Magic for Free

I went to a local fair with my kids on 06 Apr 23 at Sheetla Mata Mandir, Gurgaon. As I took out Rs 500/- to buy the tickets, the guy at the counter glanced my wallet and asked me Rs 500/- notes for a total amount of Rs 2000/- in exchange of Rs 100/- notes. His hands were full of a bundle of Rs 100/-. He also offered me a discount in tickets for it. I was a bit hesitant but then accepted his offer. As I was counting, he increased the offer to Rs 3000/- saying “Sir, you have more notes, so please give me”. I gave him Rs 3500/- (Rs 3000 Rs 500 for tickets). He had to return me 33 notes of Rs 100. He counted and handed over the bundle. As I counted along with my daughter, count was 32. He asked me to count again, we counted again and it was 32. Then he took the bundle and counted himself, it was 32. So, he said “Sorry” with a smile and handed over the bundle to me with an extra note on top of it.

And the magic trick is over.

As the good sense prevailed, I made the kids sit in the ride and started counting the notes again in front of the counter. The count was 21. And by the time I finished counting, the same guy was in front of me and handed over Rs 1200/- (Two Rs 500/- notes and One Rs 200/- note).

How and when did he out took those 12 notes of Rs 100/- ?

The magic trick could have costed me Rs 1200/- but my simple financial transaction practice to count and re-count notes saved me.

It became clear that the man had used a classic sleight of hand trick called "short-changing" to cheat me out of my money. Short-changing involves giving the victim less money than they are owed by quickly removing some of the bills that were just handed over. The man had given me 32 notes instead of the correct 33 notes, and then distracted me by asking me to count again before quickly swapping out the bundle for one that contained only 21 notes.

Fortunately, my simple financial transaction practice of counting and re-counting the notes saved me from losing Rs 1200/-. This experience serves as a reminder to always be vigilant and pay attention to the details when making financial transactions, especially with strangers or in unfamiliar situations. By being cautious and careful, we can avoid falling victim to scams and keep our hard-earned money safe.