Fake Receipt Generator: Brilliant or Baffling?

October 19, 2009

Nobody can have their steak and eat it, too, right? The creators of expenseasteak.com would disagree. The site's ethically questionable Maloney & Porcelli's Expense-a-Steak Headquarters tool allows you to enter any amount of money, and then generates several receipts that add up to your total. When I entered the amount $274.22, seven very real looking receipts popped up from a variety of merchants like "Office Supply Hut" and "The Panini Experience."

If you're asking yourself why anyone would want receipt knock-offs, then you're probably not familiar with expense reports. The reports are submitted to your company's accounting department after a business-related trip, and typically include copies of all receipts for which you want reimbursement.

The genuine appearance of the receipts is pretty incredible, but I can't imagine having the chutzpah to submit fake receipts in hopes of pulling one over my accounting department. What do you think of the Expense-a-Steak generator; is it brilliant or baffling?

30 Comments

crystaldecanter 46 weeks 1 day

I googled making fake receipts because I have a sibling with disabilities who is on a waiver program, and she can only have a certain amount of money on her records. So, because I wanted to take her to Israel next year, and she already has nearly 800 in pc, I was in search of a receipt to use for the barely used dresser I can give her to a) "spend down" and b) keep some of her money for our trip. Our mom passed away before we could get to do this, so this is something that is important to both of us, and our brother who is going with us. Paying for all three of us to go from my own pocket wouldn't be feasible, bu this way is a bit easier. Sometimes the system is structured so that you have to make little corner cuts to get to your objective. Not condoning the use of this tool for nefarious purposes, as it probably was intended for, but if a spade can do the work of a shovel...

2 years 32 weeks

Excuse me, but I work for a company that has a strict policy covering receipts. If the store's receipt printer is broken, or a receipt gets misplaced, I'm screwed. It's not fraud if I'm claiming legitimate expenses. If someone wants to use this to profit unfairly from their company, then shame on them.

3 years 4 weeks

Any decent audit (accountant) will check not only the receipt, but cash movement associated with it (i.e. a paper trail).

3 years 21 weeks

Fck em, Jack there money OBAHMA says its yours!... Take it! haha Taliban BinLaden Kosovo FTW, PWNZ , B1tch3z haha

3 years 30 weeks

Sounds like the kind of ethics Wall Street runs on.

brian 3 years 30 weeks

I wish companies could just use the credit card statement

lilkimbo 3 years 30 weeks

They market it as, "eat a meal at our restaurant, use these receipts to expense it." Whether you agree or not, that's fraud.

care0531 3 years 30 weeks

I don't agree with it being fraud. I can't tell you how many times I have sent in an expense report and it has gotten lost or misplaced. These are usually for items bought for the office and I am not able to return them in order to double dip. I submit it and if it gets lost I am SOL and out of money that I just spent for the office.So I like the idea and have just passed it all onto my co workers.

care0531 3 years 30 weeks

I don't agree with it being fraud. I can't tell you how many times I have sent in an expense report and it has gotten lost or misplaced. These are usually for items bought for the office and I am not able to return them in order to double dip. I submit it and if it gets lost I am SOL and out of money that I just spent for the office. So I like the idea and have just passed it all onto my co workers.

3 years 30 weeks

I think everyone needs to lighten up.

Spectra 3 years 30 weeks

Oh...my...God. That is so illegal! It's most definitely fraud. My husband goes to AZ for business and he fills out expense reports for his travel stuff and he always says they never check stuff thoroughly enough because some of his coworkers get away with expensing stuff they really shouldn't. It's most definitely stealing from the company...I kind of wonder how many people actually use this site to get extra money from the company?

lilkimbo 3 years 30 weeks

I used the site. None of the expenses it listed were extreme in the least.

3 years 30 weeks

I realize that, but the point is why would anyone who's not the office manager be turning in a receipt for 300 cans of the stuff? Try the site, I think you'll see it's intended to be funny.

Smacks83 3 years 30 weeks

Ithori: Those are actual things people get for offices, and if you claim you had to buy a lot of something for a project, its still lying.In my office we lots of air in a can, great to clean out keyboards from all that gunk and dust that settle in there.

Smacks83 3 years 30 weeks

Ithori: Those are actual things people get for offices, and if you claim you had to buy a lot of something for a project, its still lying. In my office we lots of air in a can, great to clean out keyboards from all that gunk and dust that settle in there.

3 years 30 weeks

It's a joke folks. Look at the receipts: 300 bottles of "air in a can", 200 anti static floor mats etc.

aistea311 3 years 30 weeks

It's meant to promote the restaurant linked to the receipt generator. I actually work in an accounting dept. and see real receipts every day and this would truly be a reason to get your ass in big trouble over money that you shouldn't be lying about.

GlowingMoon 3 years 30 weeks

mek123 3 years 30 weeks

I agree with all of the above posters, it is out and out fraud. I worry about the people who create these sites and their ethics.

runningesq 3 years 30 weeks

how about ILLEGAL?

runningesq 3 years 30 weeks

how about ILLEGAL?

weffie 3 years 30 weeks

It is fraud, but it's kind of a brilliant idea nonetheless.It would be too easy to abuse, but I think because it comes from a restaurant's site it's not actually encouraging you to STEAL the money, just to spend it at their restaurant then pretend it was spread over a few different places... which is, in a way, slightly less fraudulent.

weffie 3 years 30 weeks

It is fraud, but it's kind of a brilliant idea nonetheless. It would be too easy to abuse, but I think because it comes from a restaurant's site it's not actually encouraging you to STEAL the money, just to spend it at their restaurant then pretend it was spread over a few different places... which is, in a way, slightly less fraudulent.

lilkimbo 3 years 30 weeks

I agree with what everyone has said.And, not only are you committing fraud with regard to your company, but your company would then be committing fraud with regard to the IRS, since they would list those expenses as business expenses.

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30 Comments

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