“Magician” thief tricks shopkeeper out of $100
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
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<p>But as is often the case with these kind of scams, the devil is in the detail.</p>
<p>“What do you see happening here?” Akary writes onhis Facebook page.</p>
<p>“How many notes went missing?”</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Akary told the <a href="http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Illawarra Mercury</strong></em></span></a> the cashier initially hadn’t realised how much he’d taken.</p>
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<p>“She thought she’d only let go $2.70,” Mr Akary said.</p>
<p>“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.</p>
<p>“She was really shook up. She just didn’t know what to do or how to react.</p>
<p>“He’s like a magician because, even watching [the video footage], it confused me.”</p>
<p>The matter has been reported to local police.</p>
<p><em>Hero image: George Akary / Facebook</em></p>
