Bit of a dated-article but I was not aware of it:
Waitress Caught Stealing Over $8,000 in Tips From Credit Cards at Strip Club
A waitress at a strip club in Northwest Miami was caught by her manager stealing thousands of dollars in tips by fraudulently charging credit cards, according to an arrest warrant.
The club manager at The Booby Trap was first made aware of the fraudulent charging when several credit card account holders fought the charges through their banks and claimed they had not used their cards at the club, according to the warrant.
By studying video surveillance footage, the manager was able to identify one of the club's bartenders, Melissa Rodriguez, plugging in credit card numbers manually into the merchant machine and adding large tips to each transaction.
According to the arrest warrant, the manager was able to pinpoint 14 fraudulent transactions that had been made between October 4 and October 5 of 2018 totaling in $8,050 in tips for Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was terminated immediately after confessing to the transactions, according to the warrant. She surrendered at the Miami-Dade Police Department's Economic Crimes Bureau by her attorney.
She is being held with bond at the Turner Guildford Knight Correctional Facility.
Comments
last commentAveraging over $500 per fraudulent tip? How could she possibly think she could get away with that? She probably could have gotten herself a lot more money in the long run if she did it $25 at a time for a couple of weeks.
Most people are going to dispute a fraudulent charge of $500+ but how many are going to call up their credit card company and say " this $200 charge from the Booby Trap should have only been $175?"
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Whodey. The owners of the cards complained that they had never been to that club, not that the charge was the wrong amount. She prob got the cc numbers from a dark place and assumed that if they worked (were not declined) she was home free.
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623 that makes it a completely different story then. All I knew of the incident is what Papi posted so I just assumed when it said that she was "adding large tips to each transaction" that it meant she was just making it seem like the customer left a large tip on a legit transaction. Thanks for the additional info.
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"Thou Shalt Not Use Thy Credit Card in a Titty Bar" should become the 11th Commandment.
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Why is this such a big deal? Do you get ripped off? Do you think if credit happens there is no self control?
Personally I pay tabs with card with little issue.
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It's widely known at a club I go to that the staff skims off the top for credit transactions. Most guys either don't notice or don't care. I've only ever paid cash there, so who they choose to rip off on credit charges is their business.
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As others pointed out, this chick was getting card numbers elsewhere and running transactions through with big tips. These weren't customers of the club, or if they were it was purely coincidence. The numbers were obtained elsewhere.
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DChicken: “ Why is this such a big deal?” It’s not. I wouldn’t use a CC at a broken down dive I have never been to before, and definitely would pull out the CC in response to a high pressure sales tactic, but I use CCs all the time at some of the moderate to upscale clubs and have never, ever had an issue. I actually like it because it allows me to save the cash for the girls. ATM fees are another matter. The high device charges that strip club ATMs charge are a total ripoff.
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. . . would not pull out, not would
Can’t wait for that edit button on April 1 : )
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I should clarify I use the CC only for drinks, food, and sometimes a VIP room charge, things for which there is no added service charge for using a CC. I don’t use to pay the girls for VIPs or to get “house money,” things for which there is usually a hefty service charge.
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@rickdugan--- good candidate for an 11th Commandment. Right up there with "Thou shall not pre pay for sexual services at a strip club."
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