Money Laundering Is Done Via Phone Cards Now?

I am cashiering at a big box store. A customer that seems a little off comes up to my register. I scan his items and tell him his total. He hands me a receipt.

Me: “Sir, your total is [total].”

The customer gestures to the receipt.

Me: “This is a receipt for a prepaid phone card.”

Customer: “Use that.”

Me: “This just shows you paid for a prepaid phone card.”

Customer: “I cashed a $100 check to pay for the phone card back in electronics.”

Me: “Okay, and that shows you paid for the phone card. Your total is [total].”

Customer: *Gestures to the receipt* “I want to use that. They said you’d take care of it up here.”

Me: “I can’t help you here at the register. If you go up to the customer service desk, they will be able to help you.”

After a bit more back and forth, he goes up to the customer service desk. I turn to the next customer in line.

Me: “I’m still not quite sure what he wanted.”

Next Customer: “Me, neither.”

As I was ringing out the next customer, I couldn’t hear the conversation, but I saw a front-end supervisor come up. She then called over the head front-end supervisor. The customer talked to the head supervisor for a while, and then she walked toward the back, presumably to speak to the electronics associate. After a little bit, the customer threw his hands up in the air and walked out. Almost as soon as he left, the head supervisor came back with the asset protection manager. I called to them that the customer had just left. It was certainly the most interesting transaction of the night.