Abingdon
Police Department
For Immediate
Release
Merchants
Beware of Quick Change Artists
Quick-change
artist, or change
raising, is a common short con that involves an offer to change an
amount of money with someone, while at the same time taking change or bills
back and forth to confuse the person as to how much money is actually being
changed.
It often starts with a
small purchase from a large bill and ends with no sale and a short cash
register till. The con man seeks to confuse the employee by requesting multiple
transactions, then walks away with almost double the amount originally presented
for payment or change.
This crime usually happens
so fast, most people don't realize they've been ripped off until hours later or
when they balance the cash drawer at the end of a shift.
Many salespeople or
clerks, especially younger employees, fall victim to this because they are trying
to provide good customer service and are not as assertive in handling situations
like this as more experienced employees. Their inexperience makes them
excellent targets for the fast-cash scam.
Most quick change
artists target convenience stores or fast-food restaurants where there are
young employees who get rattled easily and don't want to slow down a long
service line. The quick-change artist will always attempt to get two or three
transactions ahead so the clerk forgets how much change is actually needed.
Quick-change cons
usually do not involve a lot of money.
Based upon bill size it is difficult for the store to lose more than
$100.00. However, hitting several businesses with the same scam in a short
period can be quite lucrative.
These tips may help
employees spot a prospective con artist and avoid being scammed:
·
Look for people wanting
to purchase an inexpensive item with a large bill.
§ Employees should be free to ask if the customer
has a smaller bill for the purchase. If the customer insists on breaking a
large bill and you suspect he has smaller denominations, don’t be afraid to
decline the transaction.
§ Smaller businesses can take it a step further by
keeping no bills larger than $20 in the register, and posting signs stating that
policy.
·
Be cautious of a
customer asking for multiple transactions while keeping the money in hand.
§ For example, a customer buys a carton of drinks with
a $50 bill, asks for the change in 10s, then changes his mind to 5s and a 20.
Before you know it, he pulls out a bill, asks for change in quarters, and demands
the original change which he has asked for in several different denominations.
·
The best way to avoid
this problem is to take the money presented, keep it in the open but in the
hands of the cashier
·
Do not put money from
the customer in the register until the change has been made. This way employees
can see exactly what was given to them and know how much change to make.
·
Handle each requested
transaction separately.
§ This means make change as requested and closing the
drawer. If the customer asks for another transaction, take his money first,
then make change for it.
·
If a customer's requests
for change start to sound confusing, ask the customer to slow down or simply stop
the transaction completely and start over.
· If all else fails, direct
the customer to the nearest bank and ask them to return to complete the
transaction once they have denominations needed to complete the sale.
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