Girl Scouts across the nation are known for their sweet sales tactics but in two separate incidents, the tables were turned when con artists used counterfeit bills and fake sales pitches to dupe cookie enthusiasts and young sellers. Police in Suffolk County, Long Island, are investigating an alleged scam involving a man and a young girl, reportedly selling Girl Scout cookies that never reached the hands of buyers, as per NBC New York. Nearly a dozen people were left with a bitter taste in their mouth, having paid for boxes of cookies that were never delivered.
These reports of undelivered cookies came from various Long Island communities, with victims explaining how they handed money to a girl who seemed to be working with an older man. But the promised treats never materialized, leaving customers out of pocket and concerned for the girl's welfare. In a similar vein on the other side of the country, a Girl Scout troop in Mesa, Arizona was faced with a counterfeit situation. According to 12 News, a man paid for cookies with a fraudulent $100 bill, walking away with change and goods before the troop realized the money was fake.
The Mesa incident occurred when Troop 2175 set up their cookie stand, only to be tricked early in the day by a seemingly nice customer. "He was very friendly, very nice," Teri Mayer, a mother of one of the scouts, recounted the encounter. However, after the man left, it was discovered that the $100 bill he used was phony, leaving the girls of Troop 2175, including Athena McGrath, Raelynn, and Coralee Mayer, disheartened. "I was hoping he didn’t give it to us on purpose," Coralee Mayer told 12 News.
In response to their experience, Troop 2175 has introduced a safeguard against future fraudulent transactions. The troop will no longer accept bills larger than $20 and has equipped themselves with a marker designed to detect counterfeit money. As they press on through the final week of their cookie sales, the story of the scam becomes a cautionary tale to good-faith Girl Scout cookie transactions everywhere.
