Friday 5 May 2023

Cash Back Scams: How to Spot Them and What to Do If You're a Victim

The following has been shared and forwarded:-

"Member of the public experienced this be aware!!

Bought a bunch of stuff, over £150, & I glanced at my receipt as the cashier was handing me the bags. I saw a cash-ba...ck 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 Credit card & 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! The second time I looked at the electronic pad before I signed & a cash-back of £20 popped up. At that point I told the cashier & she deleted it. The total came out right. The cashier agreed that the Electronic Pad must be defective.

...Obviously the cashier knew the electronic pad was defective because she 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, Sainsbury’s 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 her receipt 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 Sainsbury’s 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 the queue.

Please, please, please check your receipts right away when using credit or debit cards!

This is NOT limited to Sainsbury’s; they are one of the largest retailers so they have the most incidents.

I am adding to this. My husband and I were in Sainsbury’s 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 cancelled 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 CHECK-OUT........CHECK YOUR RECEIPT!!!!! 

Pass on to your friends copy"

This appears to be a legitimate warning about a potential scam. While it is impossible to confirm the authenticity of this specific incident, the general scam of cashiers adding cash-back amounts without the customer's knowledge or consent is a known issue that has been reported in various places. Therefore, it is always advisable to check receipts carefully before leaving the checkout and to report any discrepancies immediately to the store.

It is possible for cashiers to add cash back to a customer's purchase without their knowledge or consent. This is done by entering the cash back amount into the register without the customer seeing it. The cashier then gives the cash to themselves or to a friend who is waiting in line behind the customer.

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from this scam:

  • Always check your receipt before you leave the store.
  • If you see a cash back amount on your receipt that you did not request, immediately notify the cashier and ask for it to be removed.
  • If the cashier refuses to remove the cash back amount, ask to speak to a manager.
  • If you are still not satisfied, you can file a complaint with the store's corporate office.

You can also help to protect others from this scam by sharing this information with your friends and family.

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