Debit Card Scam

This is totally not college related, but something I found really interesting today. Actually, it's college related if you think about how broke we all are as college students and how this can change that.

I was at the grocery store today and the guy in front of me paid with a debit card, pushed the button for $20 cash back, and asked the cashier for two tens and a five to make up his $20.

Wait, what? That's $25, not $20! But he said it in such a nonchalant manner that it sounded right. So the cashier, a teenager, promptly handed him two tens and a five, without giving it a thought.

As the customer (swindler, thief, genius - whatever you want to call him) slid the bills into his wallet, I caught his eye and he gave me a little grin before turning and leaving. I laughed out loud. Thankfully the cashier didn't ask me why.

I got to wondering: how often does he do this? Does he go from store-to-store and get an extra $5? It's not like he could get arrested, right? I mean, the cashier could just correct him, and say, "You mean a ten and two fives, right?" And he'd chuckle and shake his head, as if that was what he meant.

It got me thinking... not that I condone this behavior.