This scam usually happens in bars, but any merchant that takes credit cards for payments could very well pull it.

Say you are having a great time in a bar and at the end of the night you pay by credit card. What happens is that on the signed receipt, scammers will add an extra number after or before the tip.

For example, if your tab was $68 and you added $9 as tip, the bartender or waitress will add a “1” before “9”, so the tip deducted from your card will be $19. Imagine this being pulled on you when the receipt is a few hundred dollars and you don’t even remember much from that night.

It could also happen to you when traveling. Some shady places don’t even have credit card machines and they use the old-fashion way, the handwritten invoice - they could pull the scam on the full amount too, not only the tip.

How to avoid: best way is to draw short vertical lines before and after the amount.