Students from one of Sydney’s most expensive private schools have been caught on camera using counterfeit $50 notes in a bid to swindle an eastern suburbs newsagent out of $100.
Despite initially getting away with the alleged crime at Double Bay Newsagency, one student from the $40,000 a year Scots College returned just two days later in a bid to try the same scam again, Daily Telegraph reported.
Video of the original alleged fraud shows three students at the counter of the newsagency as one buys a pen. A second student in a blue shirt asks to swap four $50 notes for two $100 notes and appears nervous as he fumbles in his wallet for the cash.
Store manager Jim Cho said: “He gave over a lot of $50 notes and put the two fakes with two real ones all together.”
Another student Mr Cho believes was from the original group returned two days later to allegedly get even more money out of the small business – but he could see the notes were smaller than the normal size and originally knew they were fake.
Mr Cho then did some Double Bay detective work of his own, printing out photos of the suspects and posting CCTV footage on YouTube and soon had a strong lead that the students were from the exclusive school a suburb over in Bellevue Hill.
He contacted the school. He said teachers from the school turned up at the shop and tried to downplay the incident but Mr Cho was adamant he will be pressing charges with the police.
In a statement, Scots College principal Ian Lambert said: “the business owner has been contacted and repaid in full”.
“The College is co-operating with NSW Police and will continue counselling the student and working with his parents until the incident is fully resolved,” he said.
“The College takes the situation extremely seriously and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken once the full facts have been determined.”