A gas station on John Rice Boulevard in Murfreesboro was the victim of a “Quick Change” scheme in recent days. The scam is done by a con artist who purchases a small item from the store and then confuses the clerk by repeatedly asking for different amounts of change. It often happens so fast that the victim behind the counter fails to realize what just occurred until the suspect is gone.

In the case at the John Rice Boulevard gas station, the clerk told police the subject bought candy for .98-cents. He paid for the candy with a $5 bill and received $4.02 back. The man then placed several stacks of cash on the counter asking for different amounts of change. The employee told police that change was provided to the unknown man 7 to 8 times. The clerk eventually said enough is enough and refused to make anymore change for the customer. Minutes after the subject left the scene, the clerk realized her register was short $50 bucks. So far, the man and a second subject who was with him, have not been caught.

Looking back: This past August a similar quick change scam was reported at the Target store. In that case the scammer bought a $3 item and paid for it with a $100 bill. The man walked out of the store with an extra $350. So far, that subject has yet to be caught.

Source:

MPD Incident Report #14-2524
(2013 Event) MPD Incident Report #13-16805