Question:
I once had an incident involving an unscrupulous fuel desk clerk. After purchasing over 200 gallons, I cashed a comcheck for $300. The clerk took out a wad of $20s from the register, then proceeded to count it real fast, like the way auctioneers would talk. All I saw was a blur movement as his hands shuffled through all the $20s like it was a stack of playing cards. After saying $300, he immediately turns his back on me, which I thought was not a natural thing to do. I asked the driver behind me, "could you watch me count this?" Which he agreed. I counted and made three rows; I counted to $100, then started another row to count to $200. The 3rd row only had four $20s. The clerk made this elaborate show of rapid counting the bills, just so he can pocket $20 and steal my money. He denied this and replied "well you probably pocketed it, cause I counted $300 in front of you." I asked for the manager and requested the register be cleared to ascertain wether its at least $20 over. He immediately opened the register and gave me my $20-- after I had asked for the manager, and to have the register cleared. To avoid this scam, always ask the clerk to count it slowly. Ask for a recount if something doesn't look right as he/she is laying out each bill.

Answer:
I am hoping that all adults know how to handle money and know how to make sure they get all of it when cashing any type of check at any type of business. I've personally never had a problem cashing com checks or getting cash from any TS. But then it's no different than cashing a check at a grocery store, bank or anywhere else.

Answer:
You might be surprised how many young drivers have never handled large cash transactions before, or have only done so with the relative trust you might give a bank teller. The opportunity for getting ripped-off is pretty high at a busy truck stop with low-wage clerks, sometimes working in a culture of contempt for the customers, handling hundreds of thousands-of-dollars per till, much of it in cash, with impatient drivers waiting in line. If the driver is also paying for a scale ticket and other merchandise at the same time, plus the transaction fee... a slick clerk can easily confuse an experienced driver, not to mention a green kid.
I frequently see clerks quickly counting cash from one hand to the other, sometimes barely counting out loud or under their breath, sometimes going, "oops, one too many" or interrupting the count .....then handing it to the driver who immediately shoves it in his wallet. If the driver doesn't know exactly how much money he had in his wallet, he may never realize he was ripped off. Even if you see the count, it adds up to the expected amount and the whole things looks fine, any two-bit magician can slip a twenty off the bottom without detection.
In passingtrucker’s example, the manager didn’t even challenge his claim.
He simply gave him the missing twenty as if that was his routine solution when one of his clerks made a "mistake".
No matter how correct the count looks, step out of the way for a moment and recount it yourself before leaving the desk. Good con artists rely on a customer's mis-placed self confidence.
.http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sect...onusWeek.php#tabs

Answer:
To clarify, this happened when the night manager had left the premises to take a one-hour break. When I realized I was shorted, the clerk insinuated I was the scammer. I invoked calling the night manager and demanded the register be closed and its contents counted against all transactions since it was last cleared during the change of shift. He immediately game me my $20 to avoid involving the manager in our dispute. I suspect the clerk had pulled this routine before and was surprised I didn't just walk away and took my losses, because he made a scene and threatened to call the Sheriff, which he claimed was his brother in-law. I neglected to mention the scene the clerk created when I said I was $20 short. To intimidate me, he also said when his brother in-law deputy sheriff gets here, the first thing he's going to ask is to see my logbooks. As I said, the discussion came to an end when I demanded the manager's presence, who was not on duty at the time.

Answer:
Actually the manager never came out. But I do love drama.
Truck stops, Walmart, Grocery Stores, Warehouses, Banks, Quickie Marts etc.etc.. It's all the same, you count your money and make sure you got the right amount back. Most clerks are taught to count the money back so they do not give you to much. That's where the little "oops, one too many" comes in. Now for those who aren't quite enlightened yet here's a little fact. Those cashiers at your local C-Store and quick stops can be much better at taking your money right in front of you than the poorly trained people at a TS. But then the many drivers who feel it's ok to steal a cup of coffee or some other small item have them all outnumbered hands down.
I have a little more faith in the younger people than most and suspect they have a grip on counting their money. Unlike many of the new older drivers who haven't quite figured out what they want out of life yet.

Answer:

Well....I wished you'd explained that exchange before I used your original version in my post.
But -- his defensiveness and stupid threats were all the more evidence he stole from you, in my opinion.
Unfortunately, cnumers face many more sophiscated con artists than idiots like that.
It's highly unreported and unrecognized because nothing seems the least bit suspicious.
Good advice to all in any exchange of money.
.http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sect...onusWeek.php#tabs

Answer:
He did say that in the original post.
I've never faced a sophisticated con-artist while driving a truck. I do though face many idiots everyday. Unfortunately they're usually on my side of the counter.

Answer:

He said this:
Good register con artists love guys who think they've never met one.
.http://www.weather.gov/forecasts/graphical/sect...onusWeek.php#tabs

Answer:
But he did say this.
Manager never came, sorry. But I do love drama.
Oh the fear of it all. There is a con-artist, sophisticated at that, waiting in every truck stop.
Back to truck drivers ripping off truck stops. It's much more common than some clerk trying to get your $20.

Answer:

Not to mention the embellishment ....

Seems the Clerk didn't know any Marshals.
Answer:
Many moons ago (1965) my high school buddy got a job in a "7-11 type" store.
All the clerks were encouraged to short change EACH customer, if possible.
Any amount was OK even a few pennies. It all added up. Of course, the more the better. If a customer discovered being short-changed they were instructed
to immedately correct the "mistake".
At the end of each week, the overage was divided between the staff. His fellow employees talked of often making more on the scam than their hourly pay check.
It was too much for my buddy... he came from an honest home and could
not accept this job requirement. He quit after a week when the supervisor
attempted to get him to accept his first, under the table share of the overage.
Since then, I always check my change.
I still often find myself being short-changed.
My buddy then got a job in the parts department of an auto dealership.
He was introduced to another scam there which deserves a post of it's own.
Answer:
It seems every family has a deputy sheriff in their family.....when it somehow involves trucking.....You should have asked him if his name was "Barney Fife"
I would have!!

Answer:
OK................could you divulge the name and location of this truckstop?

Answer:
This happened to me years ago when I was still an OTR driver; I'm now a local driver with a grocery chain store. The name and location of the truckstop is irrelevent. The lesson is to be aware of getting shorted by clerks when dealing with large sum. A good clerk will count the money by laying it down, counting slowly, and speaking clearly as they're counting your change. There are no standards of training for clerks so be on your guard when you're getting change and know what to do when you realize you've been shorted. Call the manager if you can't resolve your dispute. With the way most drivers will simply fold their wad of cash and trust the clerks count, I suspect that shorting the driver is a very common unreported crime event.

Answer:
That wouldn't matter because clerks at TS's don't usually last very long.
I suspect it's not common at all.