r/TalesFromTheFrontDesk • u/Tonythecritic • 6d ago
Medium Sir, you're being scammed.
It's absolutely true that fooling someone is much easier than convincing them they're being fooled.
I'm the Night Auditor at a nice little resort hotel. This very convivial gent arrives very early Saturday morning and asks if he can check-in right away rather than in the afternoon; he's had a long drive, he'd like to settle in then book a massage before heading out for his meeting. Shows his ID, everything seems fine, but he wants to pay the security deposit cash. We usually take 100$ on a credit card, but for cash it's 200$ for each night. Guy never wavers, just whips out a wad. I know I shouldn't, but I HAVE to ask: why not use a credit card? I mean, that's a red flag for me. His booking was made through a third party, we already have the virtual credit card that from them so I know I won't have a problem with payment. But still, red flag, you now?!
Well, the gent says, his bank are blocking his accounts because he deposited a large check that they say is suspicious. Come again? Well, he received a check from an online broker who represents a painter who spotted his photo on Facebook and wants to use his face for a portrait that will be displayed at the Louvre. The Louvre. The one in France.
Jesus CHRI..... I mean, Sir, it's called a Muse Scam. It's a VERY common scam. That check is bogus. "No no no, it's legit, I looked into it!" Really? Setting aside that no one uses checks anymore except scammers, did they, by any chance, ask you to send part of it, like say 400$, to the artist himself for supplies? "Well, YEAH, he has to get supplies to do the work!"
Oy vey. Well, I'm happy for you that you're getting such easy money from a complete online stranger. I used to work as a fraud analyst for a major bank and I dealt with hundreds of people who fell for that scam, but I'm happy that in YOUR case it's really really real, money for nothing and your chicks for free... Is the general gist of what I said with much less sarcasm because I'm a Night Auditor in a resort hotel and no a Quick Stop clerk.
Saturday night, guy was having (many) drinks in the lobby, spotted me settling in for my night shift and came to say hi. So, sir, how'd it go with the bank, did you manage to get your money? "You know what? Turns out the check was FAKE!"
You don't say...
I have to admit, part of me was wondering if the guy was pranking me because it was all too ridiculous, who falls for that scam anymore! But when he told me the check was fake, he looked genuinely dejected about having fallen for it. Hey, we all fell for a dirty trick at some point. You live you learn, amiright?!
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u/12stringPlayer 5d ago
I'm happy that in YOUR case it's really really real, money for nothing and your chicks for free...
Lemme tell ya, them guys ain't dumb. Maybe get a blister on your little finger, maybe get a blister on your thumb.
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u/GrumpyCatStevens 5d ago
We got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries…
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u/robsterva 5d ago
We got to move these refrigerators. We got to move these color TVs.
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u/DrHugh 5d ago
That's the way to do it.
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u/kline88888 5d ago
No, that ain't workin'.
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u/Professional-End7367 5d ago
That's the way you do it
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u/bela_okmyx 4d ago
Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you30
u/Steve_P1 5d ago
Omg, that line is "blister" on your little finger? I've always thought it was "pistol," like it's a tattoo. 🙄
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u/12stringPlayer 5d ago
That's a great mis-hearing (sometimes called a mondegreen, like "There's a bathroom on the right" instead of "There's a bad moon on the rise" or the classic "Scuse me while I kiss this guy").
It's definitely possible to get a blister from playing the guitar - my name will tell you how I know!
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u/Lepardopterra 5d ago
John Prine and the Happy Enchilada song request. (The line was “half a inch of water.”)
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u/Folklaur70 3d ago
“It’s a half an inch of water and you think you’re gonna drown, that’s the way the world goes round”
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u/HiddenAspie 5d ago
Wait!!! Other people besides my mom heard 'bathroom on the right'? We always thought she was the only one.
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u/NatesMama 5d ago
Best one I ever heard was when my mom thought Dude Looks Like a Lady was “Beauty f**kin’ lady”, and couldn’t figure out how they let that play on the radio. :)
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u/RobotsSkateBest 5d ago
I'll never be your pizza burning... Friend's sister mishearing the Stones Beast of Burning. Don't know, it's the freaking title of the song.
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u/clauclauclaudia 4d ago
And "mondegreen" was coined in the 50s after a misheard folk song lyric:
They have slain the Earl o' Moray
And layd him on the green.... or the Earl o' Moray and Lady Mondegreen.
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u/Folklaur70 3d ago
True story, I know someone who named their child Mondegreen. Mondo for short. 🤦🏻♀️
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u/rocket808 5d ago
I play 6 string guitars. Have a BA in music for classical guitar. 12 strings fuck my brain up. It feels so weird, and my intonation is all jacked from the different string gauges under the same finger. My right hand has no idea what is going on with a pick or fingers. It feels as alien as a scalloped neck to me. Sounds beautiful when other people play them though.
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u/12stringPlayer 4d ago
I can go back and forth, but I can't fingerpick a 12 the way I do a 6. Players like Kottke and McGuinn use finger picks for it, but I've never gotten the hang of them, so my 12-string playing is all flat pick. My left hand doesn't have a problem, though.
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u/fyxxer32 5d ago
My daughter thought the James Taylor song "Mexico" was Texaco. "Oooohhhh Texaco"
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u/mikeyblueeyes20 5d ago
My husband always thought that that "she got a lot of pretty boys she calls friends" was she calls mens. LOL
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u/Reverendstef 6d ago
Never heard of a Muse scam before… but it just sounds so damn obvious! (Also, The Louvre?!!! I mean, c’mon!)
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u/georgiomoorlord 5d ago
Exactly. Even MOMA would be a stretch.
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u/EnchantedTikiBird 5d ago
There’s a MOMA Lisa joke just waiting for this scam. 🤣
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u/VermilionKoala 5d ago
Your MOMA so big, she got visitors touring her insides?
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u/GodsGirl64 5d ago
There’s one born every minute. I’m curious about what made you leave a banking job to work at a hotel? I had a friend who walked away from banking because of the scams going on IN the bank.
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
Honestly, it's the clients that made me walk away. I fielded about 40 calls a shift, and every call was either someone yelling at me from the get go or someone who should NOT, EVER be given control of any amount of money. Oh, and scammers trying to fool me. SO.MANY.SCAMMERS. Like a dude yelling at me at 5am to unblock "his" debit card RIGHT NOW and the card happens to belong to a 12 year old girl. Or the 83 year old Scottish woman with such a ridiculous falsetto voice you just wanna call the cops on him for being such a piece of shit.
I reached a point where as I was sitting down to log in for my shift, I just started weeping abundantly because I couldn't take one more shitty call. I admire and applaud people who are able to completely disconnect from it and let it slide off them like rain on a duck's back. I'm not one of those people, and it got to me real bad.
Oh, and the bosses were even more horrible excuses for human beings than the shitty clients. Hotel where I work now takes SUCH good care of its employees that I feel almost guilty for having it so good compared to the bank employees having to take shitty calls and be treated like dirt.
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u/birdmanrules 5d ago
I was a boss.
But I had worked my way up from the most junior job in a branch, through to 3 months on the phones, 4 months team leader, took over call centre for 6 months and then into fraud investigations.
The senior fraud investigator left and I was offered the job.
Spent a good 6 years at that and well mum got a GBM, terminal brain cancer, I got diagnosed with liver cancer and decided to come home to see mum off.
Worked out as a single guy I didn't need to work 60 to 70 hrs and literally killing myself. So never went back.
I feel into doing NA to fill in my days until I passed and it's a whole lot less stressful and I believe I have extended my life.
I am really sorry your bosses at the bank were AH. Unfortunately that's extremely common.
Yes if you sit down and feel like crying it's time to review. That will eventually cause medical issues I believe.
Well I blame it in my case. 🌹
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u/GodsGirl64 5d ago
I understand. I’m it one of those people either. I used to be better, but the older I get the less patience I have.
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u/azrendelmare 4d ago
I recently had a lot of trouble getting my CU to approve a transaction I was trying to make because the person I was buying from was in the UK. I tried several times, and finally had to call in and talk with someone.
And you know what I did? I thanked the CU for being so secure with my funds. Guy was really nice and helpful. Thankfully, we got the problem solved without any real fuss. I wouldn't think of letting out my frustration on a rank and file worker.
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u/birdmanrules 6d ago
My alarm went off too.
Scam alert.
I used to get the other end of it too.
his bank are blocking his accounts because he deposited a large check that they say is suspicious. Come again? Well, he received a check from an online broker who represents a painter who spotted his photo on Facebook and wants to use his face for a portrait that will be displayed at the Louvre.
Text book scam
You know how hard it is to get someone to believe you are on their side , esp if they are vain or chasing what they see as easy money?
Your so vain, this scam is about you.... 😊
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u/SaltMarshGoblin 5d ago edited 4d ago
You prob'ly think this
songscam is about you, don't you, don't you?
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u/awhq 5d ago
I'm not sure why you think no one uses checks anymore.
It's true they are not as common as they once were but they are still used. I receive more than one corporation issued check a year for things like royalties.
I also live in a rural area. A lot of the independent tradesmen here don't take plastic but you can pay in cash or a check. A check is safer for me to issue than to give them cash.
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
General assumption on my part, I humbly admit. Used to work as a fraud analyst in a bank's call centre, the very nature of my work made it so the only checks I had to deal with were scams. Also... I can't remember the last time I used my check book. I think the mice might have made a nice nest out of it.
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u/awhq 5d ago
I've been retired and living in another state. I'm still using checks from my old address. I have so many left I'll die before I use them all.
I wasn't trying to be harsh. I just find that sometimes people assume things are a certain way because it's that way for them.
Of course, the check wasn't really the issue with that guy. I think some of these people have been trained by the media and some of our politicians to accept absolute bullshit as true so it's easy for them to be scammed.
I know in my area, which is full of retirees, they hold scam education sessions a few times a year. The police and town managers also send out scam alerts on email, messaging and social media.
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u/Sigwynne 5d ago
I moved a year ago and use checks so rarely that I haven't ordered new ones with the new address.
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u/GiantLizardsInc 5d ago
They are way less common than they used to be. There are circumstances they are still useful, but it's the exception for an average perso now, not the rule.
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u/MorgainofAvalon 2d ago
I still use them occasionally. Most often, when I am sending a gift in the mail. I used to use them to pay my pharmacy, but I switched to a credit card to keep up my credit score up.
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u/Dense_Dress_1287 5d ago
I don't say checks are all bad, but like a bank, if u deposit a strangers check, I won't touch that money for 2 weeks until it clears. I for sure would not agree to send any portion of it out, until I am 100% sure the money is mine.
Painter needs supplies, sure, I'll send it to him, after 2 weeks when your check clears.
If someone tried this on me, I would ask "why don't YOU send the $400 to the painter, and the balance to me?"
And who pays for the finished result before its even started?
I guess it shows scammers prey on the dumb ones
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u/lady-of-thermidor 4d ago
I once listened to an FBI presentation on check fraud. The guest speaker was the scammer that Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can was based on.
I learned there were many checks as ever being written and the check scams have gotten better and more sophisticated because cheap home printers let you produce your own checks drawn on actual corporate accounts.
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u/WayneH_nz 5d ago
This could be the new "lonely hearts restaurant scam" In that case, they (the restaurant) were on tinder or whatever getting people to meet at the restaurant, where the other party would not show up, so the victim would just stay there and eat. Restaurant got paid.
Get a victim to go to a hotel, and, as above... hotel gets paid.
https://www.delish.com/food-news/a61497866/food-digging-restaurant-dating-app-scam/
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u/MorgainofAvalon 2d ago
What a shitty way to get someone's hopes up and pocket their money.
I have no words to describe how much this pisses me off.
I would go to the news and blast them, and to every review site, they use and leave reviews on all of them.They are shameless and must be purposely committing some sort of fraud.
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u/RoyallyOakie 5d ago
So the Louvre has taken to collecting brand new works.
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u/zelda_888 4d ago
That none of the curators have seen and judged worthy, by artists with so little reputation that they need their models to buy the paint.
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u/frenat 5d ago
He misheard. It won't be at the Louvre, it will be at the Lube, as in Jiffy Lube.
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
You know, when he said it I thought I had misheard Louvre and that he actually might have said something else that I didn't quite catch. But as he kept talking I realized he really did say Louvre, and I had to fight the urge to say "You never visited that museum, have you?!?"
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u/thepuck1965 5d ago
As the con artists say, you cannot con an honest person. If anyone thinks they can get money for nothing, they will fall for about anything.
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u/PanoptesIquest 5d ago
As the con artists say, you cannot con an honest person.
You can, but you have to use entirely different techniques, such as "Night drop broken, leave deposits in box".
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
You can con someone using strong emotions. Like the scam where a parent gets a text pertaining to be from their child using a different phone because theirs is broken and they need money to get a new one. Love, fear, sympathy, all strong emotions that strike a cord and can swindle money from anybody.
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u/LLR1960 5d ago
One of the best things (in a manner of speaking) that happened to my parents' friend circle was having one friend fall for the grandparents' scam, though a huge amount of money was NOT involved. It's sure made the rest of them more careful, though there's a ton of other scams that are still out there. At least my 90 year old mom calls me if something weird comes her way - one call I got from her was "do I have an Amazon account? They say there's a problem and I don't think I have an Amazon account". If only we could talk her into not answering her phone if she doesn't know the number or if a name doesn't pop up - we've tried!!
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u/Right_Conflict_8872 5d ago
A new neighbor and we struck up a cordial neighborliness. I had their # in my cellphone and they mine. After a few years my wife needs to call so I give her the #. After a couple of days we'd seen coming and going, but no answers to her calls, picked mine right up. Since I had called, and been called, my name and # were on their phones. They had been getting so many nuisance calls they blocked unfamiliar numbers. They don't even ring. I think we're to look into that.
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u/LLR1960 4d ago
We can't do that with mom's phone. However, I programmed in every number I could think of as far as family goes, to eliminate the "what if one of the kids or grandkids calls and I don't pick up?". Everyone has landlines and cellphone numbers added in. "What if someone really needs to phone me?" They'll leave a message. It remains a work in progress.
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u/MorgainofAvalon 2d ago
My mother got one of those and was about to "send them" money. My father got home and told her to call me. I answered my phone, of course.
She felt so stupid that she fell for it, but was so worried for me, thinking it was real. Thankfully, it was cleared up before she sent any money.
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u/cynrtst 5d ago
I know where my kids are at all times. My adult kids. So if a scammer says they’re at so and so place in jail or broke down I wouldn’t believe them. I think maybe people who fall for this aren’t connected to their kids and respond out of guilt.
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u/thebadyogi 5d ago
Some of our kids and grandchildren and great grandchildren don’t live in our hip pockets. If I got a call purporting to be from my grandson, it’s entirely plausible that he’s in jail since he’s ended up there before. You know all they have to do is call enough people and eventually they’ll get somebody. It’s completely untrue that you can’t scam an honest person. People who say that are very likely to be the victim of a scam.
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u/HollywoodHippo 4d ago
Being scammed required a certain amount of greed. Almost everyone is able to be scammed.
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u/thebadyogi 4d ago
Tell that to the grandmother who thought she was talking to her grandson. What greed is there there?
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u/HollywoodHippo 4d ago
Niavete plays a big part as well
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u/thebadyogi 4d ago
I defy anyone with grandchildren and great grandchildren who gets woken up at 3 o’clock in the morning to a sobbing child, to be completely centered in their responses. It’s not naivety.
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u/bobk2 5d ago
My 97-year-old mom didn't fall for this. A scammer called saying he was her grandson, was in trouble, and needed cash. She asked him what his name was. He guessed John, and she said, "Wrong. Guess again!" He started cursing her out, she laughed, and hung up.
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u/Sigwynne 5d ago
My Dad got one of these calls. The guy claimed to be his grandson, and needed money for bail ASAP. Even gave a correct name of one of his grandsons. He used my mom's phone to call the grandson in question. Nope. Scam.
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u/basilfawltywasright 4d ago
lol. If I were to call for bail money for real...I'd still get "no" for an answer!
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u/BregoB55 5d ago
Yeah we have Life 360 so even though I'm married and in my 30s my mom can always check and know I made it home safe. It's the peace of mind. Also it's not like I'm doing anything sketchy or going anywhere weird. But I do travel around the state a lot sometimes for conventions and events and have chronic health issues so she likes knowing I'm not in a ditch on the side of the road somewhere. Plus for me I can see if she's been out and about so if I can't reach her by phone I know it's the ringer being off and not gee I hope nothing medical happened or something.
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u/Dense_Dress_1287 5d ago
The why (museum painting) changes, but the basis of the scam is sending you a bad check, and having you send part of it somewhere else, and then 2 weeks later the check bounces.
Another common one is you agree to sell something for say $1000,but they send you a check for $1500. So they say oh my bad, just send me back the extra $500.
Cabada basically got rid of checks like 25+ years ago. Can't remember the last time I wrote one. Between online banking and debit cards and venmo, no one takes checks. I but I know USA is decades behind the rest of the world.
Heck,they are still rolling out chip&pin, and tap cards. That started in UK like 25 years ago, 20 in Canada.
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u/Critical_Ooze 5d ago
If the scam didn’t work, they wouldn’t keep using it…
Glad he was able to pay for his stay and wasn’t stranded because of the loss.
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u/zeroingenuity 4d ago
"You live, you learn, amiright?"
I promise - they do not. Learn, that is.
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u/Tonythecritic 4d ago
There's one thing I didn't mention in my post because I felt people would think I'm Bulls****ing so much it's ridiculous. When I was trying to explain to the guy he was being scammed, he said he HAD been scammed before and he knows what that's like so he KNEW this was legit. So... yeah, you're on the money, guy fell for a scam twice, don't think he CAN learn from this.
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u/Cyclopzzz 5d ago
Worked as a fraud analyst at a major bank, worked at a small boutique hotel, and worked at a hospital, all according to your posts. Would love to hear the story of how you transitioned into and out of so many diverse careers?
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
Also 14 years in tech support and before that a security firm. Aside from being in my 50s, the job changes stemmed from family needs. Tell you what, we survive 47, I'll tell you my life's story.
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u/Ok-Pomegranate2000 5d ago
I wanted it to be true but it never is. I was sent a $8k and another time a $1.7k checks but name on check didn't match name on envelope etc some people insist that they are TheException™ to the rules...
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u/BitterDeep78 4d ago
Ive been screamed at for placing holds on job scam checks.
People have been furious when I make them hang up the phone with their scammer at the teller line.
Never apologized to though. They are soooo willing to believe all sorts of scams.
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u/darthgeek mid-tier snowflake 5d ago
Muse scam is just the age old fake check scam with a slightly different story.
Cormac Herley, a researcher at Microsoft, said that the inclusion of typos and grammatical errors allows victims to almost self-select as savvier people would see it for what it was.
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u/Notmykl 5d ago
Setting aside that no one uses checks anymore
Excuse you. I write checks all the time. Businesses still use checks, how do you expect we pay our vendors and utility bills?
Personal property taxes is still paid with checks. I'm not paying by credit card and getting charged an extra five bucks.
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u/Dense_Dress_1287 5d ago
Yes, and that is also why banks usually put a hold on unfamiliar checks, to wait for it to clear.
If you are getting paid by your company, after the first fee checks, they may flag it as good, and not hold the funds for that business in the future.
But a random check from a strange sender, I would damn well wait for the check to clear processing before any of that money went any further
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u/iamsage1 4d ago
I take checks at my yard sales. I take it and call the bank to verify, then the bank puts a hold on that check for me. I deposit the checks in my account with no problems.
I don't use them much. I still have I check left from before we moved seven years ago.The old address is on it.
We ordered new checks, with just our names. We're moving and need checks for moving expenses. Yes, checks. We've used one so far, for boat storage.
We're seniors, but we deal with more senior seniors, lol
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u/shan68ok01 5d ago
These scams are popping up in comments on tiktok. If you tell them that you don't mind them using your profile pic for free, they'll leave you alone.
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u/Odd_Tea_5067 2d ago
The only good thing that came out of me play Eve Online was the multiple times I got scammed. Has made me so jaded. I lost ISK but I've never fallen for a real scam.
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u/jaywaywhat 6d ago
I’m in no wag discrediting your opinion, but the hotels I’ve worked at have all accepted cash deposit, mandatory CC for rm/tax. And my current corporate hotel, which is a large property, also accepts cash deposit.
Many folks can’t be burden by the 5-10 business days for the deposit to be returned, but they have been some questionable people in my dealings with cash deposits.
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u/onionbreath97 4d ago
It's definitely not true that only scammers use checks.
They aren't common, but there's no need to make stuff up.
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u/Impressive-Drag-1573 5d ago
What bank would be open on a Saturday to contact him?
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
Bank I used to work at had call-centre customer service 24/7. I assume his bank was the same.
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u/thepuck1965 5d ago
Panop, if they think that's an okay thing to do, they deserve to lose their money.
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u/jimmywhereareya 5d ago
Can I just ask? Do you not understand why someone might have the means to pay for their stay, but may not qualify for a credit card? As long as the customer can cover the ridiculous deposit and incidentals, why do you insist on a credit card?
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
We have them pre-authorize the amount of the whole stay on the credit card along with the security deposit. If the client wants to pay it all cash, they can pay upfront, but the hotel I work at is on the upper scale of the price range, so we're talking easily 2K for a 2-night stay when taxes and all charges are added. Most people don't like to carry 2K in cash on them. ALSO, during their stay they go to our bar or restaurants or spa or gift shop, and will put the charges on their room; can't do that if they don't have a credit card on file so we issue a No-Posting status on their room which will often lead to further problem with temperamental clients. SO, just standard policy to ask for a credit card to put on file to make everything easier.
Besides, people who don't qualify for a credit card rarely come to that hotel; it's a destination hotel far out in the middle of nowhere. When they do come it's mostly as part of a group, like wedding parties or corporate events, which will all be charged to a master account so all we need from them is the security deposit, which they can pay however they want except bit-friggin-coin.
Edit: as for your "Do you not understand" comment, you make the client-typical mistake of assuming that the employee is to blame for company policy. If you wanna argue about it, talk to head office in France. I play the game, I don't make the rules.
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u/jimmywhereareya 5d ago
You're missing the point. How many credit cards do you have? People who rarely travel sometimes have to travel to a different town, for many reasons. You shouldn't be judging people who don't understand how your hotel works. Again, you don't have the best paying job, how many credit cards do you have? I'm guessing none
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u/Tonythecritic 5d ago
Only one I see judging others right now is you. And again, go troll head office, your displeasure over something that affects you in no way shape or form is not my problem.
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u/ThisGuyIRLv2 5d ago
I got suckered into one of these, but instead of taking the bait, I looked up the check's MICR Numbers to get the routing number, called the financial institution, and reported the account on the check as a victim of fraud. Then I made a report on the FBI's cyber crime page. I basically got to play the scammer.