History Main / SuspiciousSpending

It might not actually be illegal money. It could be the spouse's money, or family inheritance, or simply that the character has chosen to skimp in other areas to have one or two things that are nicer than they "should" be able to afford. Even in the cases where the money isn't obtained by illegal means, though, people ''suspect'' that it was, a gossip is rampant.

* Very much TruthInTelevision. Spending beyond one's means is one of the things auditors look for when investigating fraud.
** A large number of agents in the FBI, DEA, etc. have advanced degrees in accounting, financial management, business, and so on. A great deal of time during investigations is spent reviewing financial records, spreadsheets, invoices, etc. People who are hiding money often find themselves caught in the web they weaved trying to do so.

* A standard police investigative technique used when a seriously large theft of money is accomplished, usually in an armored car or bank robbery: keep eyes open on the street and see if all of a sudden someone is making unusually large purchases and take a look at them.

** The above was a major reason for the arrest of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_and_Erik_Menendez the Menendez Brothers]], who spent the months after their father's passing living large, spending 700,000 dollars in under a year. It also ended up being a major reason they were found guilty, as while their father had been severely abusive (which might allow the verdict to be lowered by way of self-defense), the fact that they were so happy to blow their cash convinced the jury that their real motive was to get his money.

* During the Prohibition era, the police and the bootleggers were public enemies but secret partners, and the police would casually look the other way on speakeasies and gin-mills for a small fee. Many of them were fired when they were seen buying diamond rings and expensive furs.

* Actually EnforcedTrope in France, where laws punish those without visible means to gain their livelihood but who are consorting with persons involved into drug trafficking, prostitution or terrorism. In cases where declared income are vastly inferior to real expenses, another disposition allows taxmen to calculate a virtual income based on expenses such as memberships at golf club and hunting lodge, rents for housing and other which allows for the establishment of an income.
* Much like Ames above, some political leaders in very corrupt countries manage to hold a higher amount of property and have a better lifestyle than their official income would afford them.

* [[https://www.theinvestigators.co.nz/news/rich-kids-of-instagram-are-landing-their-parents-in-jail/ self styled "rich kids of instagram" have often landed their parents in hot water]] by showing off valuables beyond their parent's reported wealth.

A character is suspected of being involved in illegal activities because he owns things he shouldn't be able to afford on his modest salary: a big house, fancy sports car, expensive watch, etc.

It might not actually be illegal money. It could be the spouse's money, or family money, or simply that the character has chosen to skimp in other areas to have one or two things that are nicer than they "should" be able to afford. Even in the cases where the money isn't obtained by illegal means, though, people ''suspect'' that it was.

* In ''Recap/AsterixInSwitzerland'', Governor Varius Flavus embezzles from his district's tax revenues so that he can throw lavish parties for himself and his friends. The massive disparity between what he spends on orgies and what he reports as his district's income and sends on to Rome gets Caesar to send [[IntimidatingRevenueService Quaestor Vexatius Sinusitus to audit his books]]. When Sinusitus flat-out makes mention of this while eyeing the lavish palace, Flavus merely handwaves it with "you can do a lot with good taste" while handing him [[TamperingWithFoodAndDrink the poisoned vegetable broth]] to get rid of him before he can actually look through the spending records.

* A 1950s ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' storyline has Tracy accused of corruption. It brings up reader concerns about Tracy owning a huge house and driving a fancy car. Tracy defends it on how he saved for years on the house (which has a hefty mortgage) and the car was a gift from industrialist friend Diet Smith with the excuse it lets Tracy "test" the gadgets inside.

* ''Film/{{SWAT}}'' actually cleverly hides this in a montage, disguising its significance. During the weekend, all the [=SWAT=] members are shown doing mundane things in their downtime: going grocery shopping, attending their children's birthday party, etc ... except the one member taking a date out to an expensive restaurant. When their emergency summons happens, the audience isn't given time to question how this one member is able to spend above his police salary, until it's revealed he's TheMole.

** In the same season, Nick Sobotka warns his cousin, Ziggy, against this after the two of them steal a container of digital cameras from the docks. Ziggy ignores him. Later when Nick hands Ziggy a stack of cash in the bar where their union buddies congregate, Ziggy immediately orders [[ARoundOfDrinksForTheHouse a round of drinks for the house]] and [[MoneyToBurn lights a cigarette]] with a $100 bill. His father Frank calls him out for this with the implication that not only was it suspicious but that it was mean-spirited to throw money around in front of down-on-their luck working men. Ziggy also buys an expensive leather jacket taht draws the ire of his coworkers and mockery from Cheese.

** ''The Valley of Fear'' had Holmes mention that Professor Moriarty owned a painting worth many times over his legitimate annual income -purchased for that amount, not appraised. At the time, this was the most tangible piece of evidence Holmes could find against Moriarty.

[[folder:Film]]

Compare ConspicuousConsumption and FellOffTheBackOfATruck. Sometimes related to FriendsRentControl, InformedPoverty, ImprobableFoodBudget and ForeignMoneyIsProofOfGuilt. If you're completely unable to do anything useful with the money, it's MoneyForNothing.

** In the same season, Nick Sobotka warns his cousin, Ziggy, against this after the two of them steal a container of digital cameras from the docks. Ziggy ignores him. Later when Nick hands Ziggy a stack of cash in the bar where their union buddies congregate, Ziggy immediately orders [[ARoundOfDrinksForTheHouse a round of drinks for the house]] and [[MoneyToBurn lights a cigarette]] with a $100 bill. His father Frank calls him out for this with the implication that not only was it suspicious but that it was mean-spirited to throw money around in front of down-on-their luck working men.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies'': In the episode "[[Recap/TheNewScoobyDooMoviesTheSecretOfSharkIsland The Secret of Shark Island]]", Hidalgo figures out that the crooks are illegally salvaging treasure when one of them spends some gold coins in town.

--> '''Captain Ursula Richmond:''' [[spoiler:[H]e spent money like water.]]
--> '''Congressman Val Oakes:''' [[spoiler:He was a womanizer. He was trying to impress you.]]
--> '''Captain Ursula Richmond:''' [[spoiler:Then he should have chosen a girl friend who didn't know to the penny how much a lieutenant colonel makes.]]

* In one case, a [[https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/01/18/Police-find-change-theft-ring-suspect-tries-to-pay-bail-with-coins/3420030866385/ Rhode Island man]] was arrested under suspicion of breaking into vending machines to steal money from them. It definitely [[NotHelpingYourCase didn't help his case]] when he made bail using nothing but quarters.

* Actually EnforcedTrope in France, where laws punish those without visible means to gain their livelihood but who are consorting with persons involved into drug trafficking, prostitution or terrorism.
** In cases where declared income are vastly inferior to real expenses, another disposition allows taxmen to calculate a virtual income based on expenses such as memberships at golf club and hunting lodge, rents for housing and other which allows for the establishment of an income.

* In ''Recap/AsterixInSwitzerland'', Governor Varius Flavus embezzles from his district's tax revenues so that he can throw lavish parties for himself and his friends. The massive disparity between what he spends on orgies and what he reports as his district's income and sends on to Rome gets Caesar to send [[IntimidatingRevenueService Quaestor Vexatius Sinusitus to audit his books]].

* The movie ''Film/SayAnything'' has this as a major part of the plot - the IRS is investigating Diane's father for tax evasion, fraud, and money laundering. Diane's discussion with the agent handling the case is a great rundown on trying to find someone doing this.

* ''Film/WhosMindingTheMint'': Plays with this. The main character (a treasury employee in charge of printing off new money) is accused of being an embezzler, due to his constantly-changing expensive cars and clothes. In fact, all he's actually doing is always buying new stuff and then returning it before the 30-day warranty expires to get his money back, before getting another expensive suit or car somewhere else and doing the same thing over again. He has nothing to hide from the auditors, at least until one sheet of new money is accidentally used to wrap up some brownies he got, ruining them and forcing him to break back into the mint after hours with a RagtagBunchOfMisfits to print off a replacement sheet of money (as well as payment for his team).

* In ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'', Koskov luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings hime some foods and liquor at the safehouse but the fact [[spoiler:he bought a Stradivarius cello to Kara is definitely abnormal. This is the lead that allows Bond to find out about his ties with Whitaker.]]

* Literature/JamesBond, at the start of ''Literature/RoleOfHonour'', suddenly inherits a quarter-million pounds from an Australian uncle he has never heard of. The following spending spree makes him seem suspicious in the eyes of his employers since coincidentally there have been a couple of Soviets (called "ambulance chasers") hiring double-agents lately. They decide to use that to make it look as if Bond was forced to resign over accusations of bribery and an "embittered" Bond would be easily recruited by that very organization to go undercover.

* Brass mentions on an episode of ''Series/{{CSI}}'' that when he joined the Las Vegas Police Department, one officer had a really luxurious cabin where he threw parties and, in retrospect, Brass realized what that meant.

** When the Baltimore faction of the International Brotherhood of Stevedores, headed by Frank Sobotka, donates enough money for a great big stained-glass illuminated window for a Polish church, Major Valchek becomes suspicious and investigates the union for corruption, setting up the plot for the season. (Not that Valchek cared about the illegality in the slightest, he was only upset because Frank upstaged Valchek's own donation.) Valchek didn't know (and probably wouldn't have cared) that it was also an arguably good use of a lot of money - a senator Frank needed to influence in order to revitalize the Baltimore docks was in that church's congregation.

* On ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', [=McGee=]'s coworkers are suspicious when he starts buying such extravagant things as a new phone, watch, clothes, car, etc. Turns out that they're right to be, because he has the money [[spoiler: as a result of his bestselling novel, which stars characters based on people he knows - based ''only'' on people he knows.]]

* Of the non-extravagant version: On ''Series/GeneralHospital'', when Carly's then-infant son Micheal is kidnapped, pal Jason suspects her ex-lover Tony, who'd gone off the deep end after learning he wasn't the boy's father. As such, he had his people follow him to take note of him purchasing the kind of things an infant would need--diapers, formula, etc. Much to his surprise and disappointment, Tony did no such thing, leading Jason to think he was wrong. As it turns out, Tony ''had'' kidnapped the baby, but already had the things necessary--he and Carly had been engaged and living together up until a few weeks before she delivered the baby--and therefore, he didn't invoke this trope. He's caught when Robin Scorpio picks up a receipt he's dropped and she sees that's it's for the purchase of an infant medication.

* ''You'', of all people, will fall victim to this in ''VideoGame/PapersPlease'' if you choose to keep the [[LaResistance Order of the Ezic Star]]'s bribe for aiding them instead of burning it; being a lowly border guard in an 80s Communist dictatorship, your regular pay is beyond abysmal, so your neighbours - who are implied to be ideological party hardliners - will grow suspicious of your sudden wealth and report you to the SecretPolice.

* In late December 1992, 9-year old [[https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Beers_kidnapping Katie Beers]] disappeared. Police were suspicious of the story told by the last person to see her, a family friend who claimed to have lost track of her at an arcade and so had him followed. As it turned out, they were correct--the man was holding the girl [[BunkerWoman prisoner in his basement]] and growing increasingly frustrated as he needed supplies but didn't dare to buy anything lest the cops see this and instantly take him in for questioning or arrest him.
* Many U.S. banks and creditors will suspect something is up if their customer suddenly starts making large purchases when they normally don't do so and/or at places that they've never been--ex: a person from New York suddenly spending money in Arizona, etc. The institutions will either freeze/decline the purchase or call the customer to confirm that it is them authorizing the purchase and not an unauthorized party that got into their account. Most banks will suggest that you call them before making a larger than normal purchase so they can authorize it when you make the purchase. Banks may also require additional paperwork if one is withdrawing or depositing a large amount of money to ensure that the money is not being used for illegal means. For the same reason, it's also recommended you call them in advance if you're going to be traveling overseas and using your credit or debit card on your trip.

** The Barksdale drug gang also uses this trope to sniff out "corruption". Cutty confirms that a dealer is owed a beat-down by keeping tabs on his girlfriend to see how much new jewelry she wears. And the trope is outright [[InvokedTrope invoked]] on D'Angelo's dealing crew, by withholding their pay to see who comes begging for an advance; those who don't are to be scrutinized as potential snitches. The ploy works, except that [[spoiler:it only uncovers a couple of embezzlers, not snitches, and D'Angelo generously declines to mention this to his bosses]]. The sequence also shows the extreme poverty of the low-level "hoppers" in the city's drug trade as simply buying eggs at a convenience store is seen as a suspicious display of wealth.

* Murtaugh is suspected of this in ''Film/LethalWeapon4''. It is mentioned offhand that Internal Affairs got an anonymous tip that he is taking bribes, an accusation nobody takes seriously. But then Riggs notices him casually ending out large sums of money to his kids and Roger gets evasive about it, not to mention his nice suits, nice boats, nice house (which he could also afford to remodel twice throughout the series after it was destroyed by various criminals), etc. Riggs eventually gets around to grilling him about why this is so on a cop's salary. It turns out the money is coming mostly from Murtaugh's wife, who is a very successful (if somewhat cheesy) romance novelist. Murtaugh wouldn't admit it because his friends would ''never'' let him live it down.

** ''The Valley of Fear'' had Holmes mention that Professor Moriarty owned a painting worth many times over his legitimate annual income. At the time, this was the most tangible piece of evidence Holmes could find against Moriarty.

* ''Series/TheWildWildWest'': In order to avoid this trope, Miguelito Loveless goes as far as to ''burn all the stolen money'', as the bank heist was merely training for a future operation. One of his men, desperate for cash, "rescues" a few bills from the fire, setting James West on the gang's trail the moment he spends it.