The bill can sometimes sneak up on you at restaurants after you’ve had a great meal and a good time.
You may have even got a skrik when you checked the total cost at the bottom, but you’re obliged to pay for what you’ve devoured.
However, one man supposedly got so frightened after seeing his bill in 20 different eateries that he had heart attacks.
A 50-year-old Lithuanian man was apprehended by the authorities in Spain for this bizarre act.
He is said to have defrauded the restaurants, the bulk of his bilking binges were in the Costa Blanca region.
He would allegedly put on an exaggerated theatrical act after ordering food and beverages, holding his chest and pretending to faint on the floor.
The bilking con went well till one business owner spotted the individual’s performance and began posting images of him at other area restaurants advising people not to fall for his heart attack performance.
A manager of El Buen Comer, one of the eateries that the alleged serial bill skipper hit, was quoted by Oddity central as saying, “It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor. We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again.”
The restaurant employees are said to have not fallen for the show and instead of calling an ambulance, they called the police.
Once law enforcement came, the purportedly sick man requested medical attention, but he had no idea that the officers had already recognised him from previous run-ins at other restaurants and he was arrested.
This appears to not be an uncommon scam.
In 2008, a man from the US was suspected of faking a heart attack in order to avoid paying restaurant bills and cab fees.
He was accused of chronic criminal scamming of a restaurant. He ended up facing up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.
IOL