When someone of the debit and credit arts is functioning in its natural habitat (e.g. a cubicle farm), instincts are acute. Within these walls, all it takes is one glance at a schedule of figures and even the youngest accountants can spot something amiss. "That Excel formula has a circular reference," one might say, or "The inventory has been miscounted," or simply, "This number doesn't make a DAMN bit of sense."
And even outside the office, the bullshit detector is switched on. Observe this Atlanta-area accountant whose systems were running TIP-TOP when someone tried to pass off some season tickets to the Braves:
Austin Lee said James Lally claimed connections to horse racing, NASCAR and then baseball, all in one short conversation. His NASCAR connection is supposedly to a metro Atlanta resident and former NASCAR driver Andy Lally. Lally insists there's no relation, Thomas said. Lee said Lally tried to sell him Braves tickets at half price. "I'm skeptical by nature, Im [sic] an accountant," Lee said. Lee didn't bite, but authorities now wonder how many people might have, then were turned away at Turner Field when the tickets proved worthless.
If the rubes had their very own pocket-sized Austin Lee to protect them, the world would be a much safer place.
