Ever Heard of Fake Receipts?

[Go-NoGo]

My research is showing that there are websites that sell fake alibis and references. Out in the open. For example: https://fakereferencefakealibi.com/fake-references-and-fake-alibi-packages/

Could be an FBI sting site

 

[Clone]

The murderer, knowing her car might be searched, fills her car with junk including Burger King bags, etc. It's a just-in-case thing. One of the receipts shows her being eight hours away in another town when the murder is committed.

Sunday afternoon or evening, I could probably go down to campus and get as many bags of fast food trash and receipts as I wanted. Most of the trash cans would not be emptied after mid-day on Friday, and would remain an archeological find until sometime on Monday.The demographics of the receipts would probably also be convenient in that they would probably be high traffic type places. Not sure how many folks still pay with cash, however.

 

[Qs Laptop]

As part of the plot of a book I'm working on, the prosecution will find a receipt that shows that the defendant was not at the scene of a murder. The prosecutor tries to discredit the receipt, showing that the timing is suspect.

It will turn out that it's a fake receipt (Google "fake receipts").

The prosecutor will not know how easy it is to get fake receipts made. I want to see if that's reasonable or not.

Unreasonable. Surely prosecutors know about fake receipts!

Next, I have to deal with this: The defendant's attorney suspects that it's a fake receipt, but he doesn't speak up. My research suggests that as long as he didn't present the receipt as evidence, he's not required to voice his suspicions.

Prosecutors are required to turn over to defendants any evidence which MAY be exculpatory. The defense can do with it whatever they want.

 

[TromboneAl]

If the accomplice has generally similar physical characteristics as the antagonist, such as height, weight, build, even a police interview with the clerk might prove inconclusive.

Even if there was a camera, if it were high enough on the wall and the accomplice wore a cap to hide the face, that might work.

Yes, this is good. Thanks, Michael.

Killer gives one of her credit cards to an accomplice with similar build. Accomplice buys burger wearing concealing clothes like those of the killer's. Accomplice meets killer after the murder and gives her back the credit card.

She could also put the receipt in her car.

I could even get fancy and do this: Killer goes to the Burger King a day earlier and puts a fingerprint where it's unlikely to be cleaned (up on wall).

Accomplice pretends to touch that same place when making the purchase.

Cops dust for prints and find it.

After the trial (?), the attorney has a nagging doubt. He notices a discrepancy between where the accomplice put her hand and the location of the fingerprint.

Or, he reviews video footage, goes back a day, and sees the real killer plant her fingerprint.

See any problems with that?

 

[Helios]

Police check license plate reader, aledged visited the victim. Or aledged’s accomplice drove to the alibi site.

 

[jazz4cash]

I’m always surprised that folks casually discard ATM receipts. Wouldn’t a lawyer worth their salt verify a receipt? I assume fast food joints and ATMs all have video.

 

[MooreBonds]

The prosecution tries but fails to show that it's fake (dueling experts). The store has no camera. The prosecution says that maybe it wasn't her but isn't able to prove that.

You mention the fake receipt is a long drive away - surely the murderer would have to stop to refuel/recharge the car? Didn't know if you had the "aha" moment by the ADA when some small, podunk gas station happened to have some unexpected camera setup that showed the murderer pulling into the gas station. (or maybe the murderer gets away with it?) If there were just a few gas stations through a long, unpopulated stretch, wouldn't be difficult to check with a dozen gas stations for security footage.

Or if you really want to have an odd twist - the seedy gas station doesn't have security cameras...but the worker has a camera in the women's bathroom to record women. The ADA (or her assistant) stops at the gas station to interview the employee. While there, she has to go to the bathroom. Sees the hidden camera, busts the employee...but then asks to see his video records, and sees the defendant! (since it was such a long ride, the murderer had to use the bathroom)

 

[Ronstar]

I haven't heard of fake receipts, so I didn't know that someone could purchase them. But they would be easy to make. They can be made in photoshop quite easily.

 

[candrew]

Right. [-]The murderer will probably choose a place with no camera,[/-]* and there will be back and forth with witnesses testifying about whether they saw the defendant. She could visit the place another time so that they will have seen her (since she's so pretty/memorable).

*see post below

Umm.......Al - in the interest of believability, this gal does not seem the type to dine at Burger King and drive a car with fast-food bags strewn about the inside.

 

[joeea]

As part of the plot of a book I'm working on, the prosecution will find a receipt that shows that the defendant was not at the scene of a murder. The prosecutor tries to discredit the receipt, showing that the timing is suspect.

It will turn out that it's a fake receipt (Google "fake receipts").

The prosecutor will not know how easy it is to get fake receipts made. I want to see if that's reasonable or not.

Just Google "fake receipt". So you are wondering if the prosecutor is so stupid that their office wouldn't know how to use Google?

 

[BigNick]

Can you say more about the nature of the "receipt"?

I just checked some of my recent (European) credit card receipts and under my card number (suitably censored, typically by removing all but the last 4 digits) there is a 16-hex-digit code which I suspect is a unique identifier of the transaction. That is, the investigators could go to the card company and ask them for their record of the transaction with that number, which would include an exact date and time, and the ID of the merchant terminal, which in turn would identify the geographical location where the transaction took place (unless the terminal was removed from that location temporarily... dun-dun-DUN!!!). This would be very hard to fake, unless the perp (or corrupt prosecutor, depending on your plot) was able to "get at" a number of people within the credit card company, including ultimately the security audit people.

See also https://developer.moneris.com/en/More/Testing/Receipt Requirements

 

[sengsational]

So, I guess from the latest reply from Al, a fake receipt is "out" and having an accomplice get a receipt with a lent credit card is "in".


It's my opinion (again, from watching Law & Order), that if this beauty is considered a suspect, a confirmed use of her credit card at a location too distant to have her at the murder scene, alone, wouldn't put her in the clear. They'd ask her all about her movements that day and she'd have to have left zero crumbs for them to find. That would be highly suspicious. "I sat in my car all day and nobody saw me" isn't going to work. She couldn't have her cell phone on that day. If she said she was with somebody, they'd have to lie for her, and that might break-down if they threaten the person vouching with and "accomplice to murder" charge.

 

[MichaelB]

I think it’s a realistic scenario. Remember, our default is presumed innocence, guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. A legitimate credit or debit card transaction, with a receipt, and no video support, only the recollection of a retail clerk. How does a procesador prove a specific individual, holding the receipt, was not the person that conducted the transaction?

What if the clerk says “I remember seeing that person”, but can’t confirm a specific date?

 

[sengsational]

Given the cops and/or ADA don't find any discrepancies in the suspect's accounting of the day in question, then in court, the receipt might lend some weight.


If that's the way the story will play out, I'd need to see quite a few pages in the book highlighting the frustration by the authorities where they tried to poke holes in the suspect's accounting of the day and came-up empty. The suspect could "have an answer for everything", but if the book glossed over that aspect of the prosecution, I'd be looking askance at the story-line. It could be done by having overworked / incompetent/distracted authorities, or it could be the suspect is a "criminal genius" who "thought of everything". But if her only defense is sending an accomplice to buy a burger on her credit card and that "works" without a lot more story, I'd be calling "BS". Like they like to say on Law & Order "This is a MURDER investigation!", at which point the reluctant witness caves in and lets drop another clue to solving the crime.

 

[candrew]

If that's the way the story will play out, I'd need to see quite a few pages in the book highlighting the frustration by the authorities where they tried to poke holes in the suspect's accounting of the day and came-up empty. The suspect could "have an answer for everything", but if the book glossed over that aspect of the prosecution, I'd be looking askance at the story-line. It could be done by having overworked / incompetent/distracted authorities, or it could be the suspect is a "criminal genius" who "thought of everything.

Perhaps the lead investigator finds him/herself becoming involved with the subject of the investigation and accepts critical evidence and/or an alibi, or the lack thereof, without performing due diligence? It might take a bit of work to flesh out that thread of the storyline. Additionally, such scenario could escalate tension between the lead investigator and a subordinate (perhaps a rookie detective) who is also tasked to work on the investigation and feels their superior is sloppy and otherwise disengaged from their job. Again, another thread in the storyline that would have to be fleshed out.

 

[TromboneAl]

Umm.......Al - in the interest of believability, this gal does not seem the type to dine at Burger King and drive a car with fast-food bags strewn about the inside.

Quite true. Maybe the junky car is a ruse.