Owners of the Chocolatte café on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights are warning other local stores and businesses to beware of a thief who has managed to steal from them a number of times.
The elderly man enters the store when it is busy and full of customers, owners said, and then proceeds to the checkout with an item and a large bill, such as a $20 or a $50.
When the cashier is about to hand the man his change, he then creates some form of diversion, distracting the cashier, and then says he changed his mind and does not want to purchase the item. In the confusion, he then leaves with the original bill as well as the change the cashier had just handed him.
“He has done this several times in our store,” Levi Harel, the owner of Chocolatte told COLlive. “The first time we didn’t notice until he had already left, the second time he tried it, the cashier said something to him so he ran away. Yesterday he managed to pull the same trick on another worker,” he said.
Harel said they called the police, who detained the man, but said they could not arrest him because he did not “forcefully take anything.”
Harel says the thief has been coming into his café once a week, so he cautions other local businesses to be aware of this con artist so as not to become a victim of theft as well.
told the guy the cashier he said cant be and I said look at col he looked and and its him it was clear he was not looking for a safer
It is kosher but only to be used in certain circumstances. Rabbinic consultation should be made before using hypnosis.
It’s probably not the best healing method!
It is an art to distract people without their realizing they are distracted. This is the basis of hypnosis, which, not by the way, is (disclaimer: by some..) not considered kosher as a healing method .
When I was there a few weeks ago it was 11 at night, and there was an old black lady who came in and started asking people for money, and a lot of people gave her, them a younger black person came in and also was slung for money…. the new I don’t know what happened but the firefighters came… they were screaming at each other…. and actually there was a highschool girl who can e in and then left, accidentally tripping iver the old lady’s bags… and she actually ran out of the store chasing This lubavitcher high-school girl….… Read more »
He is just a con man, it has nothing to do with an art he has been doing this for years, that’s how he probrably makes some money conning people out of their money especially business
The old gonif comes in when it’s busy and creates a disturbance to confuse the cashier so don’t judge people so negatively.
I’d like to see the old gonif try this in the hood. He won’t make it out of the bodega.
The question still stands. If you have the original bill, the customer has the change. If customer has the change, why hand him back the original bill before he gives you back the change? The goods, plus the change = the original bill. When he hands back both the goods, and the change, he gets back the bill.
It’s a special “art”. These people can make the most responsible cashier hand them back the bill before taking back the change. Has nothing to do with how good or smart the cashier is.
It’s not an “art”
It’s called being a CON MAN…..
All the employees should be familiar with his face & modus operandi by now. Say you can’t make change for a big bill. I’ve been told this many times when I wanted to make a small purchase with even a $10 let alone a $20 or $50, and I have no dishonest intentions.
Reread the article.
It’s a special “art”. These people can make the most responsible cashier hand them back the bill before taking back the change. Has nothing to do with how good or smart the cashier is.
This is different .
The cashier should have asked for the change back.
Yes he’s a con man. He coned the cashier into giving back the $50 without asking for the change back FIRST….
Harel said they called the police, who detained the man, but said they could not arrest him because he did not “forcefully take anything.” This is RIDACOULUOUS?!! The Cops don’t know what the law is they are just lazy. Call Shomrim or Shmira they will take care of the thieves. As soon as the cops get close to donuts they lose all their senses.
Why would you give him change before taking the large bill from him?
a lot of thieves don’t steal forcefully, yet if they are caught they are arrested. He’s a professional, but because he’s elderly they have pity. If a person shoplifts they’re arrested but they don’t use force either. What gives? Many types of thievery don’t require brute force, but people get arrested anyway for the simple act of ‘Stealing’.