ULPT Request: Synthesize airline ticket for Expense Report Reimbursement

Posted by ormpling@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 26 comments

howdy - I have the opportunity during my weekly expense report to bill a fake airline ticket, and I can submit it for full reimbursement. Company uses a travel booking portal which creates a standardized itemized itinerary. However, this week's submission will allow me to bill a flight booked outside of their standard system. I am thinking of downloading an old United Airlines PDF receipt and changing the dates, flight number, and ticket amount on Acrobat or something. I don't think I actually have a PDF editor on my personal computer..

Sometimes they ask for proof of purchase in my bank statement - I would download a PDF statement from that month and interject a charge for the flight's amount on that date from the same United Airlines billing name that comes up in my statement from another purchase.

Thoughts? Suggestions? This is about $400 - $500

[-]

estebang_1018@reddit

OP you’re straight up a piece of shit

[-]

tlBudah@reddit

That's not unethical, it's theft.

[-]

Name_Groundbreaking@reddit

To be fair, theft is unethical

[-]

tlBudah@reddit

The consequences to being caught doing something unethical are different than those for theft. In my mind, unethical is the boundary between legal and illegal.

[-]

jmorrow88msncom@reddit

Dumb idea. They will catch you because you didn’t go get lunch or stay in hotel or use a taxi. You also didn’t show up at work or meet the supplier at the conference.

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

No, the flight is mobilization to a project out of state. None of those other expenses are billable.

[-]

kevinh456@reddit

They can look it up with the data you’d have to provide them on a receipt. Normally I’d at least entertain a ridiculous request on this sub and give you an answer but there absolutely no fucking chance you can fake it. There is an obscene amount of information on a plane ticket that’s encoded. You’d never get it correct.

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

Hold on. Let's just go through the big changes needed for the forgery -flight number -confirmation code -billable amount (tax, airport fee breakdown, etc) - departing airport, arriving airport

If you're pushing through emails at your computer responding to expense reports, coming across my submission- it has the necessary visual evidence. Does the person look up my confirmation code in the UA system? Look up the flight number and day of departure for confirmation? I just dont see my company having any private airline communication.

[-]

Homer4598@reddit

I’m sure different companies have their own validation process to the level they are comfortable with. That might mean no validation (complete trust in their employees).

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

This is true. I think I'm going to decide not to try my heist - next time when the opportunity presents itself, I'll purchase a refundable ticket and just submit the flight for reimbursement

[-]

hownownetcow@reddit

don’t fuck around with accounting. the bean counters always know.

Plus, it’s a great way to never get a job again, lol.

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

Yes but it's really just one lady who approves the expense reimbursement. If my forgery is golden, and she just pushes it through to payroll, it is a clean getaway. I don't think they can look up the old confirmation #, and theres no company <--> united airlines communication to verify ticket purchase

[-]

WhyWontThisWork@reddit

How did you even get into this position? This is a bad idea

[-]

No-Lime-2863@reddit

Seems like a bad plan. But in the spirit of this sub, they usual way people execute this scam is to actually buy the ticket. Refundable. Then you have a real ticket, real transaction history with payment etc. then refund the ticket for cash or better, airline credit.

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

Oh shit! I should definitely have planned ahead a bit and bought a refundable ticket. I will try this next year when this project runs again.

[-]

Embarrassed_Flan_869@reddit

Is your job worth $500?

Won't the company ask why you booked a flight?

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

The travel request has already been approved. They think I already went on the flight, I already billed the hours, now to submit the flight for reimbursement. It would be a clean getaway if my forgery is clean

[-]

hownownetcow@reddit

Ah. So the entire thing is a sham. You’re not just trying to randomly submit for a plane ticket.

I would google for actual flights from the time you supposedly traveled and use real info, so if someone goes on a tear and checks the trip out, it actually exists.

You have everything you need to change already, right? You’re just modifying an existing one? So just replace the existing info with your faked out info.

Be fore warned you may not be able to make a real looking one by changing an old one without adobe pro, and not at all if what you are working from uses custom fonts.

You could try and make a faker that looked like it came out of the united app or something, but that may or may not meet their requirements.

[-]

gozuki-@reddit

Unethical? Or theft. I wouldn't risk my job/jail time for $500. But you do you.

[-]

ormpling@reddit (OP)

Already made my nut for the season, it's contract work. I try to milk corporate america for every dime I can

[-]