A Couples Stringing Tricks Change Machines Out of Twenty Thousand Dollars
Local 6 News showed video of the couple feeding a $20 bill into change machines. When the machines dump change, they jerk the string and get the coins and the original bill back.
"It's a low-tech scam but a high-dollar heist," Local 6 reporter Louis Bolden said. "It's called 'stringing.'"
"They are scamming these coin machines, and it's a real, basic, simple technique that they are using," Orange City police Sgt. Jason Sampsell said.
At the Sunny Shine Car Wash in Orange City, Fla., the couple stole $4,000 from the change machines, police said.
"A lot of these small businesses, this is where they make their money," Sampsell said.
Police said the same couple have been stringing in Orange, Volusia and Seminole counties, stealing more than $20,000.
"I think it is pretty dumb and bold and brazen," Sampsell said. "They are doing it in public, and they know they are being taped. It is just a matter of time before they get caught."
Investigators said they believe someone will recognize the pair.
Anyone with information is urged to call Orange City Police Department at (386) 775-5482 or Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS.