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Sandra Yi and Andrew Adams reportingA Park City waitress is arrested for a crime that investigators say is happening more often. That server is accused of forging tips on credit card receipts.
Investigators say in many cases, victims don't even notice.
The server was adding in tips for $10 or $20 at a time.
She got away with it until a customer figured it out. Police say Fernanda Smith dished out more than food to her customers at Ghidotti's Restaurant in Park City.
When customers paid by credit card, Smith allegedly slipped in a little something extra for herself. There are dozens of receipts that Smith allegedly altered. One bill shows the tip amount changed to $25.
Another receipt shows an additional $10 tip written in on top of the $42 tip included in the bill.
Prosecutors say Smith did this 80 times over a period of three months. Her fraudulent earnings totaled more than a $1,000.
Park City resident Mary Beth Maziarz said, "It is a lot of money, and it's a little bit of hubris that no one's going to notice."
But investigators say this type of crime is happening more often because so many people use credit cards.
Sgt. Nick Wilkinson of the Summit County Sheriff's Office has investigated five such cases. "In past cases, it's been they've felt slighted by the customer that they provided better service than the tip reflected," Wilkinson said.
As a former server, Mary Beth Maziarz knows what that's like. But she says it's part of the business. "It kind of bums me out because I feel like we all put in our time, trying to make our way up through the world, and when someone does that on purpose, it makes you lose your faith in people."
She says it's up to the customer to check their accounts. She said, "If you don't want to be taken advantage of, it's up to you to pay attention."
The restaurant reported the case to the sheriff's office and fired Smith.
Prosecutors say they will be getting information on all the victims so they can get in touch with them.
If convicted, Smith will have to pay restitution, which will go to the customers who lost money.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
