One of the store associates came up to me with 2 $500 traveler's checks. We are required to have a member of management review every payment made with traveler's checks. They immediately looked fishy to me. The watermark seemed slightly crooked and they just seemed...well...off. I went over to the guy and mentioned that it was a new store policy to call in every traveler's checks. I apologized but promised to be back in 5 minutes with an approval. No problem. I told our LP/OP manager and he called them in. Declined in about 2 seconds flat. American Express told us to call the police.
Our manager called and the police told him to stall they guy just a bit longer, or if he left to at least get his license plate #. The sales associate went back out to tell the guy that we were on hold and that it would just be another minute or two. I was in the office just behind the counter and was able to hear the conversation. The guy started doing the classic "I don't have time to wait. I will just go out to my car and get cash."
yeah right - if Amex hadn't told me they were fraudulent I knew they were now. Idiot. He also tried to tell us that he was in a hurry because he had a wedding to go to. This guy was in shorts and a t-shirt. Sure thing buddy.
I knew he was about to leave so I snuck out the back and casually walked to my car so I could at least get his license plate number. I was at my door, getting a drink of water from my water bottle and watching the door when he walked outside. He started heading down the sidewalk a few paces when he suddenly darted into the store next to us. Right after that, the manager walked out of our store and was looking for him as two police cars pulled up.
I came up as they were discussing where they guy had run off to. I told them he went into the other store.
A bit later, while he was sitting in the back of one of the cars I got to be interviewed by the police.
Later that evening the police came back to look at our camera footage and get a copy for evidence. The cop told us that we they searched his car they found over $50,000 in fake traveler's checks and merchandise from 6 other stores in the shopping center. He will be going to jail for quite some time I hear.
Our manager called and the police told him to stall they guy just a bit longer, or if he left to at least get his license plate #. The sales associate went back out to tell the guy that we were on hold and that it would just be another minute or two. I was in the office just behind the counter and was able to hear the conversation. The guy started doing the classic "I don't have time to wait. I will just go out to my car and get cash."
yeah right - if Amex hadn't told me they were fraudulent I knew they were now. Idiot. He also tried to tell us that he was in a hurry because he had a wedding to go to. This guy was in shorts and a t-shirt. Sure thing buddy.
I knew he was about to leave so I snuck out the back and casually walked to my car so I could at least get his license plate number. I was at my door, getting a drink of water from my water bottle and watching the door when he walked outside. He started heading down the sidewalk a few paces when he suddenly darted into the store next to us. Right after that, the manager walked out of our store and was looking for him as two police cars pulled up.
I came up as they were discussing where they guy had run off to. I told them he went into the other store.
A bit later, while he was sitting in the back of one of the cars I got to be interviewed by the police.
Later that evening the police came back to look at our camera footage and get a copy for evidence. The cop told us that we they searched his car they found over $50,000 in fake traveler's checks and merchandise from 6 other stores in the shopping center. He will be going to jail for quite some time I hear.
Facebook
Twitter