New Restaurant Scam?

[the_whipster]

In many places throughout the world, it is common for the finer establishments to change their price structure at a certain time in the evening. For the menu selections to double is not that unusual. Of course, this is for finer dining establishments and not usual for most 4 star and rarely for anything lower!

 

it is not just the 'finer' establishments that do this. It is common for UK Chinese buffet restaurants to raise their prices in the evenings. In fact they can have several tiers of pricing for their all-you-can-eat deals depending on the time of day or night. And a Chinese buffet is not normally thought of as being upscale dining.

 

in fact even cheapie UK Indian and Chinese takeaways can lower their prices at lunchtimes. For example I know a place where I can get a Indian chicken curry and rice for GBP£3.50 until 3.30pm, after that I have to pay £5. They do this because they have a problem getting white people to eat Indian and Chinese food in the daytimes, this kind of food white people, rather than Indian or Chinese, tend to eat only in the evenings. To the point where many Indian and Chinese takeaways never open until the evenings.  Sometimes Chinese takeaways are also British type fish and chip shops. The fish and chips, which white people will eat in the daytimes, is always the same price. But they can have a special Chinese lunch menu with lower prices than in the evenings, to encourage people to eat Chinese for lunch.

[Mike S]

 

They can do this in forex booths too it only takes a second for them to switch a bill out of your line of sight.

 

Now it makes sense that some Forex exchanges (such as SM) make you list out the serial numbers on a form.  They are protecting the customer from unscrupulous employees who might make a switch.  I have not exchanged cash in a long time but if I do I will keep my eyes open for this.

 

 

We do this every month but usually use the same money changer (who normally gives us a SMALL break on the rate) and so far we have never had a problem with someone trying to cheat us ..... but you just never know ....

:cheersty:

[the_whipster]

they only ask you to write down the serial numbers in the more upscale forex places. Not so long ago I changed a small amount of US dollars at the SM in Paranaque however it was only 1 $50, the rest was in $20s and $10s. I had to write down the numbers of every one, which I thought was a bit of a waste of time as I don't think there are too many fake $10s and $20s out there.

 

as far as I know I have never been scammed by any moneychanger in the Philippines but there is always a slight risk. So always be a bit focused. Keep your eyes on the money, look for the switch and count it before you leave.

 

sometimes smartly dressed people approach foreigners asking them if they can change a PHP1000. It is of course a fake bill. People fall for this too. You would never do this in your home country. Would you change a USD$100 or GBP£50 bill to a complete stranger on the street? Of course you wouldn't.

[Dave Hounddriver]

People fall for this too.

 

I did it recently.  Not getting scammed but, well here's what happened:  I am sitting in a local bakery having a soda and a doughnut and a local lady (average looking and about 40 ish) goes to the counter to buy something with a 1,000 peso note.  The girl behind the counter must have said she cannot change that because the local lady started looking around, spotted me, and asked if I could change it.  I said no and she tried a few others.  After a few minutes of that I pulled out 2 x 500's and told her I would change it.  I realized as I did it that there was a chance of getting scammed but I managed to spend the 1,000 somewhere else and no one complained I was trying to pass a fake bill on them.  So sometime I take a chance on an honest face.  It bites me in the arse some days.  Other days it gives me a good feeling to help a stranger.

[the_whipster]

I don't think I would do it unless I had another 1000 bill to compare it with.

 

as far as I know I have never had any kind fake Filipino bill in my possession, but there are only so many places where I can get 1000 bills. The Philippines may be bent, but I'm pretty sure you would not get a fake 1000 from an ATM. Perhaps from a downscale moneychanger, but even there, passing a fake 1000 in a bunch of 10 or 20 must be a considerable risk for them.

 

I also don't like to accept UK £50 notes here. If somebody offers one, which is rare. I ask them if they have anything smaller. If they don't, then I ask to see their ID before I accept it.

[Mike S]

Just for the record my old "My Phone" had one of those scanner fake money lights incorporated into it ..... worked great .... :thumbsup:

:cheersty:

[i am bob]

ATMs are one of the worse places for getting counterfeit bills! At least it is in Canada and the US! Privately owned machines I can understand but it's usually a bank-owned machine that is the trouble! And supposedly is the same for anywhere in the world! Just s little tid-bit I picked up from a money laundering course...

Sent by using a very long piece of string, a couple tin cans, 2 gaseous monkeys, Tapatalk and my Nexus 4

[Dave Hounddriver]

ATMs are one of the worse places for getting counterfeit bills

 

Having never had that happen to me or anyone I know, either closely or remotely, I find that a difficult statement to swallow.  Perhaps it deserves a new topic but it certainly deserves more explanation than just a 'knowing wink'.

[robert k]

I would avoid making change for anyone. I carefully hoard what 50 and hundred piso bills I get so I won't have to wander around lost looking for change. :thumbsup: 

[the_whipster]

same here. I always try to get rid of 1000 bills whenever I get the chance. It helps if you stay in hotels a lot. Next best, is gas stations, which always have change even in the province. In fact the mushrooming of proper gas stations everywhere has changed the change (lol) situation in the Philippines no end. It is much better now than before. So everytime you fill up your motorbike (average about 150) gives you the opportunity to get rid of at least a 500 and maybe even a 1000. Even a 500 is a lot of money in the province and many places will not be able to change it if you offer one. When I know I am going to be out in the sticks in a week or so, I start to stockpile small bills even more than usual. 20s, 50s, and 100s.