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As promised in my introductory thread, the fake $500 traveller's check:
It's early December, middle of the week, at your Friendly Mall Record Store (though it looked more like a warehouse then, it now has initials that spell out a word that rhymes with "pie," For Your Edification...). It's busy, but not terribly so; even during the holidays, weekdays aren't that bad. A gentleman walks in looking for an X-Bawks. We tell him, yes, we do have one in stock, and bring one to the front counter. We help him pick out a few games, a controller, and a CD or two, figuring some kid's going to have a pretty good Christmas, and Dad is awesome for not waiting til the last minute. I ring him up, total's somewhere in the $300 range.
Up until this point, it was a fairly straightforward transaction. We actually enjoyed helping the guy because he was very friendly. I tell him the total, and then it takes a turn for the stupid.
He asks if we take traveller's checks. We do, and I tell him. He opens his checkbook, and I go to mental yellow alert, because I can see he already has yesterday's date written on it, as well as a signature. They're supposed to do both when the check is presented.
It's also for $500. And the ink is wearing off where it's been folded. And it's printed crooked. By an inkjet printer. Upgrade to Red Alert, NUmber One.
All this I can see from six feet away, but I remain silent until he hands the check over. Upon closer inspection, I also note there is no watermark, nor is there a hologram. The raised printing is also missing.
I call the other manager over.
"Hey, Other Manager, what's our policy on traveller's check again?"
Other Manager looks at it and without even a pause says "Yeah, I'm sorry, we can't take that."
Naturally the customer, or scammer, rather, asks why not. Other manager doesn't mince words.
"Well, because it's not real," she tells him. The scammer has the nerve to argue.
"Yes it is," he insists. "I just got it from the bank this morning. How do you now it's not real?"
Other Manager now starts ticking points off on her fingers, as I just stand there an enjoy the show. Other customers in line are now paying attention and are showing signs of amusement.
"Well, first, it's printed on normal paper, by an inkjet printer, which I can tell because the ink is rubbing off, as well as being printed crooked. There's no raised lettering, no watermark, and no hologram."
At this point, I would have given up. Not this guy, though. He's in for the pound, as it were.
"There most certainly is a hologram on there!" he says, as though we'll magically take his word for it over what our own eyes are telling us. Other manager and I share a look and a Whisky Tango Foxtrot moment.
"Uh, no there's not." Other Manager replies.
Again the scammer insists that there is a hologram on his poorly forged check. Other Manager, exasperated, grabs one of the X-Bawks games with a hologram and shoves it in his face.
"No, it doesn't! This is a hologram!" She points to it. "Right here! There is nothing even remotely resembling a hologram on this check!" She thrusts the check back to the scammer (and this is the only point I disagreed with her on; I thought we should have kept the check) and tells him, again, we're not taking it.
Thankfully the guy finally buys a clue and leaves, telling us "he'll go to an ATM and be right back."
If you guessed we never saw him again, you'd be right.
It's early December, middle of the week, at your Friendly Mall Record Store (though it looked more like a warehouse then, it now has initials that spell out a word that rhymes with "pie," For Your Edification...). It's busy, but not terribly so; even during the holidays, weekdays aren't that bad. A gentleman walks in looking for an X-Bawks. We tell him, yes, we do have one in stock, and bring one to the front counter. We help him pick out a few games, a controller, and a CD or two, figuring some kid's going to have a pretty good Christmas, and Dad is awesome for not waiting til the last minute. I ring him up, total's somewhere in the $300 range.
Up until this point, it was a fairly straightforward transaction. We actually enjoyed helping the guy because he was very friendly. I tell him the total, and then it takes a turn for the stupid.
He asks if we take traveller's checks. We do, and I tell him. He opens his checkbook, and I go to mental yellow alert, because I can see he already has yesterday's date written on it, as well as a signature. They're supposed to do both when the check is presented.
It's also for $500. And the ink is wearing off where it's been folded. And it's printed crooked. By an inkjet printer. Upgrade to Red Alert, NUmber One.
All this I can see from six feet away, but I remain silent until he hands the check over. Upon closer inspection, I also note there is no watermark, nor is there a hologram. The raised printing is also missing.
I call the other manager over.
"Hey, Other Manager, what's our policy on traveller's check again?"
Other Manager looks at it and without even a pause says "Yeah, I'm sorry, we can't take that."
Naturally the customer, or scammer, rather, asks why not. Other manager doesn't mince words.
"Well, because it's not real," she tells him. The scammer has the nerve to argue.
"Yes it is," he insists. "I just got it from the bank this morning. How do you now it's not real?"
Other Manager now starts ticking points off on her fingers, as I just stand there an enjoy the show. Other customers in line are now paying attention and are showing signs of amusement.
"Well, first, it's printed on normal paper, by an inkjet printer, which I can tell because the ink is rubbing off, as well as being printed crooked. There's no raised lettering, no watermark, and no hologram."
At this point, I would have given up. Not this guy, though. He's in for the pound, as it were.
"There most certainly is a hologram on there!" he says, as though we'll magically take his word for it over what our own eyes are telling us. Other manager and I share a look and a Whisky Tango Foxtrot moment.
"Uh, no there's not." Other Manager replies.
Again the scammer insists that there is a hologram on his poorly forged check. Other Manager, exasperated, grabs one of the X-Bawks games with a hologram and shoves it in his face.
"No, it doesn't! This is a hologram!" She points to it. "Right here! There is nothing even remotely resembling a hologram on this check!" She thrusts the check back to the scammer (and this is the only point I disagreed with her on; I thought we should have kept the check) and tells him, again, we're not taking it.
Thankfully the guy finally buys a clue and leaves, telling us "he'll go to an ATM and be right back."
If you guessed we never saw him again, you'd be right.
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