Our daughter Lina was so excited to have her first cookie sales booth this year at Ralph’s on Harvard in Irvine. While packing up at the end of her shift, a gentleman approached us to buy 10 packs of cookies for his girlfriend ‘who he was on the phone with’ with a 100 dollar bill. We informed him that we can’t take a 100$ bill due to the risk of it being counterfeit. We asked if he had smaller bills, Venmo, a credit card. He expressed his disappointment that he could not present another option. He begged us stating his girlfriend would be so disappointed as she was really looking forward to getting her caramel delights and thin mints. Against my better judgement I took his money and even provided him change with his cookies. Upon closer inspection inside Ralph’s directly following, the bill was determined to be counterfeit. The counterfeit bill was provided to Irvine PD and they are hoping to examine video footage of where this event occurred outside the store.

My daughter was surprisingly upbeat about the whole event, and we had a good laugh that (if one existed) she had definitely earned her ‘I got scammed’ patch. Silver lining of spending extra time bonding with my daughter, and Irvine PD.

A PSA to Girl Scouts and their parent booth coordinators - be careful out there. Policies are definitely in place for very good reasons. Even if someone attempts to tug at your heart strings, always follow policy! :)

Please continue to support Girl Scouts at their local sales booths in front of a store near you (Target, Starbucks, HMart, Ralph’s, etc.).

Person

Hair: Bald (Shaved), Top: Black Leather Jacket, Bottom: Black pants, Shoes: Scattered Arm Tattoos, Age: 35-45, Sex: Male