The individual was being recorded when he allegedly tried to hand over a bottle of water in replacement of a full vodka bottle when his bank card declined in the store.
17:19, 16 Dec 2025Updated 17:21, 16 Dec 2025
The moment an East Lothian man ‘attempted to swindle’ a shopkeeper was caught on CCTV. Staff at USave Mini Market in Tranent shared the brazen moment on Monday evening.
An individual was being recorded when he allegedly tried to hand over a glass bottle of water already in his bag instead of the bottle of vodka he tried to purchase after his card was declined.
The man, who was dressed in a black jacket and blue jeans, was carrying a backpack. Footage shared with Edinburgh Live shows him put the vodka bottle in his bag before he takes out what appears to be an identical looking bottle – with the shopkeeper soon discovering it was filled with water.
His bag was not visible by the shopkeeper as it was placed on the floor throughout the aborted transaction. The footage also shows the alleged thief carefully placing the real booze in the bag.
The short clip shows the male being asked a number of questions before he attempts to tap his card again. The shopkeeper comes out from behind the counter and stops the male leaving the store.
The bottle of vodka was taken from his bag before the CCTV footage ends.
Warning locals on social media, USave bosses said: “This scammer goes around the shops and asks for a bottle of vodka and when his payment card declines, he returns a bottle filled with water.”
The owner of the shop confirmed the incident is yet to be reported to police.