a girl I know the other day but I only heard about it today...

Basically this scam is set up at the self service checkouts that you see at Tesco and Superquinn checkouts and is being pulled in a second of opportunity on an unsuspecting victim.

You hit the button to finish your shopping which will prompt you to pay, which means inserting your cash into the machine. It takes up to 20 seconds for the machine to take in your 50 Euro note (if that is what you are paying with), and first the coins are returned to you at the top of the machine, beside where you put your money in.

But a few seconds later, the notes that make up your change are dispensed at the bottom of the machine at your knee level.

So what happens is that after you take your coins in change, you are distracted by someone at the self service machine or who is standing beside you and asked a question of some sort (could be someone holding a product such as a can of beans, pretending that it won't scan and asking do you know how to code in the barcode number manually), so you being the helpful person that you are, you get engaged in their problem and turn your back on the machine, your change in notes is taken from the machine by an accomplice and the scam is so effective, that you are actually liable to completely lose track of the fact that you forgot to take the second part of your change (the chance that is returned in notes) from the bottom of the self service machine! You probably won't cop it until you are back in your car or back at home!

There's a sucker born every minute, don't let you be the next one!

let me see if I can get this thread locked

ROMA GYPSIES!!!

A clever little scam...

Comments