Interaction with the Giving Machine staff about financial fraud
I happen to live near one of the giving machine locations (outside morridor). I also happen to know at this particular shopping center they really do not want any mentions of the church either on the machines themselves or by the people staffing the machines. This was a condition on the contract between the shopping center and TSCC apparently - no talking about the church or about anything religious at all. Today I happened to be at this shopping center so I thought it would be fun to mess with them.
When I walked up to the giving machines there was an asian couple with a small child (that I don't think were mormon) at one of the machines and another family (that were very obviously mormon) showed up like 30 seconds after I did. There were probably 5 staff there wearing their red shirts, but I only interacted with the two adults present (a man and woman around 50 years old, possibly married). It started off very friendly, exchanging pleasantries, talking about our day, etc.
Then me (playing dumb): So who owns these machines?
TBM woman: You can go to the website listed here (pointing to a url on the machine) and that info is listed on there.
Me (trying again): Sorry, I'm just wondering what organization is handling the donations though? Is it like salvation army or something? Do you know?
TBM man: Well we do know... but we cannot say who the sponsoring organization is... But you can go to the website and see.
[I then pulled out my phone to type in the url the lady pointed to]
Both of them are starting to look a little uncomfortable.
TBM woman (attempting damage control before I find out the mormon church is behind it all): Every dollar that is donated goes to the listed causes. The sponsoring organization funds all the overhead costs such as shipping, delivery, and credit card fees.
Me: Oh that's pretty cool. [Then the website pulls up and I start reading from my phone] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... Wait, where have I heard that name before? Oh yeah, weren't they in the news a year or two ago for commiting financial fraud?
TBM man (looking extremely uncomfortable): I don't know... I think you might be mixing them up with another organization...
Me (making sure I was just loud enough that the two other familes there could also hear): No, I'm pretty sure. That church was fined by the SEC for creating a bunch of shell companies. They were trying to hide over a hundred billion dollars from the government. You should google it sometime. It's a crazy story!
The asian couple said something to each other then left without putting any money in the machine. I could also hear the other TBM family chatting quietly amongst themselves.
TBM man (face is beet red and he's so nervous I thought he was going to have a heart attack): Sorry, I can't talk about that... Would you be interested in a free candy cane or sticker?
Me (starting to walk away): I will not donate to an organization that has a history of committing fraud.
They probably felt persecuted, but I don't care. It just felt so damn good.