• YtA4QCam2A9j7EfTgHrH
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    7
    ·
    2 months ago

    I remember hearing a story like twenty years ago about a person that figured out that serial number were disclosing payouts. They would buy a bunch, find the winners, scratch them, then return the losers for their money back. I think I heard about it on a planet money or this American life ages and ages ago.

    • Vent@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      19
      ·
      2 months ago

      Who in their right mind is accepting returns of lottery tickets, scratched or not???

      • rtxn@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        2 months ago

        Store clerks who just want to get through their shift without committing battery upon their customers and are definitely not paid enough to deal with that shit.

        • Vent@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          2 months ago

          Not paid enough to say “no refunds” but given the ability to authorize giving out money for unofficial reasons? If it’s unauthorized, then they’re essentially stealing cash and assuming an extremely high risk of getting fired to avoid confrontation.

          I’ve never worked a gas station, but I’ve worked fast food and I would have been fired soooo fast if I were giving out unauthorized refunds. Maybe even prosecuted if the amount was large enough. I’ve seen people fired for less.

          • RisingSwell@lemmy.dbzer0.com
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            2 months ago

            I work at a gas station that does food, and we can refund almost anything at the whim of the cashier, sure there should be a reason, but you don’t ask a manager or whatever you just do it if it’s the right thing.

            Lotto on the other hand belongs with things like phone credit and fuel. If the system even lets you, it’s going to log it and management will know and expect a good explanation on what the fuck you are doing.

        • MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          8
          ·
          edit-2
          2 months ago

          I just quit after calling the police. Dude said they were too hard to scratch off and wanted his money back. Was dressed to the nines (as was his date), in a seedy movie rental store, trying to return lottery tickets by amicably dropping threats of coming behind the register.

          I sure hope his date was impressed. Nobody else was.

          Edit: also, this was about 20 years ago, so may very well have been a scam attempt.