If you have an Xbox 360 and use Xbox Live... would you be my friend?

I don't have anyone in my list of friends and it makes me sad.

I was getting lunch at Croissant Express in West Perth with Mark and Fitzy earlier today when I thought I saw a scam underway. It works like this:

You buy something of low value (around $2-$5) with a big note, preferably a $100 bill (y'all). You get your change as a 50, two 20s and some smaller monies. You hide the 50 and remind the cashier that you paid with a hunge. They check over your change and see that it is indeed missing the 50 and give you another one. Cha-ching.

When I saw it I thought that there was a good chance she was trying the scam, but wasn't 100% sure. I sat down, talked to the boys and explained what I thought I'd seen.

Then on the way back we wandered into the newsagency and she was at the counter. I jumped next to her, bought a $3 Scratch 'n' Win (the same as her) and watched her play the game again. Bingo! I wasn't seeing things. I went outside to tell the boys that I was onto her, and she walked into the next shop - a Japanese sushi bar. She tried the same thing again and I intercepted. I told the cashier what was going on but she either didn't understand me or thought I was the crazy one. The thief's "spotter" out the front was whistling and getting the scammer's attention, so they both walked out the front and took off around the corner. I did what I could verbally to hold them up but there wasn't much we could do other than explain the scam to the newsagent and tell them what had happened.

It was a shit feeling knowing that they'd gotten away with a stack of cash, but I can take some pride in knowing that we stopped their pillage across West Perth prematurely.

Update: 2:06PM
Fate dished me out a dollar for my troubles (the Scratch 'n' Win paid out).

Excellent, it looks like some nice chap has created just the widget I require for my Dashboard. Now I can chart how much my share purchases have lost at the click of a button.

In preparation for the movie film.

Filmed on the German ICE high-speed train, capable of 330km/hr. A few suction cups and a whole lot of balls.