The Same Old Scam, I Kid You Not

(I cashier at a small mom-and-pop place in a fairly small town, nowhere near any major cities. On this day, two kids approach my register with a handful of various cheap candies.)

Me: “Well, hello there! Is this everything for you?”

Kid #1: “Yeah!”

Me: *totaling their purchases* “Okay, that comes to $9.59 exactly.”

([Kid #1] hands me a $10. I set it down on the counter while punching it into the register.)

Me: “Okay, and out of $10, that comes to—”

Kid #1: “I gave you a $20!”

Me: “Excuse me?”

Kid #2: “He gave you a $20!”

(There is a pause as I stare at them in confusion.)

Me: “Uh, I’m sorry, but no, you didn’t.” *I pick up the $10 bill* “This is all you gave me.”

(Now the kids look confused.)

Kid #1: “But… the other boys at school said if we tell you we gave you a $20 you’ll give us more money back.”

(My heart sinks as I now realize what these kids are trying to do.)

Me: “I see. Well, first off, let me tell you what you did wrong. You’re supposed to wait until I put the money in my register and give you your change before you say anything.”

(Both kids’ faces light up.)

Kid #1: “Ooooh! That makes more sense!”

Kid #2: “Yeah, can you give us the $10 and let us try again? We’ll get it right this time!”

Me: “Well… no, because second off, what you’re trying to do is basically steal from the store. You’re trying to trick me by lying to me, and take money from the register that isn’t yours. That’s money the store needs to buy stock, pay bills, and of course, give me my salary.”

(Both kids faces now turn shocked.)

Kid #1: “Oh… sorry! We didn’t know, honest!”

Me: “I know you didn’t. Just might want to tell the boys at school what they’re doing is wrong.”

Kid #2: “Can we have the $10 back? We need it to go see a movie.”

(I handed back their money and voided the purchase. They left, hopefully now wiser and better, while I shook my head that apparently this well-known scam had spread so far that even the kids in my little “Nowheresville” town were being told about it and how to pull it off.)