I do enjoy my check fraud…

Hokay, so, I had a guy come in today.

That was the normal part.

As soon as these guys came around the corner, I started getting suspicious, ’cause they were buying an xBox. No one in their right mind buys and xBox. He was also buying Halo 2, and about 500 bucks worth of other stuff. All in all, the bill came to $733.73 (yes, I remember the actual amount… I’ve gotten to where I remember these kind of things).

Then he tried using a check to pay for it. The computer (wisely) asks for ID, and this guy gives it to me. Then, the computer asked me to dial 717 (some financial service guy in Minnesota) for authorization. And of course, they refuse to authorize the check.

So I convince this guy that he should apply for the Target REDcard. As it turned out, that was the smartest thing I’d done all day, since he agreed. So we gather all his information, and I run his application. He’s disapproved by the automated checkers, but we still have his application on file.

So now, we have at best a guy who can’t get any kind of slack. At worst, we have a really, really, really dumb criminal, since we now have his address (past and present), social security number, phone numbers, full name, and a bunch of other identifying information.

That’s gonna make it real easy for AP to investigate this case - especially since this guy tried the same thing at T-271 Douglas County as well. So now two stores have an ongoing interest in the case, along with great video of him and his cronies. Add to that the fact that our undercover person was watching these guys real close, and you just know that this guy’s gonna get caught very soon.

I do love uncovering tricks, though. Bad check fraud is the second crime I’ve come across in our store this week; I also caught a ticket-switcher who wanted a $130 calculator for $19.99, and paid with a credit card… so we’ve got him covered, too.

And of course, there’s Peter, Bob, and Lisa. Them’s always fun. What, you don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, I should tell you: Peter means pick up everything that enters register, Bob means check bottom of basket, and Lisa means look inside all. These are the three biggest principles of cashiering. That, and quickness. Much quickness.