‘Always check the bill’ – Bengaluru Redditor cautions Internet about fake, higher charges; netizens split | Today News

Shoppers rarely check the bill after a purchase, especially if the amount is small. However, a Bengaluru Redditor has cautioned the Internet about an alleged deliberate scam, where a shopkeeper charged over double the actual amount. "Always look through the bill after a purchase," the user cautioned.

In a viral post, the Redditor questioned how many shoppers these days have the habit of checking bills after a purchase.

He then shared that he had visited a "chain medicine store" to buy a tube of antiseptic cream and a strip of tablets for headaches.

"The person asked for my number as I'm registered there and asked me to pay through UPI as change would be an issue..." he shared, adding that the person stated the total bill amount as ₹223.

"I was a bit concerned as my mental calculation was that the amount should be within ₹100," the user noted.

Upon cross-checking the amount for himself, the Redditor found that the actual total was indeed below ₹100. "I took the tablet strip and the ointment and looked at their MRP, and I was right, it was just ₹94 and some decimals."

The Redditor said he then asked for the printed bill, and sensing that he had caught the scam, the shopkeeper corrected the bill.

“When asked for the printed bill, the person was asking if anything is wrong, and then he himself took the medicines and said sorry and then corrected to the correct price,” the Redditor said.

The Redditor posed a genuine question: “Was this deliberate, as some people may not check the MRP and don't wait for the bill during crowded times?” “Now all that cashier has to do is cancel the bill and make a new one to pocket some good money at the end of the day,” he noted.

Social media users were divided over the Bengaluru Redditor's claim and said that it might have been a common mistake.

"It's not easy to make money for the cashiers in such chain stores. All the date will be stored digitally. If he is choosing an item for billing, then the system automatically reduces the quantity of that item in their stock records. So if he is selling you something and puts that item on the bill then that item gets reduced in overall stock," a user noted.

"Further, invoice generation is linked with a dynamic QR which pops up on their machine for payment which will reflect the invoice amount and he can't made any edits. So I think it's a genuine mistake," he added.

However, a few users said such fraud is becoming very common.

"It's deliberate one. Nowadays some people don't care to calculate the total amount on their own in hurry. Happened with me in a super market where sale was going on," the user said.

A netizen noted that shoppers only check the bill if the amount exceeds their expectation. “When we have an approximate idea of how much should the bill amount be, we don't look even look at the bill if amount is actually near to that. Only if we feel it's higher than expected, we look at the bill. I guess this is the case with most of the people.”