“Magician” thief tricks shopkeeper out of $100
In a scene that wouldn’t seem out of place in a heist movie, a thief with “magician-like” skills has managed to trick a shopkeeper from Wollongong out of $100, with a clever (and very sneaky) slight of hand that has social media users stunned.
The CCTV footage, which you can see below, was shared by the shop’s owner George Akary, and at first glance it looks as though a relatively normal exchange.
But as is often the case with these kind of scams, the devil is in the detail.
“What do you see happening here?” Akary writes onhis Facebook page.
“How many notes went missing?”
According to Akary, the man paid using a $100 note. The cashier handing him a $50 note and coins as change, and that’s when he commenced his sleight of hand.
The man hands her coins to distract her, pocketing the cash before claiming he’s been denied $50. The confusion continues as the man retains more notes, but at this point it seems as though the cashier has become wise to the game.
Akary told the Illawarra Mercury the cashier initially hadn’t realised how much he’d taken.
“She thought she’d only let go $2.70,” Mr Akary said.
“I’ve got the rule that if anyone’s got an issue, that they can come back and speak to the manager, but he just managed to confuse her.
“She was really shook up. She just didn’t know what to do or how to react.
“He’s like a magician because, even watching [the video footage], it confused me.”
The matter has been reported to local police.
Hero image: George Akary / Facebook