Holiday Store Scams

[Jules M.]

I got this from a reliable source....IT COULD BE AN INTERNET HOAX .... BUT .... JUst thought I would pass it along because it is common sense. Hello all,

I received this from someone I know and I wanted to pass it along as a caution.

Sharon Yungbluth

CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS BEFORE LEAVING THE CASHIER'S STATION!!!!!
THIS COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE. CHECK YOUR RECEIPT BEFORE LEAVING THE STAND. I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DO JUST THAT.
NOW I'LL START! PASS THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS, KIDS, LOVED ONES.
It happened at Wal-Mart (Supercenter Store #1279, 10411 N Freeway 45, Houston , TX 77037 a month ago.
I bought a bunch of stuff, over $150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-back of $40. I told her I didn't
request a cash back & to delete it. She said I'd have to take the $40 because she couldn't delete it. I told her to call a supervisor.Supervisor came &
said I'd have to take it. I said NO! Taking the $40 would be a cash advance against my Discover & I wasn't paying interest on a cash advance!!!!! If they couldn't delete it then they would have to delete the whole order. So the supervisor had the cashier delete the whole order & re-scan everything! Thesecond time I looked at the electronic pad before signed & a cash-back of $20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The totalcame out right. The cashier agreed that the electronic pad must be defective. Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective becauseshe NEVER offered me the $40 at the beginning. Can you imagine how many people went through before me & at the end of her shift how much money
she pocketed?
Just to alert everyone. My co worker went to Milford , DE Wal-Mart last week. She had her items rung up by the cashier. The cashier hurried her
along and didn't give her a receipt. She asked the cashier for a receipt and the cashier was annoyed and gave it to her.My co worker didn't look at herreceipt until later that night. The receipt showed that she asked for $20 cash back. SHE DID NOT ASK FOR CASH BACK! My co-worker called Wal-Mart
who investigated but could not see the cashier pocket the money. She then called her niece who works for the bank and her niece told her this. This is a new scam going on. The cashier will key in that you asked for cash back and then hand it to her friend who is the next person in line.
Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards!
This is NOT limited to Wal-Mart, although they are the largest retailer so they have the most incidents.
I am adding to this. My husband and I were in Wal-Mart North Salisbury and paying with credit card when my husband went to sign the credit card signer he just happen to notice there was a $20 cash back added. He told the cashier that he did not ask nor want cash back and she said this machine has been messing up and she canceled it.
We really didn't think anything of it until we read this email.

I wonder how many "seniors" have been, or will be, "stung" by this one????

To make matters worse ...THIS SCAM CAN BE DONE ANYWHERE, AT ANY RETAIL OR WHOLESALE LOCATION!!!
BEFORE LEAVING THE CASHIER'S STATION........CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!! THIS COULD HAPPEN ANYWHERE. CHECK YOUR RECEIPT BEFORE LEAVING THE STAND. I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DO JUST THAT.

[Jules M.]

The practice in this area is to have the person sign their receipt when cash back is received. Maybe this policy could be suggested to the stores that this was noticed at.

[Frances L.]

This is not true. The best way to check these things is to go to http://www.snopes.com. Here is there investigation into this story: http://www.snopes.com/fraud/atm/cashback.asp
Frances

[Frances L.]

Even if it isn't true, you should always check your receipt and pay attention when things are being rung up. There are always problems with prices between the shelf the the computer scanner. Put phones away and pay attention.

[Marion D.]

Yes, always check your receipt. I was charged $30 for a $10 electric cord by an independent retailer, who refused to fix it the next day. And is now out of business. The large chains probably don't do this, since it is all computerized anyway, and they know the law.

Whenever I use my Discover card, I am asked for cash back, and I always have the chance to check zero.

[Betty J.]

It's such a shame we have to be so careful these days. It's also sad that our knowledge that these scams may take place is also being manipulated to slam the reputations of certain stores and other organizations by such stories for political reasons. We just have to be vigilant. Watch everything...the atm machines can have devices attached to skim your card numbers as you use them, our trash can be gone through to gain our credit card numbers (my son had this happen and it was the diligence of the card company that discovered it, stopped it, and let him know about it). Shred everything, scramble it up and divide it into separate trash bags. ALWAYS request a receipt and check it before you leave the store, print the receipt from every internet purchase, and check your credit card bills against your receipts. And make sure you have a very good program to prevent viruses and other malware from attacking your computer. Also, never give someone your credit card number who calls you first. Sad, but diligence and care can usually keep such things at bay. Like locking our doors at night.