Minn. store clerk accused of "micro-scratching" lottery tickets

Comment #58

rdgrnr — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:16:59 GMT

Roger that, giotonia, I agree.

Comment #57

hit tonite — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 20:32:42 GMT

Wow! This sucks! Someone always TESTS the system! But at who's expense? Great article! Now we know other ways scratchoffs can get you! The clerks anyway.... I don't play them a lot, but when I do, I WANT MY MONEY!

But that's just meeeeeeeeeee

Comment #56

mcginnin56 — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:22:38 GMT

That would be tough to enforce. They could play after their work hours, or simply have a friend pick up the tickets. Many retail stores have that

policy for their clerks, but again enforcement is all but impossible.

Comment #55

giotonia — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:17:04 GMT

This don't surpise me. Honestly I don't think the store clerks should be allowed to play in the store they work at.

Comment #54

AmoWin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:54:45 GMT

Hello

I'm sure someone will read your entire post.

I don't read nearly that much text in an entire year. So, I saw your post. I only just saw your post.

You probably had something interesting to say - likely even used proper grammar.

So What's the Problem?

Tons of unformatted text. Where are the praragraph headings to entice the reader?

Sorry, I won't read it.

This forum even offers formatting options, similar to MS Word. I say use them.

AmoWin

Comment #53

AmoWin — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 14:43:26 GMT

Naw Ho'mes, I'm sho' day was lookin' out fo' dat big ticket prize.

Millian dolla'z oh sump'n.

Comment #52

pick4master — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:54:15 GMT

Who is selling out america to them ????? Simple, the greedy owners of America. They don't care, they take the money and run, spend it and then complain. in the last days, men will become lovers or money . Who are the greedy owners of America? Well, its not black people.

Comment #51

sully16 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:04:36 GMT

Well said Max.

Comment #50

mcginnin56 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 16:58:18 GMT

Or that Camel cigarettes, come from camels.

Comment #49

RedStang — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:51:36 GMT

Do you still believe brown cows produce chocolate milk.

Comment #48

maximumfun — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:24:43 GMT

Whose selling America out to 'them'? American's. 'they' come over and are taking up the slack that 'entitlement-minded' Americans no longer want to do. maybe if more of 'we' remove the stick out of 'our' collective butts and actually stop being afraid of work, or thinking 'we' were too good for work, 'we' would keep our businesses.

The American dream is no longer to work and better yourself, its now a microwave me -centric society that wants everything instantly.

Part of that mentality fue... [ More ]

Comment #47

SergeM — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 15:02:15 GMT

Comment #46

SergeM — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:57:14 GMT

I want a smart-phone with modern X-ray technology

Comment #45

mcginnin56 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:54:02 GMT

We are and always have been, a country rich in ethnic backgrounds. Starting with the Italians, Irish, French, Scottish, Chinese and countless

others. That is what is American. It is the combined pooling of our cultures, talents, religions and values which give this country it's combined

strength and appeal to the rest of the world.

So before you entertain the idea of exporting people based on their race, creed or color, or standing up to them , please consider our historical roots.... [ More ]

Comment #44

rock_nc — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:27:56 GMT

hey,this is a good story. I will from now on watch out for them in the stores here in NC. Why is it that them kind of people come over here and buy up all the business here in AMERICA. Who is selling America out to them. It piss'es me off that they can come over here and buy up motels,hotels,stores ect. Before long America won't have any American own business here. If we don't stand up to them,we as an American will never be safe here in the USA. Think about how many different ethnic groups of p... [ More ]

Comment #43

time*treat — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:22:26 GMT

Imagine a rule like that applied to driving, voting, getting married, stock trading, etc... the whole economy would grind to a halt.

Comment #42

maximumfun — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 13:50:06 GMT

wow - the lottery sure would go out of business quick then if people who dont know what they are doing are barred from playing...

Comment #41

OldSchoolPa — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:49:00 GMT

He likely wanted 100% profit from the ticket, so that greedy motivation is perhaps the reason he pocketed the winnings and left the ticket in circulation to be purchased by a customer. He probably said the ticket was defective and therefore not valid. This enabled him to balance his books and still make a decent profit from his scam. Enjoy jail and deportation to Pakistan (just my assumption).

Comment #40

BazookaJoe — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 06:36:44 GMT

Comment #39

c*aramel — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:15:48 GMT

I think people who don't know what they are doing should not even play the lottery. The scratch offs explain how to determine if your ticket is a winner. If you can't read, please don't play. You can go on line and check lotto and other number games or you can get the 1-800 number to call. I believe you should be able to trust the store clerk but let's face it, everyone cannot be trusted and people can also make mistakes.

Also, please write your lotto numbers on play slips. There are some rea... [ More ]

Comment #38

Seattlejohn — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:38:01 GMT

OOPS. That's right up there with the clerk in a California 7-11 who checked a person's ticket (which had won $500,000) but told him he only won $3, and tried to cash in the ticket himself...

Comment #37

rdgrnr — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 03:01:01 GMT

Yeah, thanks, that's what I was thinkin'.

I think that's what I was thinkin', anyway.

No maybe that was somebody else that was thinkin' that.

Comment #36

omgbasedgoody — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 02:39:11 GMT

I've always thought such things but thought I was just being skeptical. Thanx for the reassurance. However I know there may be few good apples in the bunch but not many.

Comment #35

LottoBoner — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 01:57:26 GMT

Let me break it down for you ridge...he said...lottery clerk, patel, patel, patel, scratchoff, patel, patel, patel, friends store, patel patel patel, trickery, patel, patel, big prize ticket, patel patel, money in safe, theft, patel patel, rotten food, patel patel patel, large rats, patel patel patel, authorities, patel patel... flee...

yep thats the gist of it...

Comment #34

Cletu$2 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:38:45 GMT

Sure,he could be as American as me but I'm betting that he's not.

Comment #33

sully16 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:36:52 GMT

yes he did, he's going bye bye, hopefully for a very long time.

Comment #32

mcginnin56 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:33:11 GMT

Welcome to LP JLR911

Comment #31

JLR911 — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 00:31:16 GMT

How about some torture in between? Where on Earth do you see that he is not a US citizen? He could be as much as a citizen as you are.

Comment #30

JonnyBgood07 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:17:53 GMT

This story really gets me wondering.I go to a store every morning before work and get my numbers and almost every morning a winning scratch-off payout printslip is mingled in there.I noticed 2 on the counter this morning and asked if he was the one who wins all the time and he gestured at this other guy(who's in there daily every morning to hang out).His gesture was reluctant however

The part that struck me odd was his startled reaction when I asked that question.hmmmm

Comment #29

rdgrnr — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:10:33 GMT

Could you repeat that?

I wasn't paying attention.

Comment #28

nanaimo — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:54:04 GMT

a very good lesson to be learned from your wonderful writing, i thank you again rgse 90 you have done a good job

Comment #27

cassdreams — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:25:42 GMT

Tell It like It T..I..Is

Comment #26

HoLeeKau — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:23:56 GMT

I actually saw a clerk doing this years ago before I knew enough about the lottery to realize what he was doing. Wish I hadn't been so naive. At least he was smart enough to purchase the winning tickets, not sell them to a customer who would report being ripped off.

A few years later, the c-stores I use implemented a rule that the tickets must be sold in order, that clerks couldn't put aside a few to get you the ticket you wanted. I don't know if this was to stop clerks from pulling out wi... [ More ]

Comment #25

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:44:00 GMT

Right back at you! Just doing EP's

Comment #24

maringoman — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:41:18 GMT

I drove up to Salem and got myself advanced play for 20 games on it starting tomorrow. $40 worth! Hopefully I will hit something. Good luck man

Comment #23

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:31:46 GMT

Or allowed to work in any retail store.

Comment #22

maringoman — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:30:14 GMT

Why deportation? how do you know he is not a citizen?

He is a despicable person and needs to serve some time in jail and not be allowed to work in a convenience store.

Comment #21

gocart1 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:09:09 GMT

Comment #20

gocart1 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:08:16 GMT

Comment #19

time*treat — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:06:19 GMT

The clerk should of ... not been a thieving bastage.

Comment #18

RJOh — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:42:32 GMT

Everyone who play will eventually win something if they play a few times. If by winning you mean winning the top prize of millions of dollars then you're right. If the payouts were divided equally amount all the players so every body got back about the same as they spent to enter then no one would play.

Everyone playing the lottery expects to spend a dollar and win millions so that means for every millions dollars prize won a millions losing tickets were bought by someone else which is not t... [ More ]

Comment #17

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:37:03 GMT

I'm sure he'll love it there. From what I've heard a complimentary jar of Vaseline is provided, in case he turns out to be a tight ass.

Comment #16

faber98 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:34:53 GMT

they'll just deport him. jail costs too much.

Comment #15

trent2275 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:33:01 GMT

Hope he likes jail.

Comment #14

rgse90 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:00:12 GMT

This is a repeat post that I had posted last week but thought it was appropriate for this scam now revealed.

Listen I have a friend who is from India. He owned a store here in Queens. He was a very nice guy or so I thought. We became friends over the years. About 3 or 4 years ago he left the country very fast. They shut the store down and left the USA so fast and left everything behind. Everything in the store I mean everything. And one day he sent me an email and we started to chat. I a... [ More ]

Comment #13

Cletu$2 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 18:36:41 GMT

Whether or not I've been hit by lightning is not the question.Whether or not the lottery is ripping us off is not the question,either.This clerk is a THIEF and needs to be punished for being a THIEF.If you don't believe in playing the lottery,what the HELL are you doing on a lottery board in the first place

Comment #12

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:53:21 GMT

Only 64 times so far. Think I'm about due for my Tri-States Megabucks+ win! ($5,775,000

Comment #11

CAL-LottoPlayer — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:46:33 GMT

The THIEF is the lottery, regardless of state, because you have virtually no chance of winning. You have a better chance of being hit lightning 65 times before winning the state lottery. Have YOU been hit by lightning 65 times lately

Comment #10

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:44:06 GMT

Your thinking outside the box RJ! You'd do well in a profession as a thief! Obviously this guy was greedy, but considerably more stupid.

Comment #9

RJOh — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:37:22 GMT

That clerk was stupid or greedy or both. If he was cashing the tickets then he had enough money to buy them and destroy any evidence of his crime.

Comment #8

dallascowboyfan — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:29:16 GMT

Oh no Mourad Zahi didn't.......

Comment #7

RedStang — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:02:14 GMT

Must be more to the story. Why bring the ticket to the state fair. I'm guessing he was denied the 15$ at the store. The clerk should of tossed the ticket instead of reselling it.

Comment #6

nexplorer — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:28:31 GMT

Many states have rules regarding how many scratch tickets may be scanned without producing a winner. If you go over the limit it will block the machine out and likely cause an inquiry to the store by the lottery. This is an old scam. It amazes me how many ways dishonest people can come up with to cheat people. A C-store tried to scam me yesterday. When confronted did the no speak English routine. A good rule of thumb regarding regular lottery tickets is that if you use the customer area scanner

Comment #5

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:14:43 GMT

Smart, but not smart enough. He is being charged with several felonies, including Lottery Fraud and Gambling-Cheating.

How many others are out there, but just haven't been caught yet? Makes me sick and disgusted.

Comment #4

maximumfun — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:02:34 GMT

He (clerk/thief) was smart enough to NOT do the illegal activity within sight of the stores security cameras.

Comment #3

mcginnin56 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:56:33 GMT

Hopefully this clerk (Zahi), is no longer working at this, or any other store.

Comment #2

lottolaughs — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:30:58 GMT

Oh boy....Micro scratching? What will they think of next? Groan............was the $15 worth it

Comment #1

Cletu$2 — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 13:10:55 GMT

I hope the THIEF gets more than a slap on the wrist!Deportation would be an appropiate punishment after he does some serious prison time.

Minn. store clerk accused of "micro-scratching" lottery tickets

Lottery Post — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 12:54:17 GMT

What began as a complaint from a lottery customer about the loss of $15 led to an undercover operation and eventually the arrest of a store clerk for lottery fraud.

A man told the Minnesota State Lottery he'd bought a scratch ticket at the Casablanca Market in Hopkins. He scratched it and found he'd won $15.

But, when he took the ticket to the Lottery booth at the Minnesota State Fair, he was told the ticket had already been redeemed.

Lottery Security checked the records they had from C... [ More ]