Get rich quick with a chequebook
I know someone who made thousands this way.

He was quite badly in debt to the bank as it was, and his credit and debit cards had both been blocked, but he still had a chequebook and a £100 guarantee card, so presumably decided to sponge what he still could from the bank and then do a runner.

As far as I know the bank still haven't got a penny back.

The problem is that you can't draw money directly on a cheque. So instead, he came up with the following little scheme:

1. Go to Asda. Buy a TV for £99.
2. Drive to another Asda. Present TV and receipt at customer services. Get a refund in cash.
3. Purchase another TV. Pay for it by cheque. Repeat process until you run out of Asdas.

All I can say is, I wish I'd thought of that.
(Half of Stephen Fry's right buttock pissed on your dog on, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 10:14, 6 replies)

it's precisely why
so few retailers take cheques these days! the banks put pressure on the retailers, so they responded by refusing to take cheques any more... i think there's only argos and tesco left that take cheques these days.

this knowledge shows i spent far too long as a pikey student. because people whose debit cards do not get declined at that time of the month do not need to know this and in fact probably have no idea where their chequebook is!
( rachelswipe with a fork, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 10:31, closed)

!
The only potential problem I can see with this is going to prison.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 10:32, closed)

Realistically
you're only going to make a few hundred quid, maybe a thousand or so, before you a) run out of asdas or b) run out of cheques.

That's hardly going to set you up for life in Brazil is it. It wouldn't even get you to Brazil.
(Bazongaloid, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 10:42, closed)

It all depends on how much money you have, Al
If you're a pikey student, with literally no money, then a few hundred quid will last quite a while. And you don't have to do a runner to Brazil. Just somewhere like Skegness would do.

If however, you have a £50k a year job, a few hundred is neither here nor there. Not that you'd need to run the scam then, of course.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 10:49, closed)

Right
I'm sure the massive damage to your credit rating from the inevitable CCJ that the bank will launch against you to recover the funds is worth it, right? I mean, who ever wants to be able to get a mortage at any time in the future when you can have a few hundred quid now? ;)

It's also fraud if you know there's no money in your account...
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 13:21, closed)

Duurrrr
This is just a stupid idea... Unless you stole the chequebook and guarantee card!

Yay!



6. Profit!
(powervator and NONE SHALL PASS, Mon 4 Aug 2008, 21:31, closed)