Beware Of Suspected Scam At Central Food Court

[Meg_2003]

Lets say she hits the 200 Key in error - gives you your card and receipt....goes to put 200 in the till and sees there is 300......

You have turned and walked away...she is keeping an eye on you because she expects you to return...she has also put the money to one side so if the security cameras are watching they can see why she adds the extra 100 baht when you return.......of course she is embarrassed at her mistake...and wants to remedy it as quickly as possible hence the no fuss addition of 100 baht

Is that too implausible?.....benefit of the doubt?

just a thought.....

Possible, BUT there was security lady standing nearby the cashier. I remember the security being there as they were watching what was happening when we returned to the cashier as we had to jump the queue. If she made an error, she could have easily asked the security to call us back. She could have called us herself because we got no more than around 3 meters away from the cashier before noticing the error. She COULD have called us back herself, we were close enough. Still a possible answer though..

Edited July 29, 2009 by Meg_2003

[473geo]

Lets say she hits the 200 Key in error - gives you your card and receipt....goes to put 200 in the till and sees there is 300......

You have turned and walked away...she is keeping an eye on you because she expects you to return...she has also put the money to one side so if the security cameras are watching they can see why she adds the extra 100 baht when you return.......of course she is embarrassed at her mistake...and wants to remedy it as quickly as possible hence the no fuss addition of 100 baht

Is that too implausible?.....benefit of the doubt?

just a thought.....

Possible, BUT there was security lady standing nearby the cashier. I remember the security being there as they were watching what was happening when we returned to the cashier as we had to jump the queue. If she made an error, she could have easily asked the security to call us back. She could have called us herself because we got no more than around 3 meters away from the cashier before noticing the error. She COULD have called us back herself, we were close enough. Still a possible answer though..

As it turned out....she remedied the situation with as little fuss as possible....thus saving herself further embarrassment....which was probably her main priority once the error was made...

[Meg_2003]

As it turned out....she remedied the situation with as little fuss as possible....thus saving herself further embarrassment....which was probably her main priority once the error was made...

If that IS what happened, and she made a mistake, I would like to have thought they would have made more of an effort to call the customer back so they could correct the error. So what if we didn't notice, our loss?

Her face certainly didn't appear to look like she'd made a genuine mistake though with the angry look she had on her face when we returned. Plus the holding the money up, counting it and saying 'Oh!' like she had just realized there were 3 notes and not 2.

Lets just hope that you're right and that it was an error or mistake so that no-one else looses their money..

[473geo]

As it turned out....she remedied the situation with as little fuss as possible....thus saving herself further embarrassment....which was probably her main priority once the error was made...

If that IS what happened, and she made a mistake, I would like to have thought they would have made more of an effort to call the customer back so they could correct the error. So what if we didn't notice, our loss?

Her face certainly didn't appear to look like she'd made a genuine mistake though with the angry look she had on her face when we returned. Plus the holding the money up, counting it and saying 'Oh!' like she had just realized there were 3 notes and not 2.

Lets just hope that you're right and that it was an error or mistake so that no-one else looses their money..

Your warning is valid for those of us who are a bit slack on these occasions......you had the experience... and I for one appreciate these heads up threads.....thanks

[philliphn]

I think that it was a scam.

However, imagine if you were in the situation that you had so little that you had to do this to try and get an extra approximately $3.00 USD. It doesn't sound like she was an experienced hardened criminal. It is sad in a way. To me $3.00 USD is very little. To her it was significant. I wonder how much she makes in a day. Does any one know? Still I admit I don't like to be scamed. But lets not forget the rest of what I said about this situation.

Edited July 29, 2009 by philliphn

[benton]

Definitely a scam. The worker should be fired. Thanks for the warning, will always check receipts there now. Not only is that worker a thief, she insulted you. She judged you to be stupid. If she did it once, how many other times has she gotten away with it? I agree once you use the card at at a food stall, the waters would be muddied and the central card issuer could deny responsibility. My guess is her scam odds increase with purchases such as yours, 300 baht. I doubt she tries that with 100 baht purchases. Next thing you know, they will demand "tips" at those desks when the scams stop working ...

Bullshit..you can't run off at the mouth about this person..were you there !..look at what the author wrote...even she seems a bit paranoid about it all..see below.

"We went to the counter to exchange our money for the card, and gave the lady 3 x 100 baht notes. My boyfriend was the one who went for the card whilst I waited next to him out of the line. She glanced at me a few times before giving my boyfriend the card and a tiny receipt. (What is the relevance of the word TINY and the attendant glancing at you as few

times..she was probably fascinated at your beauty).

Walking away from the counter, My boyfriend glanced at the receipt and noticed that it said Credit 200 BAHT. So we turned around to return to the counter. I notice that the lady who had served us was stretching her neck looking at us over the high counter (even though she was in the middle of serving the next customer) and watched us return. (The attendant was craning her neck to try to spot you in the crowd as she was already engaged in serving the next customer and placed the money under the keyboard in readiness to return to you..she would not be allowed to just run off from her work station).

She looked extremely embarrassed when we got back to the counter and immediately reached out her hand for the card to be returned to her even though we had not yet told her what the problem was! I looked over the counter and noticed that our 3 x 100 baht notes were UNDER HER KEYBOARD. She had already finished serving the next customer by the time we got back and that customers money had been put into the till! (Of course she was embarrassed..she over-charged you and was waiting for you to return. Why the emphasis in caps UNDER HER KEYBOARD..was it a transparent keyboard ? or were the part of the notes visible to you (more likely)..and put there for safe-keeping..obviously you could not see them if they were out of sight)

She picked up our 300 baht notes, said 'Oh!', added an extra 100 baht to our card, put the notes into the till and gave us our card back, red faced. And with no apology, no explanation. (Why did she need to explain when all was obvious).

It seems pretty clear that she was trying to pull some kind of scam on us, hoping that we would not check our receipt. It was also pretty obvious she was up to no good with her keeping our money under her keyboard. She probably thought I was some dumb rich Farang girl who'd just got off the plane, paying for some Thai guy Id just met. (It seems pretty clear you had a paranoia attack..methinks). NOT GUILTY.

[tropo]

You're right there. The money would have run out maybe when we were trying to pay for our 2nd order at a 2nd stall. Or maybe last when we were buying our drinks. Then we would not know where the problem occurred, the cashier, the first stall, or 2nd stall? Then when we get back to the cashier, she could ask for our receipt, Point out 200 baht on the receipt and deny all wrongdoing.

Once you order food at a stall you get a receipt for what you paid and a balance of the credit left on your card. Unless you lost the receipts from the food stalls it would be quite easy to check what balance you started with. In food courts I've always been careful to keep all my receipts in case they wrongly charge me. I caught them out at Food Wave once.

[Pawpcorn]

Thanks for the heads up!!! All too easy to disregard checking the receipt.

This reminds me of an opposite type of incident at the food court at Siam Paragon recently...

I was a bit fatigued and spaced out, and when I paid the cashier a few extra baht to top off the card in order to buy an afterthought coffee(!), I spaced, and walked away before she could give me my change.

This kind lady realized the mistake, and a minute later, LEFT HER STATION, and walked all the way across the food court, to find me... and hand my MY FIVE BAHT coin!!!

I thought this was so sweet, and another of those priceless genuine moments, in the LO(genuine)S.

[Jingthing]

Of course the clerk is a thief. She could have called the customer back if she knew she made a "mistake." Easily! There is the proof. The only way she was going to be caught out was what happened to the OP, a QUICK response. If she was confronted quickly as she was, she could claim it was a mistake. Benefit of the doubt, Thai vs. farang, the odds are in her court. Five minutes later after getting some food, she would just say, you are mistaken, you only gave me 200 baht, the receipt proves it. In a way it is a low risk crime for her. To the poster justifying theft, God bless your BLEEDING HEART.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Jingthing

[purplehaze]

Seems to be almost daily postings about the LOS(Land Of Scams)

[Ulysses G.]

I just wonder how many are made by OPPs (Overly Paranoid People).

[mauGR1]

My head's in the clouds quite often in LOS,countless times i've been called back by the cashier/vendor to get my change back.It would have been quite easy for them to keep the money and forget my face.Please don't go paranoid too easy,most Thais and Farangs are honest people.Scams are the exception,not the rule.

[Jingthing]

My head's in the clouds quite often in LOS,countless times i've been called back by the cashier/vendor to get my change back.It would have been quite easy for them to keep the money and forget my face.Please don't go paranoid too easy,most Thais and Farangs are honest people.Scams are the exception,not the rule.

In the OPs case, there was no CHANGE due. There was a 300 baht card due in exchange for 300 baht tendered.

[TheWalkingMan]

Something almost the same happened to me at a restaurant in Swampy. It is the place on the ground floor where some staff eat. Anyway, I asked for 100 baht worth of food coupons but passed 200 baht to the cashier. She took the 200 baht and presented me with 100 baht worth of coupons. Not sure why I passed 200 baht... Anyway, something in my mind said warning, warning and I kept staring at the cashier for a few seconds... As soon as I opened my mouth to speak she passed back the 100 baht overage. I am quite sure that if left the counter, she would have pocketed the overage.

TheWalkingMan

[pattaya_girl]

For all of the people who say she is Paranoid - I bet the next time you go into a Food Court, you will remember this thread and check you Card and change ect......

[Jingthing]

I can't understand why a person would give two 100 baht bills for one 100 baht card. That can't be too common.

[pattaya_girl]

Something almost the same happened to me at a restaurant in Swampy. It is the place on the ground floor where some staff eat. Anyway, I asked for 100 baht worth of food coupons but passed 200 baht to the cashier. She took the 200 baht and presented me with 100 baht worth of coupons. Not sure why I passed 200 baht... Anyway, something in my mind said warning, warning and I kept staring at the cashier for a few seconds... As soon as I opened my mouth to speak she passed back the 100 baht overage. I am quite sure that if left the counter, she would have pocketed the overage.

TheWalkingMan

In this case, the Cashier might have thought you were giving her a tip of 100bt, because it is very unusual to give 200 bt for something you want for 100 bt.

[babuhavas]

thais always come up new ideas to scam people,why don't they use their brains in right way,

anyways thanks for warning

[RugbyMan]

I didn't indicate who she is stealing from, merely that she is stealing (if she was scamming).

However, she is stealing from Central because the customer has 100 baht less to spend in the food court. You could say she is stealing from both customer and food court.

If a number of customers come back to the cashier after they realise they've been short changed the cat will soon be out of the bag.

Well lets hope you're right.

We never check the receipt usually, This was a one off time that my BF glanced at the receipt and saw the amount. Most of the time we are too hungry to stand around studying a receipt. Probably her way of thinking also.

If she does this in smaller amounts, it would be easier for her to get away with it.. 20-30 baht here and there and it all adds up.

I'll be taking more notice of my receipts from now on.. Lesson learnt.

also beware of central supermarket on sukhumvit, i go regular and they often try to scan something twice to get a bit more money out of you and when you complain they already know the dodgy item without looking at the receipt, one time i bought 200 bahts worth of food, gave a 500 baht note and i noticed she entered 1000 given, i thought will she give me 800 baht change, but no i got the right amount, so there must be some scam concerning her and the till, i have had problems regardless of who is on the till, beware

[Basil B]

This is an old scam, when fiddling customers the cashier will not put the difference in the till but put it somewhere then put it in there pocket after the customer leaves so if challenged and searched it would not be on there person.

nowadays any sensible company would put a camera above the till that could be used to resolve disputes and denture staff from stealing, often staff steal because it is easy and there are no checks it is not just the employee who looses out, often the employer looses out as well because they have to let the person go who apart from being light fingered were otherwise an invaluable employee.

[thaihome]

First thing is you should always check your receipt anyways. That is a genuine warning.

The problem is the OP convinced herself that the cashier saw her coming and decided since she was a farang that would be her chance to get some extra money. To me the OP is obviously suffering from the usual farang paranoia that has her convinced every Thai hates farangs is out the cheat them every chance they get.

People make mistakes and especially when dealing with people that are working for not much more then minimum wage and are handling money. It sounds very un-PC, but there is a good chance they are not the brightest light in the building.

TH

[Ulysses G.]

It is not difficult for many of us farangs to assume the worst when dealing with Thais and money. All I can say, is, in my experience, Thais are honest way more than they are not (of course, I don't live in Pattaya).

[threelegcowboy]

Meg,

MAYBE

The clerk is doing this scam to a number of people and you were number three. When customers approach with several hundred baht to be put on the card the clerk takes a hundred baht for herself. She places the note under the keyboard so as to keep the corect balance in the cash drawer. I am sure after you caught her she had to update your card and put the cash in the drawer to make it balance. She may have put all money in at that time under pressure. She probally had three scams going on at the same time and would only put money away she did not need to cover.

At the end of the day there must be balance and this is her method if keeping track.

I have been ripped off with another method at the food service station(not at this business).

Happy Trails,

LLL

[Jingthing]

(of course, I don't live in Pattaya)

Exactly.

So why did she not bank the money in the drawer pronto if she innocently made an error in giving a 200 baht card for 300 baht? Of course she was waiting to see if the farang victim would catch her or not. Even if she did make an error (fat chance) why didn't she call out to the customer? Again even if she had made an error she would have pocketed the extra money anyway if not confronted. On a human level I understand the impulse of low paid workers to steal from those they resent for their riches, however down that path is ANARCHY. The people who entertain that this was not a scam are being silly. She was caught red handed. BTW, was it the card station closest to 2nd road? Cashiers, handling money accurately without stealing, that is their job. It must be frustrating to be poor while handling large sums of money everyday. That is why the job of cashier is not for everybody.

Edited July 30, 2009 by Jingthing

[cali4995]

i was caught-out at the SFX cinema upstairs the other day ( i thought this new mall would be different) paid for two tickets

240 baht, paid with a 1k note and two twenties. she handed me a wad of 100 baht notes for change (not counting it out)

and i was halfway across the lounge before i realized the change was short (youguessed it, 100 baht). i hate to be petty but

you have to stand there and count out your change yourself, every time. i don't believe it is an error. they're scamming.

[Tolley]

Mistakes by shop assistants bar staff etc is common in Thailand and also common in Australia.

I have saved myself lots of money over the years by being good at maths.

It is always a good idea to mentally calculate what you have spent before you pay so you have a rough idea of how much you will be charged.

I think a lot of serving staff make money out of shortchanging as most people are hopeless at maths.

If they were smart they would take small amounts more regularly and that wouldn't raise as much suspicion.

[Jingthing]

240 baht, paid with a 1k note and two twenties. she handed me a wad of 100 baht notes for change (not counting it out)

I think sometimes Thai cashiers have issues with that kind of creative helpful paying. I am not as certain this was a scam, perhaps a mental error. Who hasn't seen the clerks here using calculators to figure simple change?

[Tokay]

In the past few months I have noticed an alarming amount of Thais trying to short change me when I buy something with a 1000b note. It's the same thing, they short me 100b, I tell them I am short, they smile and say sorry and wouldn't you know it, that 100b note is already in their hand. It's even happening in 7-11 now, where in the past it NEVER happened. Sign of the times I suppose.

I can imagine if you were drunk, you would leave and miss it. It's probably a cash cow for some stores and vendors.

With that said, know the drill and count your change. If you count it right there, it's impossible for them to short you. Just smile and let them know you're short. No reason to cause a scene over it.

[cali4995]

Yes, now were getting to the core of the problem. Everybody's willing to accept a few mistakes as part of life. But when it happens over

and over again you begin to get a little distrustful. I was at the major cineplex buying a couple tickets and while the attendant was talking

with me animatedly, she gave me my tickets and then no change at all from a 1k note. well, had i just walked away not paying attention,

i can see very easily were this would turn into "I give change, you lie, farang cheat etc" it all happens to often to be only coincidence.

[tropo]

i was caught-out at the SFX cinema upstairs the other day ( i thought this new mall would be different) paid for two tickets

240 baht, paid with a 1k note and two twenties. she handed me a wad of 100 baht notes for change (not counting it out)

and i was halfway across the lounge before i realized the change was short (youguessed it, 100 baht). i hate to be petty but

you have to stand there and count out your change yourself, every time. i don't believe it is an error. they're scamming.

I'm surprised you had to bring it up. It's always a good idea to count your change anywhere you spend money in any country. This is not a Thailand issue.