How to Spot a Hustle

I had a great breakfast at The Front Porch Cafe (@frontporchmiami) this morning.

The service was very good, not sure the waiter’s name, but he had a beard, ponytail, and was very outgoing.  I was prepared to pay a 30% tip, until he shorted me $10 on a $27 bill when I paid with a $50.  I called him over and noted the error and his response led me to believe that it was not a mistake, but an attempt to “hustle” me.

I am a disciple of Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception and the nature of his behavior and response was very telling.

What Deception Sounds Like?:

• Overly Specific Answers: Honest people reply with direct answers. Liars reply with convoluted, complex, and overly detailed answers.
• Inappropriate Level of Politeness: Good manners are fine but “out of the blue” cordiality (“Yes, sir, “Yes, ma’am,” “That’s a nice tie,” etc.) could be an attempt to win your confidence.

When I called him on the “short” he started explaining himself even before I asked.  He specifically noted that my bill was $27 and I had paid with $50 and promptly handed me back an additional $10. his answer was overly specific.  He was also extermely polite, another tell tale sign.

My gut was that this was an intentional attempt to “hustle” me and thanks to the folks at QVerity(@QVerityTeam @SpytheLie) I was able to apply their framework to confirm my hunch.

Do the right thing,

JBS