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* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In "Meter Made", Stan is forced to be a [[TrafficWardens meter maid]] as community service for beating one up, and starts embezzling quarters from parking meters and spending lavishly. He and Francine end up destroying everything they bought when a detective from Parking Internal Affairs appears to be onto them, only for it to turn out that the detective had only come to the house to tell Stan that his community service was over, and that he had considered Stan above suspicion due to his being a CIA agent.
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* ''Literature/TheThreeInvestigators'': In ''Death Trap Mine'', Jupiter becomes suspicious of Mrs. Macomber after learning she had lost her nest egg and had to sell her business and work there under its new owner, only to then disappear around the time of a bank robbery involving a female getaway driver whose description matches hers (and whose partners were three men, one of whom's recently been discovered dead in the titular mine), and eventually resurface in Twin Lakes, New Mexico (the town where the action is taking place) and now be wealthy enough to buy a large piece of land. [[spoiler: It turns out she was called away from work to care for a dying aunt, who subsequently left her the money she used to buy her new home, and she simply never bothered to tell her employer because she disliked the other woman.]]
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* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'':
** Daniel Wormald, an IT guy and newcomer drug dealer, spends his drug money on a ''bright yellow'' pimped-out [[HummerDinger Hummer H2 with red flames on the side and spinning rims]]. Mike, his bodyguard, sees this stupidly flashy car and immediately stops providing his services (especially since Daniel refuses to ride in Mike's more subtle 1980s Chrysler). Later, when Daniel calls in a burglary at his house, the cops see the Hummer and quickly become suspicious. Finally, when Daniel has to trade the Hummer to Nacho to get his baseball cards back, Nacho promptly announces his intention to strip it and sell it for parts, since he's smart enough to not be caught driving a vehicle that "looks like a school bus for six-year-old pimps".
** After Lalo is arrested for murder and arson, the judge sets his bail at $7 million in hard cash. He has no trouble paying it ([[TraumaCongaLine Jimmy less so]]), but the prosecutors are alerted to this and start looking into "Jorge de Guzman" for [[TheCartel potential criminal links]]. Jimmy even tells him his alias isn't going to last long as a result of this, though Lalo intends to flee the country before investigators discover the truth.
* ''Series/BlueBloods'': In the episode "The Poor Door," a scandal hits the NYPD when the ''Daily News'' catches Louis Weems, a veteran Brooklyn North Narcotics Division detective (and former drinking buddy of Sid Gormley's) driving an expensive Ferrari convertible that, as Frank calculates, costs the equivalent of three years pay on a normal Detective's salary. Frank knows that the media will likely accuse Weems of being corrupt, so he summons Weems to 1PP for an interview and Weems explains that the extra money is because he runs a side business flipping real estate. However, Frank is skeptical, and at his insistence, Gormley digs deeper and finds that Weems skimped on many of his real estate deals by cutting corners and illegal evictions. Gormley ultimately decides not to fire Weems but leaves him with a stern warning that he won't be so lucky if he's caught cutting corners again.
* Quite a few ''Series/BlueHeelers'' plots stem from this whether it be busting a doctor dealing drugs by comparing his income to his spending or suspecting Inspector Falcon Price is a DirtyCop because he was spending up big, in this case subverted as it was an inheritance from his sick mother.
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}'':
** Though toned down from the books, many give Jerry Edgar a bit of suspicion since he dresses in expensive suits and has a nice car. However, he has a real estate side job that nets him much more than his police salary; it's implied that the only reason he remains on the force is that cops are more comfortable buying a house from a fellow cop, bringing him a constant stream of business.
** Bosch himself has a very nice home in the hills overlooking the valley, well above a cop's price range. However, it's well known in-universe that he purchased the house with a large payout he got when a Hollywood studio made a film based on one of his cases.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** This becomes an ongoing problem for Walt. Initially all the money he makes cooking meth goes toward his medical bills so people do not notice that he is spending way more than he earns as a high school teacher. When people start to notice, Skyler (with Walt reluctantly playing along) concocts a story about winning the money by playing blackjack. This is good enough for Marie to accept it to pay Hank's hospital bills and is supported by having Saul arrange for some casinos to report false losses and documentation. Walt then buys the car wash he used to work at and assigns Skyler to run the place and launder the drug money, but it soon proves to be insufficient. [[MoneyForNothing In the end, Walt has barrels full of cash and is unable to spend any of it.]]
** With her background in accounting, Skyler is very aware of this trope and occasionally has to rein in Walt. Sometimes this is reasonable, such as when she makes him return the sportscars he got for himself and Walter Jr. But she also takes it to extremes, such as when she takes exception to Walt spending a couple hundred dollars on a fancy bottle of wine to celebrate buying the carwash for several hundred thousand.
** Jesse has a similar problem as Walt but is generally less careful with his spending. However, the DEA already knows that he is a low-level drug dealer so him having extra money does not come as much of a surprise to them and they never suspect the scale of his involvement.
** Gus Fring is a master in avoiding this trope. He has a large portfolio of legitimate businesses (Los Pollos Hermanos, Lavenderia Brilliante, etc.) to hide the income from his drug empire and aid in drug production. He is also being bankrolled by Madrigal Electromotive, a major German conglomerate. However, he spends less on himself than his legitimate businesses could realistically generate by themselves. We eventually learn that Gus's enterprise is partly geared toward revenge, perhaps more than material gain, so it may be that he was taking losses in places.
** In order to bail Ted from investigation for fraud, Skyler persuades Saul to give him some of Walt's drug money using his "Great Aunt Brigitte" inheritance. Ted ruins it by leasing an expensive Mercedes as well as attempting to re-open Beneke Fabricators, which tips off the IRS.
** After Gus's death, an attempt by Walt, Jesse, and Mike to destroy surveillance footage from the lab results in the DEA discovering a list of offshore bank accounts Gus was using to pay off the employees of his operation, most notably a large $2 million account set up in the name of Mike's granddaughter. Hank and Gomez haul Mike in to interrogate him but point out that they're not arresting him because, as Hank points out, Mike never touched the money in his account, giving him plausible deniability as to the account's existence. Hank points out that all the other henchmen involved spent the money on themselves and thus it was used to prove their involvement. Mike was saving the money for his granddaughter and was content to live on his (apparently very meager) legit salary.
* Michael Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' uses this trope as part of a bluff: impersonating a professional hostage negotiator, the kidnappers asked how he could prove he wasn't a cop. He opens his jacket and says "This is Armani. Cops (salary) don't fit Armani."
** This trope is why Team Westen employs the services of Barry, the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
** Daniel Wormald, an IT guy and newcomer drug dealer, spends his drug money on a ''bright yellow'' pimped-out [[HummerDinger Hummer H2 with red flames on the side and spinning rims]]. Mike, his bodyguard, sees this stupidly flashy car and immediately stops providing his services (especially since Daniel refuses to ride in Mike's more subtle 1980s Chrysler). Later, when Daniel calls in a burglary at his house, the cops see the Hummer and quickly become suspicious. Finally, when Daniel has to trade the Hummer to Nacho to get his baseball cards back, Nacho promptly announces his intention to strip it and sell it for parts, since he's smart enough to not be caught driving a vehicle that "looks like a school bus for six-year-old pimps".
** After Lalo is arrested for murder and arson, the judge sets his bail at $7 million in hard cash. He has no trouble paying it ([[TraumaCongaLine Jimmy less so]]), but the prosecutors are alerted to this and start looking into "Jorge de Guzman" for [[TheCartel potential criminal links]]. Jimmy even tells him his alias isn't going to last long as a result of this, though Lalo intends to flee the country before investigators discover the truth.
* ''Series/BlueBloods'': In the episode "The Poor Door," a scandal hits the NYPD when the ''Daily News'' catches Louis Weems, a veteran Brooklyn North Narcotics Division detective (and former drinking buddy of Sid Gormley's) driving an expensive Ferrari convertible that, as Frank calculates, costs the equivalent of three years pay on a normal Detective's salary. Frank knows that the media will likely accuse Weems of being corrupt, so he summons Weems to 1PP for an interview and Weems explains that the extra money is because he runs a side business flipping real estate. However, Frank is skeptical, and at his insistence, Gormley digs deeper and finds that Weems skimped on many of his real estate deals by cutting corners and illegal evictions. Gormley ultimately decides not to fire Weems but leaves him with a stern warning that he won't be so lucky if he's caught cutting corners again.
* Quite a few ''Series/BlueHeelers'' plots stem from this whether it be busting a doctor dealing drugs by comparing his income to his spending or suspecting Inspector Falcon Price is a DirtyCop because he was spending up big, in this case subverted as it was an inheritance from his sick mother.
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}'':
** Though toned down from the books, many give Jerry Edgar a bit of suspicion since he dresses in expensive suits and has a nice car. However, he has a real estate side job that nets him much more than his police salary; it's implied that the only reason he remains on the force is that cops are more comfortable buying a house from a fellow cop, bringing him a constant stream of business.
** Bosch himself has a very nice home in the hills overlooking the valley, well above a cop's price range. However, it's well known in-universe that he purchased the house with a large payout he got when a Hollywood studio made a film based on one of his cases.
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** This becomes an ongoing problem for Walt. Initially all the money he makes cooking meth goes toward his medical bills so people do not notice that he is spending way more than he earns as a high school teacher. When people start to notice, Skyler (with Walt reluctantly playing along) concocts a story about winning the money by playing blackjack. This is good enough for Marie to accept it to pay Hank's hospital bills and is supported by having Saul arrange for some casinos to report false losses and documentation. Walt then buys the car wash he used to work at and assigns Skyler to run the place and launder the drug money, but it soon proves to be insufficient. [[MoneyForNothing In the end, Walt has barrels full of cash and is unable to spend any of it.]]
** With her background in accounting, Skyler is very aware of this trope and occasionally has to rein in Walt. Sometimes this is reasonable, such as when she makes him return the sportscars he got for himself and Walter Jr. But she also takes it to extremes, such as when she takes exception to Walt spending a couple hundred dollars on a fancy bottle of wine to celebrate buying the carwash for several hundred thousand.
** Jesse has a similar problem as Walt but is generally less careful with his spending. However, the DEA already knows that he is a low-level drug dealer so him having extra money does not come as much of a surprise to them and they never suspect the scale of his involvement.
** Gus Fring is a master in avoiding this trope. He has a large portfolio of legitimate businesses (Los Pollos Hermanos, Lavenderia Brilliante, etc.) to hide the income from his drug empire and aid in drug production. He is also being bankrolled by Madrigal Electromotive, a major German conglomerate. However, he spends less on himself than his legitimate businesses could realistically generate by themselves. We eventually learn that Gus's enterprise is partly geared toward revenge, perhaps more than material gain, so it may be that he was taking losses in places.
** In order to bail Ted from investigation for fraud, Skyler persuades Saul to give him some of Walt's drug money using his "Great Aunt Brigitte" inheritance. Ted ruins it by leasing an expensive Mercedes as well as attempting to re-open Beneke Fabricators, which tips off the IRS.
** After Gus's death, an attempt by Walt, Jesse, and Mike to destroy surveillance footage from the lab results in the DEA discovering a list of offshore bank accounts Gus was using to pay off the employees of his operation, most notably a large $2 million account set up in the name of Mike's granddaughter. Hank and Gomez haul Mike in to interrogate him but point out that they're not arresting him because, as Hank points out, Mike never touched the money in his account, giving him plausible deniability as to the account's existence. Hank points out that all the other henchmen involved spent the money on themselves and thus it was used to prove their involvement. Mike was saving the money for his granddaughter and was content to live on his (apparently very meager) legit salary.
* Michael Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' uses this trope as part of a bluff: impersonating a professional hostage negotiator, the kidnappers asked how he could prove he wasn't a cop. He opens his jacket and says "This is Armani. Cops (salary) don't fit Armani."
** This trope is why Team Westen employs the services of Barry, the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
* Season 3 of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' features a cop who is being investigated by Internal Affairs. The only other person on the squad who knows about the investigation can't help noticing that this officer has a very expensive watch and a car he couldn't afford on a cop's salary.
* Parodied in ''Series/FatherTed'''s episode "Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep" when Ted notices that the villains have become ludicrously wealthy and can't resist showing it off (one of them even wears a ''crown'').
* 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 it's for the purchase of an infant medication.
* On ''Series/GoodGirls'', Beth, Annie, and Ruby keep committing what Rio says is the classic mistake of crooks: Whenever they manage to land a huge windfall, they immediately go spend it on everything from paying off huge debts to flashy clothing, jewels or even a car, not grasping how suspicious it is for three formerly struggling women to be able to afford all this.
* On ''Series/{{Graceland}}'' Mike is told by his superior that Briggs is being investigated for corruption because he is spending too much money compared to what he earns as an FBI agent. However, we are never shown that Briggs lives beyond his means and many of the fancier items he has are provided by the FBI as part of his undercover work. It becomes obvious that Mike's superior has a personal grudge against Briggs and might be lying to Mike because he does not want to reveal the real reason why the FBI is suspicious of Briggs.
* Mun-Shik from ''Series/{{Healer}}'' used to run a junk shop before becoming rich media mogul turned politician. It's later found out that its because he is being bankrolled by the biggest crime lord in Korea.
* In one episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Hogan has to rob a bank to get the money needed to pay off an informant after Klink unknowingly and accidentally sets the prisoner's ready supply of marks on fire. At the end of the episode, Schultz tells Hogan of a story going around the local town, of a man who stole one hundred thousand marks from a local bank and then got caught when [[StupidCrooks he walked into the same bank the next day to deposit one hundred thousand marks into his account.]]
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''
** Jeannie magics up some expensive treasures to show off for some random guy who knocks on the door. This random guy, of course, turns out to be an IRS Agent.
** Roger manages to have Jeannie as his servant. Tony manages to take a picture of him in front of his brand-new house and gets Dr. Bellows and the general suspicious about where the money came from.
* ''Series/Ironside1967:'' One episode has an ImpoverishedPatrician burglary suspect who has a bigger house and better clothes than his salary as a society reporter should allow him. It turns out that he's innocent, and the money is from short stories he's been publishing under a PenName.
* In ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Sweet Dee Gets Audited", Dee is being investigated for tax fraud. She denies she's scamming the IRS during her audit, [[NotHelpingYourCase while riding around on an expensive scooter with a license plate that reads "[=$CAMMIN=]".]]
* Parodied in ''Series/FatherTed'''s episode "Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep" when Ted notices that the villains have become ludicrously wealthy and can't resist showing it off (one of them even wears a ''crown'').
* 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 it's for the purchase of an infant medication.
* On ''Series/GoodGirls'', Beth, Annie, and Ruby keep committing what Rio says is the classic mistake of crooks: Whenever they manage to land a huge windfall, they immediately go spend it on everything from paying off huge debts to flashy clothing, jewels or even a car, not grasping how suspicious it is for three formerly struggling women to be able to afford all this.
* On ''Series/{{Graceland}}'' Mike is told by his superior that Briggs is being investigated for corruption because he is spending too much money compared to what he earns as an FBI agent. However, we are never shown that Briggs lives beyond his means and many of the fancier items he has are provided by the FBI as part of his undercover work. It becomes obvious that Mike's superior has a personal grudge against Briggs and might be lying to Mike because he does not want to reveal the real reason why the FBI is suspicious of Briggs.
* Mun-Shik from ''Series/{{Healer}}'' used to run a junk shop before becoming rich media mogul turned politician. It's later found out that its because he is being bankrolled by the biggest crime lord in Korea.
* In one episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Hogan has to rob a bank to get the money needed to pay off an informant after Klink unknowingly and accidentally sets the prisoner's ready supply of marks on fire. At the end of the episode, Schultz tells Hogan of a story going around the local town, of a man who stole one hundred thousand marks from a local bank and then got caught when [[StupidCrooks he walked into the same bank the next day to deposit one hundred thousand marks into his account.]]
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''
** Jeannie magics up some expensive treasures to show off for some random guy who knocks on the door. This random guy, of course, turns out to be an IRS Agent.
** Roger manages to have Jeannie as his servant. Tony manages to take a picture of him in front of his brand-new house and gets Dr. Bellows and the general suspicious about where the money came from.
* ''Series/Ironside1967:'' One episode has an ImpoverishedPatrician burglary suspect who has a bigger house and better clothes than his salary as a society reporter should allow him. It turns out that he's innocent, and the money is from short stories he's been publishing under a PenName.
* In ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Sweet Dee Gets Audited", Dee is being investigated for tax fraud. She denies she's scamming the IRS during her audit, [[NotHelpingYourCase while riding around on an expensive scooter with a license plate that reads "[=$CAMMIN=]".]]
* ''Series/{{Monk}}''
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to evade capture, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robbery was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that the branch manager, in addition to having the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, had also secretly bought a new Jaguar convertible not long after, making him a prime suspect to be the robber's accomplice. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the bank employees had staged the "robbery" together]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'': One of the ways the DEA are able to track the cartel's movements is by finding the cars worth six figures in the slums of Medellin, at least until the Narcos wise up and start using more appropriate transportation. This is a problem for the Medellin cartel in general; despite owning many legitimate businesses for laundering purposes, their cash flow is so immense that they end up burying a ton of it because they don't know what else to do with it.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In one episode, [=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.]]
** In an early episode, the team is reinvestigating an old case, and one of the old suspects is living a much better lifestyle than she had been despite having no real source of income. She quickly shows Kate an old lottery ticket she carries in her wallet, but Kate dryly points out that she can easily laminate a losing ticket. Kate investigates and learns that she ''did'' win the lotto [[spoiler:but for a relatively insignificant sum; the bulk of her money did come from the old robbery.]]
** After Gibbs is put in a coma from a bomb on board a freighter, Ziva notices that the ship's captain smokes Cuban cigars and wears a large diamond ring implicating that he's making extra money smuggling weapons and terrorists.
* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'': as Luscheck starts making money from smuggling things in and out of the prison, he upgrades his car and starts wearing expensive sneakers. He's never caught, however.
* ''Series/{{Ozark}}'':
** Marty tells another character that it doesn't matter how much money you get illegally, if you can't launder it all you have is a lifetime of gas and groceries (because buying cars/houses/boats/etc. would raise too many red flags).
** Therapist Sue uses her knowledge of Marty and Helen's illegal activities to blackmail them, Marty warning Sue to be careful about spending. Imagine his reaction when this 60-ish woman living in a small Missouri town shows up at Marty and Helen's house in a bright yellow Lamborghini.
* In the ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' episode "Number Crunch", Reese and Finch get four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn suspects a nanny of being a burglar because she wears expensive designer sunglasses. [[spoiler:It turns out she used to work at the store selling those sunglasses, meaning she's innocent and either got the sunglasses with an employee discount [[FiveFingerDiscount or stole them.]]]]
* On ''Series/RayDonovan'' Ray's accountant tells him that he cannot buy a new multimillion-dollar home because there is no way the accountant could justify that kind of spending if the government audits Ray's finances. Ray earns a lot of money as TheFixer but almost all of it is under-the-table cash that he has not reported. He is using Terry's gym to launder the money by inflating the gym's profits but it would be just as suspicious if the gym suddenly reported making millions in profits. Ray tells the accountant that he does not care and that he is buying the house no matter how suspicious the purchase looks.
* In season two of ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'' the mayor starts driving a very expensive car which causes Jake and Leslie to suspect him of corruption. When confronted he explains that he is merely leasing the car for a few months so he can appear more successful for the upcoming re-election campaign. [[spoiler:He lied and actually bought the car using kickback money]].
** Des manages to intimidate a drug dealer into backing off when he points out that the dealer will have a hard time explaining to the police how he could afford an expensive sports car and thus cannot report Des for [[spoiler:stealing the car and shipping it back to the dealer in parts]]. The dealer does not want the trouble and stops threatening Des and Tinny.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': After the Roman Senators leave the city to escape Julius Caesar's advancing troops, the treasury is raided but subsequently found by Pullo and Vorenus, two soldiers loyal to Caesar. Pullo considers keeping the gold for themselves and goes on a spending spree around the city, visiting dozens of taverns and giving away money for free. Vorenus points out that anyone with a brain will be wondering how a Centurion with a measly salary managed to come about such a fortune and tells Pullo to give the money back to Caesar before his men come calling. This ends up saving Pullo's life from possible execution since Caesar is so happy to have deprived Pompey Magnus of any funds for his war effort that he rewards Pullo instead of punishing him for thievery.
* On ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'', Lee is suspicious a fellow agent is on the take when he starts spending money after years of struggling on his paychecks. It turns out it's the guy's supposedly honest partner who's the real dirty agent as the other guy won a sweepstakes and couldn't resist spending.
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to evade capture, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robbery was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that the branch manager, in addition to having the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, had also secretly bought a new Jaguar convertible not long after, making him a prime suspect to be the robber's accomplice. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the bank employees had staged the "robbery" together]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'': One of the ways the DEA are able to track the cartel's movements is by finding the cars worth six figures in the slums of Medellin, at least until the Narcos wise up and start using more appropriate transportation. This is a problem for the Medellin cartel in general; despite owning many legitimate businesses for laundering purposes, their cash flow is so immense that they end up burying a ton of it because they don't know what else to do with it.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In one episode, [=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.]]
** In an early episode, the team is reinvestigating an old case, and one of the old suspects is living a much better lifestyle than she had been despite having no real source of income. She quickly shows Kate an old lottery ticket she carries in her wallet, but Kate dryly points out that she can easily laminate a losing ticket. Kate investigates and learns that she ''did'' win the lotto [[spoiler:but for a relatively insignificant sum; the bulk of her money did come from the old robbery.]]
** After Gibbs is put in a coma from a bomb on board a freighter, Ziva notices that the ship's captain smokes Cuban cigars and wears a large diamond ring implicating that he's making extra money smuggling weapons and terrorists.
* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'': as Luscheck starts making money from smuggling things in and out of the prison, he upgrades his car and starts wearing expensive sneakers. He's never caught, however.
* ''Series/{{Ozark}}'':
** Marty tells another character that it doesn't matter how much money you get illegally, if you can't launder it all you have is a lifetime of gas and groceries (because buying cars/houses/boats/etc. would raise too many red flags).
** Therapist Sue uses her knowledge of Marty and Helen's illegal activities to blackmail them, Marty warning Sue to be careful about spending. Imagine his reaction when this 60-ish woman living in a small Missouri town shows up at Marty and Helen's house in a bright yellow Lamborghini.
* In the ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' episode "Number Crunch", Reese and Finch get four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn suspects a nanny of being a burglar because she wears expensive designer sunglasses. [[spoiler:It turns out she used to work at the store selling those sunglasses, meaning she's innocent and either got the sunglasses with an employee discount [[FiveFingerDiscount or stole them.]]]]
* On ''Series/RayDonovan'' Ray's accountant tells him that he cannot buy a new multimillion-dollar home because there is no way the accountant could justify that kind of spending if the government audits Ray's finances. Ray earns a lot of money as TheFixer but almost all of it is under-the-table cash that he has not reported. He is using Terry's gym to launder the money by inflating the gym's profits but it would be just as suspicious if the gym suddenly reported making millions in profits. Ray tells the accountant that he does not care and that he is buying the house no matter how suspicious the purchase looks.
* In season two of ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'' the mayor starts driving a very expensive car which causes Jake and Leslie to suspect him of corruption. When confronted he explains that he is merely leasing the car for a few months so he can appear more successful for the upcoming re-election campaign. [[spoiler:He lied and actually bought the car using kickback money]].
** Des manages to intimidate a drug dealer into backing off when he points out that the dealer will have a hard time explaining to the police how he could afford an expensive sports car and thus cannot report Des for [[spoiler:stealing the car and shipping it back to the dealer in parts]]. The dealer does not want the trouble and stops threatening Des and Tinny.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': After the Roman Senators leave the city to escape Julius Caesar's advancing troops, the treasury is raided but subsequently found by Pullo and Vorenus, two soldiers loyal to Caesar. Pullo considers keeping the gold for themselves and goes on a spending spree around the city, visiting dozens of taverns and giving away money for free. Vorenus points out that anyone with a brain will be wondering how a Centurion with a measly salary managed to come about such a fortune and tells Pullo to give the money back to Caesar before his men come calling. This ends up saving Pullo's life from possible execution since Caesar is so happy to have deprived Pompey Magnus of any funds for his war effort that he rewards Pullo instead of punishing him for thievery.
* On ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'', Lee is suspicious a fellow agent is on the take when he starts spending money after years of struggling on his paychecks. It turns out it's the guy's supposedly honest partner who's the real dirty agent as the other guy won a sweepstakes and couldn't resist spending.
* ''Series/TheMentalist'': In [[spoiler:"The Desert Rose"]] after Jane points out how the victim's body was stored in a freezer like that of the diner that their in (and then describes his theory) the diner owner retorts that there are lots of other diners the victim could have been robbed and killed in. Jane agrees but then points out that ''this'' diner is the only one which could afford to put a fancy sign on the highway to attract more customers.
Changed line(s) 124,128 (click to see context) from:
* Parodied in ''Series/FatherTed'''s episode "Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep" when Ted notices that the villains have become ludicrously wealthy and can't resist showing it off (one of them even wears a ''crown'').
* Michael Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' uses this trope as part of a bluff: impersonating a professional hostage negotiator, the kidnappers asked how he could prove he wasn't a cop. He opens his jacket and says "This is Armani. Cops (salary) don't fit Armani."
** This trope is why Team Westen employs the services of Barry, the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
* Season 3 of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' features a cop who is being investigated by Internal Affairs. The only other person on the squad who knows about the investigation can't help noticing that this officer has a very expensive watch and a car he couldn't afford on a cop's salary.
* Michael Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' uses this trope as part of a bluff: impersonating a professional hostage negotiator, the kidnappers asked how he could prove he wasn't a cop. He opens his jacket and says "This is Armani. Cops (salary) don't fit Armani."
** This trope is why Team Westen employs the services of Barry, the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
* Season 3 of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' features a cop who is being investigated by Internal Affairs. The only other person on the squad who knows about the investigation can't help noticing that this officer has a very expensive watch and a car he couldn't afford on a cop's salary.
to:
* Parodied On ''Series/{{Suits}}'' Louis started spending a lot of money, including $60,000 for a club membership, just as Jessica and Harvey start suspecting someone in ''Series/FatherTed'''s the firm of embezzlement. [[spoiler:Louis was being framed and he had so much money to spend because he is simply very good at handling his finances]].
* In one episode"Chirpy Burpy Cheap Sheep" when Ted notices that of ''Series/{{Unforgettable}}'', a murdered cop was suspected of being dirty because he was able to pay off his wife's extensive medical bills despite being seriously in debt. [[spoiler:He had gotten the villains have become ludicrously wealthy and can't resist showing it off (one of them even wears money by selling his boat.]]
* ''Series/TheBill''. One detective gets knocked back for a''crown'').
plum assignment because he's wearing an expensive suit, as DI Burnside points out to him. The detective concerned is not impressed with this, because he earns money legitimately by investing his pay.
*Michael Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' uses On ''Series/TheFlash2014'' master criminal Leonard Snart is savvy enough to avoid this trope as part and orders all members of a bluff: impersonating a professional hostage negotiator, his heist crew to not spend any of their loot until the kidnappers asked how he could prove he wasn't a cop. He opens heat has died down. Sam Scudders disregards this and immediately starts spending his jacket share on fancy suits and says "This jewelry for his girlfriend. Snart is Armani. Cops (salary) don't fit Armani."
** This trope is why Team Westen employsfurious and orders Scudders to stop. When Scudders refuses, Snart tries to kill him.
* In ''Series/TheMillionaire'', each episode features somebody anonymously receiving a check for one million dollars from an EccentricMillionaire. One of theservices conditions is that they're not allowed to tell anyone where their newfound wealth came from, and multiple episodes over the run of Barry, the series have a recipient being suspected of having gained the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
* Season 3 of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' features a cop who is being investigatedby Internal Affairs. The only other person on the squad who knows about the investigation can't help noticing that this officer has a very expensive watch and a car he couldn't afford on a cop's salary.illegal means.
* In one episode
* ''Series/TheBill''. One detective gets knocked back for a
*
** This trope is why Team Westen employs
* In ''Series/TheMillionaire'', each episode features somebody anonymously receiving a check for one million dollars from an EccentricMillionaire. One of the
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
* Season 3 of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'' features a cop who is being investigated
Deleted line(s) 134,166 (click to see context) :
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''
** Jeannie magics up some expensive treasures to show off for some random guy who knocks on the door. This random guy, of course, turns out to be an IRS Agent.
** Roger manages to have Jeannie as his servant. Tony manages to take a picture of him in front of his brand-new house and gets Dr. Bellows and the general suspicious about where the money came from.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In one episode, [=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.]]
** In an early episode, the team is reinvestigating an old case, and one of the old suspects is living a much better lifestyle than she had been despite having no real source of income. She quickly shows Kate an old lottery ticket she carries in her wallet, but Kate dryly points out that she can easily laminate a losing ticket. Kate investigates and learns that she ''did'' win the lotto [[spoiler:but for a relatively insignificant sum; the bulk of her money did come from the old robbery.]]
** After Gibbs is put in a coma from a bomb on board a freighter, Ziva notices that the ship's captain smokes Cuban cigars and wears a large diamond ring implicating that he's making extra money smuggling weapons and terrorists.
* In season two of ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'' the mayor starts driving a very expensive car which causes Jake and Leslie to suspect him of corruption. When confronted he explains that he is merely leasing the car for a few months so he can appear more successful for the upcoming re-election campaign. [[spoiler:He lied and actually bought the car using kickback money]].
** Des manages to intimidate a drug dealer into backing off when he points out that the dealer will have a hard time explaining to the police how he could afford an expensive sports car and thus cannot report Des for [[spoiler:stealing the car and shipping it back to the dealer in parts]]. The dealer does not want the trouble and stops threatening Des and Tinny.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Unforgettable}}'', a murdered cop was suspected of being dirty because he was able to pay off his wife's extensive medical bills despite being seriously in debt. [[spoiler:He had gotten the money by selling his boat.]]
* On ''Series/{{Suits}}'' Louis started spending a lot of money, including $60,000 for a club membership, just as Jessica and Harvey start suspecting someone in the firm of embezzlement. [[spoiler:Louis was being framed and he had so much money to spend because he is simply very good at handling his finances]].
* ''Series/{{Monk}}''
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to evade capture, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robbery was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that the branch manager, in addition to having the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, had also secretly bought a new Jaguar convertible not long after, making him a prime suspect to be the robber's accomplice. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the bank employees had staged the "robbery" together]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
* On ''Series/{{Graceland}}'' Mike is told by his superior that Briggs is being investigated for corruption because he is spending too much money compared to what he earns as an FBI agent. However, we are never shown that Briggs lives beyond his means and many of the fancier items he has are provided by the FBI as part of his undercover work. It becomes obvious that Mike's superior has a personal grudge against Briggs and might be lying to Mike because he does not want to reveal the real reason why the FBI is suspicious of Briggs.
* In ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Sweet Dee Gets Audited", Dee is being investigated for tax fraud. She denies she's scamming the IRS during her audit, [[NotHelpingYourCase while riding around on an expensive scooter with a license plate that reads "[=$CAMMIN=]".]]
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** This becomes an ongoing problem for Walt. Initially all the money he makes cooking meth goes toward his medical bills so people do not notice that he is spending way more than he earns as a high school teacher. When people start to notice, Skyler (with Walt reluctantly playing along) concocts a story about winning the money by playing blackjack. This is good enough for Marie to accept it to pay Hank's hospital bills and is supported by having Saul arrange for some casinos to report false losses and documentation. Walt then buys the car wash he used to work at and assigns Skyler to run the place and launder the drug money, but it soon proves to be insufficient. [[MoneyForNothing In the end, Walt has barrels full of cash and is unable to spend any of it.]]
** With her background in accounting, Skyler is very aware of this trope and occasionally has to rein in Walt. Sometimes this is reasonable, such as when she makes him return the sportscars he got for himself and Walter Jr. But she also takes it to extremes, such as when she takes exception to Walt spending a couple hundred dollars on a fancy bottle of wine to celebrate buying the carwash for several hundred thousand.
** Jesse has a similar problem as Walt but is generally less careful with his spending. However, the DEA already knows that he is a low-level drug dealer so him having extra money does not come as much of a surprise to them and they never suspect the scale of his involvement.
** Gus Fring is a master in avoiding this trope. He has a large portfolio of legitimate businesses (Los Pollos Hermanos, Lavenderia Brilliante, etc.) to hide the income from his drug empire and aid in drug production. He is also being bankrolled by Madrigal Electromotive, a major German conglomerate. However, he spends less on himself than his legitimate businesses could realistically generate by themselves. We eventually learn that Gus's enterprise is partly geared toward revenge, perhaps more than material gain, so it may be that he was taking losses in places.
** In order to bail Ted from investigation for fraud, Skyler persuades Saul to give him some of Walt's drug money using his "Great Aunt Brigitte" inheritance. Ted ruins it by leasing an expensive Mercedes as well as attempting to re-open Beneke Fabricators, which tips off the IRS.
** After Gus's death, an attempt by Walt, Jesse, and Mike to destroy surveillance footage from the lab results in the DEA discovering a list of offshore bank accounts Gus was using to pay off the employees of his operation, most notably a large $2 million account set up in the name of Mike's granddaughter. Hank and Gomez haul Mike in to interrogate him but point out that they're not arresting him because, as Hank points out, Mike never touched the money in his account, giving him plausible deniability as to the account's existence. Hank points out that all the other henchmen involved spent the money on themselves and thus it was used to prove their involvement. Mike was saving the money for his granddaughter and was content to live on his (apparently very meager) legit salary.
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'':
** Daniel Wormald, an IT guy and newcomer drug dealer, spends his drug money on a ''bright yellow'' pimped-out [[HummerDinger Hummer H2 with red flames on the side and spinning rims]]. Mike, his bodyguard, sees this stupidly flashy car and immediately stops providing his services (especially since Daniel refuses to ride in Mike's more subtle 1980s Chrysler). Later, when Daniel calls in a burglary at his house, the cops see the Hummer and quickly become suspicious. Finally, when Daniel has to trade the Hummer to Nacho to get his baseball cards back, Nacho promptly announces his intention to strip it and sell it for parts, since he's smart enough to not be caught driving a vehicle that "looks like a school bus for six-year-old pimps".
** After Lalo is arrested for murder and arson, the judge sets his bail at $7 million in hard cash. He has no trouble paying it ([[TraumaCongaLine Jimmy less so]]), but the prosecutors are alerted to this and start looking into "Jorge de Guzman" for [[TheCartel potential criminal links]]. Jimmy even tells him his alias isn't going to last long as a result of this, though Lalo intends to flee the country before investigators discover the truth.
* On ''Series/RayDonovan'' Ray's accountant tells him that he cannot buy a new multimillion-dollar home because there is no way the accountant could justify that kind of spending if the government audits Ray's finances. Ray earns a lot of money as TheFixer but almost all of it is under-the-table cash that he has not reported. He is using Terry's gym to launder the money by inflating the gym's profits but it would be just as suspicious if the gym suddenly reported making millions in profits. Ray tells the accountant that he does not care and that he is buying the house no matter how suspicious the purchase looks.
* On ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'', Lee is suspicious a fellow agent is on the take when he starts spending money after years of struggling on his paychecks. It turns out it's the guy's supposedly honest partner who's the real dirty agent as the other guy won a sweepstakes and couldn't resist spending.
* 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 it's for the purchase of an infant medication.
* ''Series/BlueBloods'': In the episode "The Poor Door," a scandal hits the NYPD when the ''Daily News'' catches Louis Weems, a veteran Brooklyn North Narcotics Division detective (and former drinking buddy of Sid Gormley's) driving an expensive Ferrari convertible that, as Frank calculates, costs the equivalent of three years pay on a normal Detective's salary. Frank knows that the media will likely accuse Weems of being corrupt, so he summons Weems to 1PP for an interview and Weems explains that the extra money is because he runs a side business flipping real estate. However, Frank is skeptical, and at his insistence, Gormley digs deeper and finds that Weems skimped on many of his real estate deals by cutting corners and illegal evictions. Gormley ultimately decides not to fire Weems but leaves him with a stern warning that he won't be so lucky if he's caught cutting corners again.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': After the Roman Senators leave the city to escape Julius Caesar's advancing troops, the treasury is raided but subsequently found by Pullo and Vorenus, two soldiers loyal to Caesar. Pullo considers keeping the gold for themselves and goes on a spending spree around the city, visiting dozens of taverns and giving away money for free. Vorenus points out that anyone with a brain will be wondering how a Centurion with a measly salary managed to come about such a fortune and tells Pullo to give the money back to Caesar before his men come calling. This ends up saving Pullo's life from possible execution since Caesar is so happy to have deprived Pompey Magnus of any funds for his war effort that he rewards Pullo instead of punishing him for thievery.
* On ''Series/TheFlash2014'' master criminal Leonard Snart is savvy enough to avoid this trope and orders all members of his heist crew to not spend any of their loot until the heat has died down. Sam Scudders disregards this and immediately starts spending his share on fancy suits and jewelry for his girlfriend. Snart is furious and orders Scudders to stop. When Scudders refuses, Snart tries to kill him.
* Quite a few ''Series/BlueHeelers'' plots stem from this whether it be busting a doctor dealing drugs by comparing his income to his spending or suspecting Inspector Falcon Price is a DirtyCop because he was spending up big, in this case subverted as it was an inheritance from his sick mother.
* ''Series/TheBill''. One detective gets knocked back for a plum assignment because he's wearing an expensive suit, as DI Burnside points out to him. The detective concerned is not impressed with this, because he earns money legitimately by investing his pay.
** Jeannie magics up some expensive treasures to show off for some random guy who knocks on the door. This random guy, of course, turns out to be an IRS Agent.
** Roger manages to have Jeannie as his servant. Tony manages to take a picture of him in front of his brand-new house and gets Dr. Bellows and the general suspicious about where the money came from.
* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': In one episode, [=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.]]
** In an early episode, the team is reinvestigating an old case, and one of the old suspects is living a much better lifestyle than she had been despite having no real source of income. She quickly shows Kate an old lottery ticket she carries in her wallet, but Kate dryly points out that she can easily laminate a losing ticket. Kate investigates and learns that she ''did'' win the lotto [[spoiler:but for a relatively insignificant sum; the bulk of her money did come from the old robbery.]]
** After Gibbs is put in a coma from a bomb on board a freighter, Ziva notices that the ship's captain smokes Cuban cigars and wears a large diamond ring implicating that he's making extra money smuggling weapons and terrorists.
* In season two of ''Series/RepublicOfDoyle'' the mayor starts driving a very expensive car which causes Jake and Leslie to suspect him of corruption. When confronted he explains that he is merely leasing the car for a few months so he can appear more successful for the upcoming re-election campaign. [[spoiler:He lied and actually bought the car using kickback money]].
** Des manages to intimidate a drug dealer into backing off when he points out that the dealer will have a hard time explaining to the police how he could afford an expensive sports car and thus cannot report Des for [[spoiler:stealing the car and shipping it back to the dealer in parts]]. The dealer does not want the trouble and stops threatening Des and Tinny.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Unforgettable}}'', a murdered cop was suspected of being dirty because he was able to pay off his wife's extensive medical bills despite being seriously in debt. [[spoiler:He had gotten the money by selling his boat.]]
* On ''Series/{{Suits}}'' Louis started spending a lot of money, including $60,000 for a club membership, just as Jessica and Harvey start suspecting someone in the firm of embezzlement. [[spoiler:Louis was being framed and he had so much money to spend because he is simply very good at handling his finances]].
* ''Series/{{Monk}}''
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to evade capture, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robbery was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that the branch manager, in addition to having the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, had also secretly bought a new Jaguar convertible not long after, making him a prime suspect to be the robber's accomplice. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the bank employees had staged the "robbery" together]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
* On ''Series/{{Graceland}}'' Mike is told by his superior that Briggs is being investigated for corruption because he is spending too much money compared to what he earns as an FBI agent. However, we are never shown that Briggs lives beyond his means and many of the fancier items he has are provided by the FBI as part of his undercover work. It becomes obvious that Mike's superior has a personal grudge against Briggs and might be lying to Mike because he does not want to reveal the real reason why the FBI is suspicious of Briggs.
* In ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "Sweet Dee Gets Audited", Dee is being investigated for tax fraud. She denies she's scamming the IRS during her audit, [[NotHelpingYourCase while riding around on an expensive scooter with a license plate that reads "[=$CAMMIN=]".]]
* ''Series/BreakingBad'':
** This becomes an ongoing problem for Walt. Initially all the money he makes cooking meth goes toward his medical bills so people do not notice that he is spending way more than he earns as a high school teacher. When people start to notice, Skyler (with Walt reluctantly playing along) concocts a story about winning the money by playing blackjack. This is good enough for Marie to accept it to pay Hank's hospital bills and is supported by having Saul arrange for some casinos to report false losses and documentation. Walt then buys the car wash he used to work at and assigns Skyler to run the place and launder the drug money, but it soon proves to be insufficient. [[MoneyForNothing In the end, Walt has barrels full of cash and is unable to spend any of it.]]
** With her background in accounting, Skyler is very aware of this trope and occasionally has to rein in Walt. Sometimes this is reasonable, such as when she makes him return the sportscars he got for himself and Walter Jr. But she also takes it to extremes, such as when she takes exception to Walt spending a couple hundred dollars on a fancy bottle of wine to celebrate buying the carwash for several hundred thousand.
** Jesse has a similar problem as Walt but is generally less careful with his spending. However, the DEA already knows that he is a low-level drug dealer so him having extra money does not come as much of a surprise to them and they never suspect the scale of his involvement.
** Gus Fring is a master in avoiding this trope. He has a large portfolio of legitimate businesses (Los Pollos Hermanos, Lavenderia Brilliante, etc.) to hide the income from his drug empire and aid in drug production. He is also being bankrolled by Madrigal Electromotive, a major German conglomerate. However, he spends less on himself than his legitimate businesses could realistically generate by themselves. We eventually learn that Gus's enterprise is partly geared toward revenge, perhaps more than material gain, so it may be that he was taking losses in places.
** In order to bail Ted from investigation for fraud, Skyler persuades Saul to give him some of Walt's drug money using his "Great Aunt Brigitte" inheritance. Ted ruins it by leasing an expensive Mercedes as well as attempting to re-open Beneke Fabricators, which tips off the IRS.
** After Gus's death, an attempt by Walt, Jesse, and Mike to destroy surveillance footage from the lab results in the DEA discovering a list of offshore bank accounts Gus was using to pay off the employees of his operation, most notably a large $2 million account set up in the name of Mike's granddaughter. Hank and Gomez haul Mike in to interrogate him but point out that they're not arresting him because, as Hank points out, Mike never touched the money in his account, giving him plausible deniability as to the account's existence. Hank points out that all the other henchmen involved spent the money on themselves and thus it was used to prove their involvement. Mike was saving the money for his granddaughter and was content to live on his (apparently very meager) legit salary.
* ''Series/BetterCallSaul'':
** Daniel Wormald, an IT guy and newcomer drug dealer, spends his drug money on a ''bright yellow'' pimped-out [[HummerDinger Hummer H2 with red flames on the side and spinning rims]]. Mike, his bodyguard, sees this stupidly flashy car and immediately stops providing his services (especially since Daniel refuses to ride in Mike's more subtle 1980s Chrysler). Later, when Daniel calls in a burglary at his house, the cops see the Hummer and quickly become suspicious. Finally, when Daniel has to trade the Hummer to Nacho to get his baseball cards back, Nacho promptly announces his intention to strip it and sell it for parts, since he's smart enough to not be caught driving a vehicle that "looks like a school bus for six-year-old pimps".
** After Lalo is arrested for murder and arson, the judge sets his bail at $7 million in hard cash. He has no trouble paying it ([[TraumaCongaLine Jimmy less so]]), but the prosecutors are alerted to this and start looking into "Jorge de Guzman" for [[TheCartel potential criminal links]]. Jimmy even tells him his alias isn't going to last long as a result of this, though Lalo intends to flee the country before investigators discover the truth.
* On ''Series/RayDonovan'' Ray's accountant tells him that he cannot buy a new multimillion-dollar home because there is no way the accountant could justify that kind of spending if the government audits Ray's finances. Ray earns a lot of money as TheFixer but almost all of it is under-the-table cash that he has not reported. He is using Terry's gym to launder the money by inflating the gym's profits but it would be just as suspicious if the gym suddenly reported making millions in profits. Ray tells the accountant that he does not care and that he is buying the house no matter how suspicious the purchase looks.
* On ''Series/ScarecrowAndMrsKing'', Lee is suspicious a fellow agent is on the take when he starts spending money after years of struggling on his paychecks. It turns out it's the guy's supposedly honest partner who's the real dirty agent as the other guy won a sweepstakes and couldn't resist spending.
* 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 it's for the purchase of an infant medication.
* ''Series/BlueBloods'': In the episode "The Poor Door," a scandal hits the NYPD when the ''Daily News'' catches Louis Weems, a veteran Brooklyn North Narcotics Division detective (and former drinking buddy of Sid Gormley's) driving an expensive Ferrari convertible that, as Frank calculates, costs the equivalent of three years pay on a normal Detective's salary. Frank knows that the media will likely accuse Weems of being corrupt, so he summons Weems to 1PP for an interview and Weems explains that the extra money is because he runs a side business flipping real estate. However, Frank is skeptical, and at his insistence, Gormley digs deeper and finds that Weems skimped on many of his real estate deals by cutting corners and illegal evictions. Gormley ultimately decides not to fire Weems but leaves him with a stern warning that he won't be so lucky if he's caught cutting corners again.
* ''Series/{{Rome}}'': After the Roman Senators leave the city to escape Julius Caesar's advancing troops, the treasury is raided but subsequently found by Pullo and Vorenus, two soldiers loyal to Caesar. Pullo considers keeping the gold for themselves and goes on a spending spree around the city, visiting dozens of taverns and giving away money for free. Vorenus points out that anyone with a brain will be wondering how a Centurion with a measly salary managed to come about such a fortune and tells Pullo to give the money back to Caesar before his men come calling. This ends up saving Pullo's life from possible execution since Caesar is so happy to have deprived Pompey Magnus of any funds for his war effort that he rewards Pullo instead of punishing him for thievery.
* On ''Series/TheFlash2014'' master criminal Leonard Snart is savvy enough to avoid this trope and orders all members of his heist crew to not spend any of their loot until the heat has died down. Sam Scudders disregards this and immediately starts spending his share on fancy suits and jewelry for his girlfriend. Snart is furious and orders Scudders to stop. When Scudders refuses, Snart tries to kill him.
* Quite a few ''Series/BlueHeelers'' plots stem from this whether it be busting a doctor dealing drugs by comparing his income to his spending or suspecting Inspector Falcon Price is a DirtyCop because he was spending up big, in this case subverted as it was an inheritance from his sick mother.
* ''Series/TheBill''. One detective gets knocked back for a plum assignment because he's wearing an expensive suit, as DI Burnside points out to him. The detective concerned is not impressed with this, because he earns money legitimately by investing his pay.
Deleted line(s) 168,179 (click to see context) :
* ''Series/TheMentalist'': In [[spoiler:"The Desert Rose"]] after Jane points out how the victim's body was stored in a freezer like that of the diner that their in (and then describes his theory) the diner owner retorts that there are lots of other diners the victim could have been robbed and killed in. Jane agrees but then points out that ''this'' diner is the only one which could afford to put a fancy sign on the highway to attract more customers.
* ''Series/{{Ozark}}'':
** Marty tells another character that it doesn't matter how much money you get illegally, if you can't launder it all you have is a lifetime of gas and groceries (because buying cars/houses/boats/etc. would raise too many red flags).
** Therapist Sue uses her knowledge of Marty and Helen's illegal activities to blackmail them, Marty warning Sue to be careful about spending. Imagine his reaction when this 60-ish woman living in a small Missouri town shows up at Marty and Helen's house in a bright yellow Lamborghini.
* On ''Series/GoodGirls'', Beth, Annie, and Ruby keep committing what Rio says is the classic mistake of crooks: Whenever they manage to land a huge windfall, they immediately go spend it on everything from paying off huge debts to flashy clothing, jewels or even a car, not grasping how suspicious it is for three formerly struggling women to be able to afford all this.
* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'': One of the ways the DEA are able to track the cartel's movements is by finding the cars worth six figures in the slums of Medellin, at least until the Narcos wise up and start using more appropriate transportation. This is a problem for the Medellin cartel in general; despite owning many legitimate businesses for laundering purposes, their cash flow is so immense that they end up burying a ton of it because they don't know what else to do with it.
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}'':
** Though toned down from the books, many give Jerry Edgar a bit of suspicion since he dresses in expensive suits and has a nice car. However, he has a real estate side job that nets him much more than his police salary; it's implied that the only reason he remains on the force is that cops are more comfortable buying a house from a fellow cop, bringing him a constant stream of business.
** Bosch himself has a very nice home in the hills overlooking the valley, well above a cop's price range. However, it's well known in-universe that he purchased the house with a large payout he got when a Hollywood studio made a film based on one of his cases.
* ''Series/Ironside1967:'' One episode has an ImpoverishedPatrician burglary suspect who has a bigger house and better clothes than his salary as a society reporter should allow him. It turns out that he's innocent, and the money is from short stories he's been publishing under a PenName.
* In ''Series/TheMillionaire'', each episode features somebody anonymously receiving a check for one million dollars from an EccentricMillionaire. One of the conditions is that they're not allowed to tell anyone where their newfound wealth came from, and multiple episodes over the run of the series have a recipient being suspected of having gained the money by illegal means.
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn suspects a nanny of being a burglar because she wears expensive designer sunglasses. [[spoiler:It turns out she used to work at the store selling those sunglasses, meaning she's innocent and either got the sunglasses with an employee discount [[FiveFingerDiscount or stole them.]]]]
* ''Series/{{Ozark}}'':
** Marty tells another character that it doesn't matter how much money you get illegally, if you can't launder it all you have is a lifetime of gas and groceries (because buying cars/houses/boats/etc. would raise too many red flags).
** Therapist Sue uses her knowledge of Marty and Helen's illegal activities to blackmail them, Marty warning Sue to be careful about spending. Imagine his reaction when this 60-ish woman living in a small Missouri town shows up at Marty and Helen's house in a bright yellow Lamborghini.
* On ''Series/GoodGirls'', Beth, Annie, and Ruby keep committing what Rio says is the classic mistake of crooks: Whenever they manage to land a huge windfall, they immediately go spend it on everything from paying off huge debts to flashy clothing, jewels or even a car, not grasping how suspicious it is for three formerly struggling women to be able to afford all this.
* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'': One of the ways the DEA are able to track the cartel's movements is by finding the cars worth six figures in the slums of Medellin, at least until the Narcos wise up and start using more appropriate transportation. This is a problem for the Medellin cartel in general; despite owning many legitimate businesses for laundering purposes, their cash flow is so immense that they end up burying a ton of it because they don't know what else to do with it.
* ''Series/{{Bosch}}'':
** Though toned down from the books, many give Jerry Edgar a bit of suspicion since he dresses in expensive suits and has a nice car. However, he has a real estate side job that nets him much more than his police salary; it's implied that the only reason he remains on the force is that cops are more comfortable buying a house from a fellow cop, bringing him a constant stream of business.
** Bosch himself has a very nice home in the hills overlooking the valley, well above a cop's price range. However, it's well known in-universe that he purchased the house with a large payout he got when a Hollywood studio made a film based on one of his cases.
* ''Series/Ironside1967:'' One episode has an ImpoverishedPatrician burglary suspect who has a bigger house and better clothes than his salary as a society reporter should allow him. It turns out that he's innocent, and the money is from short stories he's been publishing under a PenName.
* In ''Series/TheMillionaire'', each episode features somebody anonymously receiving a check for one million dollars from an EccentricMillionaire. One of the conditions is that they're not allowed to tell anyone where their newfound wealth came from, and multiple episodes over the run of the series have a recipient being suspected of having gained the money by illegal means.
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Shawn suspects a nanny of being a burglar because she wears expensive designer sunglasses. [[spoiler:It turns out she used to work at the store selling those sunglasses, meaning she's innocent and either got the sunglasses with an employee discount [[FiveFingerDiscount or stole them.]]]]
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* ''Series/OrangeIsTheNewBlack'': as Luscheck starts making money from smuggling things in and out of the prison, he upgrades his car and starts wearing expensive sneakers. He's never caught, however.
* In one episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Hogan has to rob a bank to get the money needed to pay off an informant after Klink unknowingly and accidentally sets the prisoner's ready supply of marks on fire. At the end of the episode, Schultz tells Hogan of a story going around the local town, of a man who stole one hundred thousand marks from a local bank and then got caught when [[StupidCrooks he walked into the same bank the next day to deposit one hundred thousand marks into his account.]]
* In the ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' episode "Number Crunch", Reese and Finch get four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
* In one episode of ''Series/HogansHeroes'', Hogan has to rob a bank to get the money needed to pay off an informant after Klink unknowingly and accidentally sets the prisoner's ready supply of marks on fire. At the end of the episode, Schultz tells Hogan of a story going around the local town, of a man who stole one hundred thousand marks from a local bank and then got caught when [[StupidCrooks he walked into the same bank the next day to deposit one hundred thousand marks into his account.]]
* In the ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' episode "Number Crunch", Reese and Finch get four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
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Changed line(s) 223 (click to see context) from:
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Joker's Millions", ComicBook/TheJoker inherits a huge sum of money. He gets released from Arkham when a psychiatrist pronounces him cured; the psychiatrist is seen indignantly denying that he was bribed... [[NotHelpingYourCase then getting into a new car]] [[GoldDigger with an attractive woman half his age]].
to:
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "Joker's Millions", "[[Recap/TheNewBatmanAdventuresE7JokersMillions Joker's Millions]]", ComicBook/TheJoker inherits a huge sum of money. He gets released from Arkham when a psychiatrist pronounces him cured; the psychiatrist is seen indignantly denying that he was bribed... [[NotHelpingYourCase then getting into a new car]] [[GoldDigger with an attractive woman half his age]].
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Fixing indentation, Natter
Deleted line(s) 53 (click to see context) :
** Henry was making more money than any kid in the neighborhood. A new set of clothes is the first thing he buys with the money he has been making as a gangster.
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* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
to:
* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
** [[spoiler:Before
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Changed line(s) 147,148 (click to see context) from:
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to escape, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check on him uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robber had an accomplice and it was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that not only does the branch manager have the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, but he'd also recently bought a new Jaguar convertible in secret, making him a prime suspect. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the employees were in on it]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robber had an accomplice and it was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that not only does the branch manager have the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, but he'd also recently bought a new Jaguar convertible in secret, making him a prime suspect. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the employees were in on it]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
to:
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to escape, evade capture, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check on him uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that therobber had an accomplice and it robbery was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that not only does the branch manager have manager, in addition to having the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, but he'd had also recently secretly bought a new Jaguar convertible in secret, not long after, making him a prime suspect. suspect to be the robber's accomplice. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the bank employees were in on it]] had staged the "robbery" together]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the
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Changed line(s) 147 (click to see context) from:
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[TheFrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to escape, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check on him uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
to:
** In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk is [[TheFrameUp [[FrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam while the sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that the sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death to escape, Stottlemeyer discreetly runs a background check on him uncovering that the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house and has two offshore bank accounts despite his meager salary, supporting Monk's claim.
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None
Changed line(s) 212 (click to see context) from:
* ''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. This presents the [[NotCompletelyUseless only worthwhile use]] of upgrading to a more expensive apartment: doing so with the bribe, waiting for the money to be seized, and then downgrading back to your original class-8 apartment allows you to recoup a little of the money suspicion-free.
to:
* ''You'', of all people, will fall victim This is something you can succumb 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. This presents the [[NotCompletelyUseless only worthwhile use]] of upgrading to a more expensive apartment: doing so with the bribe, waiting for the money to be seized, and then downgrading back to your original class-8 apartment allows you to recoup a little of the money suspicion-free.
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Added example(s), Natter
Changed line(s) 146 (click to see context) from:
* In the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk goes on the lam, but over the phone has convinced Captain Stottlemeyer that Sheriff John Rollins, who is on the manhunt, killed Frank Nunn and framed Monk for it. Stottlemeyer then helps Monk fake his death so that he can get the police off his back. Afterwards, Stottlemeyer looks rather uneasy whenever he's around Rollins, especially when Rollins confronts him about why he did not show up at the morgue to help identify a body that matched Monk's profile but turned out to be a dud (potentially planted by Stottlemeyer). Once Rollins leaves, Stottlemeyer privately tells Randy that he didn't go to the morgue to ID the body not because he knew it was a dud, but because he was doing a background check on Rollins for Monk, and has found more solid evidence that Rollins is dirty: he's bought a second house, a new expensive BMW sedan, and he has two offshore bank accounts, on a county sheriff's meager salary.
to:
* ''Series/{{Monk}}''
** Inthe ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part Two," Monk goes is [[TheFrameUp framed for murder]] by a [[DirtyCop corrupt county sheriff]] and forced to go on the lam, but over lam while the phone has convinced sheriff leads a manhunt for him. Monk manages to warn Captain Stottlemeyer over the phone that Sheriff John Rollins, who is on the manhunt, killed Frank Nunn and framed Monk for it. Stottlemeyer then helps sheriff is dirty and, after helping Monk fake his death so that he can get the police off his back. Afterwards, to escape, Stottlemeyer looks rather uneasy whenever he's around Rollins, especially when Rollins confronts him about why he did not show up at the morgue to help identify a body that matched Monk's profile but turned out to be a dud (potentially planted by Stottlemeyer). Once Rollins leaves, Stottlemeyer privately tells Randy that he didn't go to the morgue to ID the body not because he knew it was a dud, but because he was doing discreetly runs a background check on Rollins for Monk, and has found more solid evidence him uncovering that Rollins is dirty: he's the sheriff owns an expensive luxury sedan, had recently bought a second house, a new expensive BMW sedan, house and he has two offshore bank accounts, on a county sheriff's accounts despite his meager salary. salary, supporting Monk's claim.
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robber had an accomplice and it was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that not only does the branch manager have the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, but he'd also recently bought a new Jaguar convertible in secret, making him a prime suspect. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the employees were in on it]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
** In
** In "Mr. Monk Goes To The Bank", Monk's bank branch is robbed, but several inconsistencies convince him that the robber had an accomplice and it was an InsideJob. Looking into the crime further, he discovers that not only does the branch manager have the right build and clearance to help facilitate the robbery, but he'd also recently bought a new Jaguar convertible in secret, making him a prime suspect. [[spoiler:He's later found dead in the trunk of said Jaguar, and Monk eventually deduces that [[EveryoneDidIt ALL of the employees were in on it]] and killed the manager for spending his share too quickly, arousing the cop's suspicions.]]
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moved to conspicuous consumption
Deleted line(s) 110 (click to see context) :
* In ''Literature/FireAndBlood'', Ser Rickard Thorne and Prince Maelor Targaryen fled. Thorne and Maelor disguised themselves as peasants. They went into an inn and Thorne paid for the services with silver. A greedy stable boy tried to steal more but ended up blowing their cover and getting them killed.
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Changed line(s) 236 (click to see context) from:
* 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 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 have allowed them to be convicted on a lesser charge on the grounds 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.
to:
* 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 in under a year. It also ended up being a major reason they were found guilty, both received life without parole, as while their father had been severely abusive (which might have allowed them to be convicted on a lesser charge on the grounds 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.
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Spelling/grammar fix(es)
Changed line(s) 110 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Literature/FireAndBlood'', Ser Rickard Thorne took Prince Maelor Targaryen with him when King's Landing fell and they were going to journey to Storm's End. Thorne and Maelor disguised themselves as peasants. They went into an inn and Thorne paid for the services with silver. A greedy stable boy tried to steal more but ended up blowing their cover and getting them killed.
to:
* In ''Literature/FireAndBlood'', Ser Rickard Thorne took and Prince Maelor Targaryen with him when King's Landing fell and they were going to journey to Storm's End.fled. Thorne and Maelor disguised themselves as peasants. They went into an inn and Thorne paid for the services with silver. A greedy stable boy tried to steal more but ended up blowing their cover and getting them killed.
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Added example(s)
Added DiffLines:
** This trope is why Team Westen employs the services of Barry, the money launderer.
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
--->"A money launderer is like a dentist or mechanic. Everybody needs to know a good one."
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Added example(s), Alphabetizing example(s)
* In ''Film/AmericanGangster'', Frank Lucas first attracts police attention when he's spotted in the front row of a high-profile boxing match wearing a mink coat (which is TruthInTelevision, by the way).
Changed line(s) 40,42 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Film/TheCrowSalvation'', the corrupt chief of police comments about one cop being killed by the Crow when the latter crashed into a wall with the sports car of the corrupt cop.
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could afford on his salary.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the extended cut of ''Film/ThePunisher2004''. Frank doesn't suspect his old partner of selling him out until he notices that nearly all of Jimmy Weeks' luxury items are gone; he'd been selling them to cover his gambling debts, which are what [[spoiler:Saint used to blackmail him into giving up Frank's information]].
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could afford on his salary.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the extended cut of ''Film/ThePunisher2004''. Frank doesn't suspect his old partner of selling him out until he notices that nearly all of Jimmy Weeks' luxury items are gone; he'd been selling them to cover his gambling debts, which are what [[spoiler:Saint used to blackmail him into giving up Frank's information]].
to:
* In ''Film/TheCrowSalvation'', ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'': Sgt. Lee quickly catches on to the corrupt chief of police comments about one cop being killed by the Crow when the latter crashed into a wall with the sports car of the corrupt cop.
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could affordcriminal activities going on his salary.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]in the extended cut of ''Film/ThePunisher2004''. Frank doesn't suspect his old partner of selling him out until base when he notices that nearly all Pvt. Garcia is wearing a very expensive watch he has no business of Jimmy Weeks' luxury items are gone; he'd been selling them to cover having based on his gambling debts, which are what [[spoiler:Saint used to blackmail him into giving up Frank's information]].salary.
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could afford
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]
Changed line(s) 47,52 (click to see context) from:
* 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 handing out large sums of money to his kids and Roger gets evasive when asked about it, not to mention his nice suits, nice boat, 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 how he can do all this is so on a cop's salary. It turns out the money is coming mostly from Murtaugh's wife, who is secretly a very successful (if cheesy) romance novelist writing under a PenName. Murtaugh wouldn't admit it because his friends would ''never'' let him live it down.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* 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.
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that the car is under his mother-in-law's name. The next guy who comes in the door has his wife wearing a luxurious mink coat, which Jimmy angrily demands that they get rid of. Henry is given a small share and is likewise told not to spend it, to which he agrees, but the movie then {{Gilligan Cut}}s to him shouting to his family that he bought the most expensive Christmas tree he could. General fear about the problems associated with this trope, in addition to simple greed, leads to Jimmy having most of the co-conspirators killed in lieu of payment.
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* In ''Film/DialMForMurder'', the cops begin to suspect Tony of something when he starts buying everything in cash, in used one-pound notes.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* 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.
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that the car is under his mother-in-law's name. The next guy who comes in the door has his wife wearing a luxurious mink coat, which Jimmy angrily demands that they get rid of. Henry is given a small share and is likewise told not to spend it, to which he agrees, but the movie then {{Gilligan Cut}}s to him shouting to his family that he bought the most expensive Christmas tree he could. General fear about the problems associated with this trope, in addition to simple greed, leads to Jimmy having most of the co-conspirators killed in lieu of payment.
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* In ''Film/DialMForMurder'', the cops begin to suspect Tony of something when he starts buying everything in cash, in used one-pound notes.
to:
* Murtaugh is suspected In ''Film/TheCrowSalvation'', the corrupt chief 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 handing out large sums of money to his kids and Roger gets evasive when asked police comments about it, not to mention his nice suits, nice boat, nice house (which he could also afford to remodel twice throughout one cop being killed by the series after it was destroyed by various criminals), etc. Riggs eventually gets around to grilling him about how he can do all this is so on a cop's salary. It turns out Crow when the money is coming mostly from Murtaugh's wife, who is secretly latter crashed into a very successful (if cheesy) romance novelist writing under a PenName. Murtaugh wouldn't admit it because his friends would ''never'' let him live it down.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* 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 discussionwall with the agent handling the case is a great rundown on trying to find someone doing this.
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that thesports car is under his mother-in-law's name. The next guy who comes in the door has his wife wearing a luxurious mink coat, which Jimmy angrily demands that they get rid of. Henry is given a small share and is likewise told not to spend it, to which he agrees, but the movie then {{Gilligan Cut}}s to him shouting to his family that he bought the most expensive Christmas tree he could. General fear about the problems associated with this trope, in addition to simple greed, leads to Jimmy having most of the co-conspirators killed in lieu of payment.
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* In ''Film/DialMForMurder'', the cops begin to suspect Tony of something when he starts buying everything in cash, in used one-pound notes.corrupt cop.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* 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
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that the
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* In ''Film/DialMForMurder'', the cops begin to suspect Tony of something when he starts buying everything in cash, in used one-pound notes.
Changed line(s) 54,60 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Film/AmericanGangster'', Frank Lucas first attracts police attention when he's spotted in the front row of a high-profile boxing match wearing a mink coat (which is TruthInTelevision, by the way).
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In the Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'': Sgt. Lee quickly catches on to the criminal activities going on in the base when he notices that Pvt. Garcia is wearing a very expensive watch he has no business of having based on his salary.
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he lives in a quiet mountain cabin and keeps a low profile. This is because Vizla is ProperlyParanoid; another hitman who ''did'' retire to spend his money on a luxurious HookersAndBlow lifestyle is easily tracked down and killed off.
* In ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye and Cloudy, while relaxing at a bar after a shift, notice a small-time diner owner racking up a large bill with a lawyer known to work with drug dealers, then look into his finances and find he doesn't make very much. This reveals a smuggling operation, putting the film's plot in motion.
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In the Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'': Sgt. Lee quickly catches on to the criminal activities going on in the base when he notices that Pvt. Garcia is wearing a very expensive watch he has no business of having based on his salary.
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he lives in a quiet mountain cabin and keeps a low profile. This is because Vizla is ProperlyParanoid; another hitman who ''did'' retire to spend his money on a luxurious HookersAndBlow lifestyle is easily tracked down and killed off.
* In ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye and Cloudy, while relaxing at a bar after a shift, notice a small-time diner owner racking up a large bill with a lawyer known to work with drug dealers, then look into his finances and find he doesn't make very much. This reveals a smuggling operation, putting the film's plot in motion.
to:
* In ''Film/AmericanGangster'', Frank Lucas first attracts police attention when he's spotted in ''Film/DialMForMurder'', the front row cops begin to suspect Tony of a high-profile boxing match wearing a mink coat (which is TruthInTelevision, by the way).
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In the Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'': Sgt. Lee quickly catches on to the criminal activities going on in the basesomething when he notices that Pvt. Garcia is wearing a very expensive watch he has no business of having based on his salary.
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he livesstarts buying everything in a quiet mountain cabin and keeps a low profile. This is because Vizla is ProperlyParanoid; another hitman who ''did'' retire to spend his money on a luxurious HookersAndBlow lifestyle is easily tracked down and killed off.
* In ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye and Cloudy, while relaxing at a bar after a shift, notice a small-time diner owner racking up a large bill with a lawyer known to work with drug dealers, then look into his finances and find he doesn't make very much. This reveals a smuggling operation, putting the film's plotcash, in motion.used one-pound notes.
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In the Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/BuffaloSoldiers'': Sgt. Lee quickly catches on to the criminal activities going on in the base
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he lives
* In ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye and Cloudy, while relaxing at a bar after a shift, notice a small-time diner owner racking up a large bill with a lawyer known to work with drug dealers, then look into his finances and find he doesn't make very much. This reveals a smuggling operation, putting the film's plot
Deleted line(s) 62,68 (click to see context) :
* ''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 [[AbuseOfReturnPolicy 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).
* Averted at the end of ''Film/OceansEleven''. When Danny is released on parole, the other members of his CaperCrew pick him up in an ordinary car. We soon see why when they're followed by goons working for the BigBad, who clearly still suspects Danny's involvement in the robbery of his casino. Then played straight in the sequel which shows that by the time the BigBad locates and confronts all of the crew, they have all spent several millions dollars each of their respective cuts, with the exception of one man who invested it all.
* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
* ''Film/LowTide'': Peter knows how bad of an idea spending stolen money straight away is ([[LikeADuckTakesToWater despite only having ever committed one crime]]) and insists on hanging on to the money until the end of the summer. Alan ignores him and uses several gold coins to buy a new car, with predictably bad results. Ironically, initially the spending attracts the wrong kind of suspicion and make Red assume that Alan is a police informant.
* ''Film/SWAT2003'' 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.
* ''Film/WrathOfMan'': After their first big job, Jackson warns his crew that they should only spend money on necessities like covering bills to avoid suspicion. Jackson is understandably annoyed on finding that Jan ignored the advice in favor of getting a high-end loft apartment and motorcycle.
* Averted at the end of ''Film/OceansEleven''. When Danny is released on parole, the other members of his CaperCrew pick him up in an ordinary car. We soon see why when they're followed by goons working for the BigBad, who clearly still suspects Danny's involvement in the robbery of his casino. Then played straight in the sequel which shows that by the time the BigBad locates and confronts all of the crew, they have all spent several millions dollars each of their respective cuts, with the exception of one man who invested it all.
* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
* ''Film/LowTide'': Peter knows how bad of an idea spending stolen money straight away is ([[LikeADuckTakesToWater despite only having ever committed one crime]]) and insists on hanging on to the money until the end of the summer. Alan ignores him and uses several gold coins to buy a new car, with predictably bad results. Ironically, initially the spending attracts the wrong kind of suspicion and make Red assume that Alan is a police informant.
* ''Film/SWAT2003'' 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.
* ''Film/WrathOfMan'': After their first big job, Jackson warns his crew that they should only spend money on necessities like covering bills to avoid suspicion. Jackson is understandably annoyed on finding that Jan ignored the advice in favor of getting a high-end loft apartment and motorcycle.
Added DiffLines:
* In ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'', Popeye and Cloudy, while relaxing at a bar after a shift, notice a small-time diner owner racking up a large bill with a lawyer known to work with drug dealers, then look into his finances and find he doesn't make very much. This reveals a smuggling operation, putting the film's plot in motion.
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that the car is under his mother-in-law's name. The next guy who comes in the door has his wife wearing a luxurious mink coat, which Jimmy angrily demands that they get rid of. Henry is given a small share and is likewise told not to spend it, to which he agrees, but the movie then {{Gilligan Cut}}s to him shouting to his family that he bought the most expensive Christmas tree he could. General fear about the problems associated with this trope, in addition to simple greed, leads to Jimmy having most of the co-conspirators killed in lieu of payment.
** Henry was making more money than any kid in the neighborhood. A new set of clothes is the first thing he buys with the money he has been making as a gangster.
* 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 handing out large sums of money to his kids and Roger gets evasive when asked about it, not to mention his nice suits, nice boat, 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 how he can do all this is so on a cop's salary. It turns out the money is coming mostly from Murtaugh's wife, who is secretly a very successful (if cheesy) romance novelist writing under a PenName. Murtaugh wouldn't admit it because his friends would ''never'' let him live it down.
* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
* ''Film/LowTide'': Peter knows how bad of an idea spending stolen money straight away is ([[LikeADuckTakesToWater despite only having ever committed one crime]]) and insists on hanging on to the money until the end of the summer. Alan ignores him and uses several gold coins to buy a new car, with predictably bad results. Ironically, initially the spending attracts the wrong kind of suspicion and make Red assume that Alan is a police informant.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* Averted at the end of ''Film/OceansEleven''. When Danny is released on parole, the other members of his CaperCrew pick him up in an ordinary car. We soon see why when they're followed by goons working for the BigBad, who clearly still suspects Danny's involvement in the robbery of his casino. Then played straight in the sequel which shows that by the time the BigBad locates and confronts all of the crew, they have all spent several millions dollars each of their respective cuts, with the exception of one man who invested it all.
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he lives in a quiet mountain cabin and keeps a low profile. This is because Vizla is ProperlyParanoid; another hitman who ''did'' retire to spend his money on a luxurious HookersAndBlow lifestyle is easily tracked down and killed off.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the extended cut of ''Film/ThePunisher2004''. Frank doesn't suspect his old partner of selling him out until he notices that nearly all of Jimmy Weeks' luxury items are gone; he'd been selling them to cover his gambling debts, which are what [[spoiler:Saint used to blackmail him into giving up Frank's information]].
* In ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', Jimmy berates a fellow conspirator in the Lufthansa heist for buying a conspicuous pink Cadillac. Jimmy says that he specifically told everyone ''not'' to make big purchases yet because the cops will be watching them in particular, and does not care when the man tries to defend the purchase by saying that the car is under his mother-in-law's name. The next guy who comes in the door has his wife wearing a luxurious mink coat, which Jimmy angrily demands that they get rid of. Henry is given a small share and is likewise told not to spend it, to which he agrees, but the movie then {{Gilligan Cut}}s to him shouting to his family that he bought the most expensive Christmas tree he could. General fear about the problems associated with this trope, in addition to simple greed, leads to Jimmy having most of the co-conspirators killed in lieu of payment.
** Henry was making more money than any kid in the neighborhood. A new set of clothes is the first thing he buys with the money he has been making as a gangster.
* 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 handing out large sums of money to his kids and Roger gets evasive when asked about it, not to mention his nice suits, nice boat, 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 how he can do all this is so on a cop's salary. It turns out the money is coming mostly from Murtaugh's wife, who is secretly a very successful (if cheesy) romance novelist writing under a PenName. Murtaugh wouldn't admit it because his friends would ''never'' let him live it down.
* ''Film/TheLivingDaylights'': Koskov's luxury tastes are already noticeable when Bond brings him some food 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.]]
** [[spoiler:Before his defection, Koskov was about to be arrested for "misusing state funds".]]
* ''Film/LowTide'': Peter knows how bad of an idea spending stolen money straight away is ([[LikeADuckTakesToWater despite only having ever committed one crime]]) and insists on hanging on to the money until the end of the summer. Alan ignores him and uses several gold coins to buy a new car, with predictably bad results. Ironically, initially the spending attracts the wrong kind of suspicion and make Red assume that Alan is a police informant.
* ''Film/MadMoney'': Ironically, this arises as a result of trying to ''avoid'' suspicious spending. Jackie's unemployed husband Bob buys stocks to explain their windfall from the Federal Reserve money, but the tens of thousands of dollars he spends buying those stocks attract the IRS anyway.
* ''Film/NeverCryWolf'': After two wolves from the pack Tyler's studying are apparently killed, [[spoiler:Mike]] is wearing an expensive new jacket and [[spoiler:has a new set of false teeth.]]
* Averted at the end of ''Film/OceansEleven''. When Danny is released on parole, the other members of his CaperCrew pick him up in an ordinary car. We soon see why when they're followed by goons working for the BigBad, who clearly still suspects Danny's involvement in the robbery of his casino. Then played straight in the sequel which shows that by the time the BigBad locates and confronts all of the crew, they have all spent several millions dollars each of their respective cuts, with the exception of one man who invested it all.
* This happens near the end of ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'' when Clouseau is suspected of being the jewel thief. When questioned in this matter about how his wife (who is actually the thief) is able to afford such expensive clothing, on his police salary, Clouseau naively asserts that she's very frugal with the housekeeping budget.
* ''Film/{{Polar}}'': Defied. Vizla is indicated to have earned millions of dollars as a hitman, but he lives in a quiet mountain cabin and keeps a low profile. This is because Vizla is ProperlyParanoid; another hitman who ''did'' retire to spend his money on a luxurious HookersAndBlow lifestyle is easily tracked down and killed off.
* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] in the extended cut of ''Film/ThePunisher2004''. Frank doesn't suspect his old partner of selling him out until he notices that nearly all of Jimmy Weeks' luxury items are gone; he'd been selling them to cover his gambling debts, which are what [[spoiler:Saint used to blackmail him into giving up Frank's information]].
Added DiffLines:
* 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.
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could afford on his salary.
* ''Film/SWAT2003'' 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 Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''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 [[AbuseOfReturnPolicy 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).
* ''Film/WrathOfMan'': After their first big job, Jackson warns his crew that they should only spend money on necessities like covering bills to avoid suspicion. Jackson is understandably annoyed on finding that Jan ignored the advice in favor of getting a high-end loft apartment and motorcycle.
* In ''Film/TheSting'', Hooker blows through his entire stake of a large con job in a single afternoon, which alerts the villain to his identity.
* In ''Film/SupermanIII'', after Gus's PennyShaving scam is discovered, CorruptCorporateExecutive Ross Webster doesn't think there's any way of catching the perpetrator unless he does something really stupid. [[JokeAndReceive Immediately]], Gus shows up in a fancy sports car far above what he could afford on his salary.
* ''Film/SWAT2003'' 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 Creator/RogerCorman Poe anthology ''Film/TalesOfTerror'' segment based on "The Black Cat" (and "The Cask of Amontillado") loutish drunkard Montressor Herringbone, having walled up his wife and her lover in the cellar and finding her stash of hidden money, goes on a spree at the tavern, buying drinks for everyone and rousing suspicion with cryptic mutterings on her whereabouts.
* ''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 [[AbuseOfReturnPolicy 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).
* ''Film/WrathOfMan'': After their first big job, Jackson warns his crew that they should only spend money on necessities like covering bills to avoid suspicion. Jackson is understandably annoyed on finding that Jan ignored the advice in favor of getting a high-end loft apartment and motorcycle.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* In 1989, a bank in Noel, Missouri was robbed of $70,000 in the middle of the night and the bank's president [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Short Dan Short]] had gone missing. While it was originally surmised that Short had stolen the money himself so he could disappear and start a new life (he was having marital problems with his wife), this theory was disproved when his body was found floating in a lake five days later. While searching for suspects, police were informed of two brothers, Joe and Shannon Agofsky, who were spending large amounts of money on things like new cars and a trip to Disneyland despite being unemployed. After further investigation, it was eventually determined that the brothers had forced Short to help them rob the bank, then killed him by tying him to a chair and tossing him into the Elk River where he drowned.
Deleted line(s) 233 (click to see context) :
* In 1989, a bank in Noel, Missouri was robbed of $70,000 in the middle of the night and the bank's president [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Short Dan Short]] had gone missing. While it was originally surmised that Short had stolen the money himself so he could disappear and start a new life (he was having marital problems with his wife), this theory was disproved when his body was found floating in a lake five days later. While searching for suspects, police were informed of two brothers, Joe and Shannon Agofsky, who were spending large amounts of money on things like new cars and a trip to Disneyland despite being unemployed. After further investigation, it was eventually determined that the brothers had forced Short to help them rob the bank, then killed him by tying him to a chair and tossing him into the Elk River where he drowned.
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Changed line(s) 232 (click to see context) from:
* 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 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.
to:
* 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 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 have allowed them to be lowered by way convicted on a lesser charge on the grounds 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.money.
* In 1989, a bank in Noel, Missouri was robbed of $70,000 in the middle of the night and the bank's president [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Short Dan Short]] had gone missing. While it was originally surmised that Short had stolen the money himself so he could disappear and start a new life (he was having marital problems with his wife), this theory was disproved when his body was found floating in a lake five days later. While searching for suspects, police were informed of two brothers, Joe and Shannon Agofsky, who were spending large amounts of money on things like new cars and a trip to Disneyland despite being unemployed. After further investigation, it was eventually determined that the brothers had forced Short to help them rob the bank, then killed him by tying him to a chair and tossing him into the Elk River where he drowned.
* In 1989, a bank in Noel, Missouri was robbed of $70,000 in the middle of the night and the bank's president [[https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Dan_Short Dan Short]] had gone missing. While it was originally surmised that Short had stolen the money himself so he could disappear and start a new life (he was having marital problems with his wife), this theory was disproved when his body was found floating in a lake five days later. While searching for suspects, police were informed of two brothers, Joe and Shannon Agofsky, who were spending large amounts of money on things like new cars and a trip to Disneyland despite being unemployed. After further investigation, it was eventually determined that the brothers had forced Short to help them rob the bank, then killed him by tying him to a chair and tossing him into the Elk River where he drowned.
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Added DiffLines:
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage:'' One of the Order is a merchant spending a ridiculous amount of time and effort to get a rare hairpin, which is what draws the Hidden Ones to her. A note found in her lair has a note from the head of the Order cautioning her to dial it down so no-one would notice, a note she has quite obviously ignored.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
added example(s)
Added DiffLines:
* In ''Film/RushHour2'', Lee and Carter interrogate a man who runs an in illegal gambling joint (played by Don Cheadle). He tells them some local guy he knew has somehow come into money and has been spreading it around the tables. They prove to him that the money was counterfeit.
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* An episode of ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' had Reese and Finch getting four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
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* An episode of In the ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' had episode "Number Crunch", Reese and Finch getting get four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
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* An episode of ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' had Reese and Finch getting four numbers which led them to four people. They have none in common except two of them started buying expensive things like shoes and motorcycles. They also end up dead. [[spoiler:The four witnessed a congressman's son die in a car accident and they took the dirty money he was carrying.]]
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[[quoteright:641:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/epojq40xeaioige_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:641:He did not buy that coat on a politician's salary.]]
[[caption-width-right:641:He did not buy that coat on a politician's salary.]]
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** 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 crew of dealers in Season 1; after D'Angelo's stash is robbed by [[KarmicThief Omar Little]], [[TheDragon Stringer]] decides to withhold the pay of everyone in the group to see who comes begging for an advance, and those who don't are to be scrutinized as [[InsideJob potential accomplices in Omar's robbery]]. The ploy works, except that [[spoiler:it only uncovers a couple of embezzlers, not snitches, and after confronting them D'Angelo generously declines to mention their StealingFromTheTill to his bosses]]. The sequence also shows the extreme poverty of the low-level dealers in the city's drug trade, as simply buying eggs at a convenience store after missing the equivalent of a single paycheck is seen as a suspicious display of wealth.
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** 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 crew of dealers in Season 1; after D'Angelo's stash is robbed by [[KarmicThief Omar Little]], [[TheDragon Stringer]] decides to withhold the pay of everyone in the group to see who comes begging for an advance, and those who don't are to be scrutinized as [[InsideJob potential accomplices in Omar's robbery]]. The ploy works, except that [[spoiler:it only uncovers a couple of embezzlers, not snitches, and after confronting them D'Angelo generously declines to mention their StealingFromTheTill to his bosses]]. The sequence also shows the extreme poverty of the low-level dealers in the city's drug trade, as simply buying eggs at a convenience store after missing the equivalent of a single paycheck is seen as a suspicious display of wealth.
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* Happens from time to time on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', generally with Homer (or occasionally Bart) earning money in a vaguely shady way and Marge and/or Lisa being suspicious when they use the money to buy extravagant presents for the family:
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* Happens from time to time on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', generally with Homer (or occasionally Bart) earning money in a vaguely shady way and Marge and/or Lisa being suspicious when they use the money to buy extravagant presents for the family:
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* In ''Literature/FireAndBlood'', Ser Rickard Thorne took Prince Maelor Targaryen with him when King's Landing fell and they were going to journey to Storm's End. Thorne and Maelor disguised themselves as peasants. They went into an inn and Thorne paid for the services with silver. A greedy stable boy tried to steal more but ended up blowing their cover and getting them killed.
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* ''Literature/MegLangslowMysteries'': In ''Cockatiels at Seven'', Meg's prime suspect in an embezzlement scandal at the office is an administrator who just bought a $2,000,000 house. It turns out she just has a rich family.
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* In Canada, some divorced people who owe spousal support or child support claim to have no income (which means they cannot pay support), yet they live a luxurious lifestyle. The government can impute an estimated income for the support-paying parent, based on their lifestyle (e.g., owning luxury cars, living in a BigFancyHouse, owning a yacht).
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* In Canada, some divorced people who owe spousal support or child support claim to have no income (which means they cannot pay support), yet they live a luxurious lifestyle. The government can impute an estimated income for the support-paying parent, based on their lifestyle (e.g., owning [[CoolCar luxury cars, cars]], living in a BigFancyHouse, owning a yacht).[[WealthyYachtOwner yacht]]).
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* UsefulNotes/AlCapone's downfall is the stuff of legends. While the government couldn't prove that the millions of dollars he spent on entertainment alone (far more than he earned in his official job as a hotelier) every year was earned illegally, they could prove that he hadn't paid taxes on it.
* In late December 1992, 9-year old [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Beers_kidnapping Katie Beers]] disappeared. Police were suspicious of the story told by the last person to see her, John Esposito, 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.
* In late December 1992, 9-year old [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Beers_kidnapping Katie Beers]] disappeared. Police were suspicious of the story told by the last person to see her, John Esposito, 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.
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* 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 attempted to make bail using nothing but quarters.
* UsefulNotes/AlCapone's downfall is the stuff of legends. While the government couldn't prove that the millions of dollars he spent on entertainment alone (far more than he earned in his official job as a hotelier) every year was earned illegally, they could prove that he hadn't paid taxes on it.
* In late December 1992, 9-year old [[https://en.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.
* UsefulNotes/AlCapone's downfall is the stuff of legends. While the government couldn't prove that the millions of dollars he spent on entertainment alone (far more than he earned in his official job as a hotelier) every year was earned illegally, they could prove that he hadn't paid taxes on it.
* In late December 1992, 9-year old [[https://en.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.
* 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 Gregory Rosa]] was arrested under suspicion of breaking into vending machines to steal money from them. It definitely [[NotHelpingYourCase didn't help his case]] when he attempted to make bail using nothing but quarters.
* In Canada, some divorced people who owe spousal support or child support claim to have no income (which means they cannot pay support), yet they live a luxurious lifestyle. The government can impute an estimated income for the support-paying parent, based on their lifestyle (e.g., owning luxury cars, living in a BigFancyHouse, owning a yacht).
* In Canada, some divorced people who owe spousal support or child support claim to have no income (which means they cannot pay support), yet they live a luxurious lifestyle. The government can impute an estimated income for the support-paying parent, based on their lifestyle (e.g., owning luxury cars, living in a BigFancyHouse, owning a yacht).
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* In Canada, some divorced people who owe spousal support or child support claim to have no income (which means they cannot pay support), yet they live a luxurious lifestyle. The government can impute an estimated income for the support-paying parent, based on their lifestyle (e.g., owning luxury cars, living in a BigFancyHouse, owning a yacht).
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* Actually an EnforcedTrope in France, where laws punish those without visible means to gain their livelihood who are consorting with persons involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, or terrorism. In cases where the declared income is vastly inferior to the real expenses, another disposition allows taxmen to calculate an imputed income based on expenses such as memberships at golf clubs and hunting lodges, rent for housing, among other clues which allow the estimation of a person's income.
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* Actually an EnforcedTrope in France, where In France laws punish those without visible means to gain their livelihood who are consorting with persons involved in drug trafficking, prostitution, or terrorism. In cases where the declared income is vastly inferior to the real expenses, another disposition allows taxmen to calculate an imputed income based on expenses such as memberships at golf clubs and hunting lodges, rent for housing, among other clues which allow the estimation of a person's income.
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removing general examples
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* Very much TruthInTelevision. Spending beyond one's means on luxuries is one of the things auditors look for when investigating fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.
** Many 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.
* On a similar note, if you have a security clearance with the US government, they will watch your credit reports and spending like a hawk, and if you suddenly start spending more than usual, they're going to pull you in and ask about it to make sure you're not getting money to sell secrets. It doesn't even need to be especially extravagant to raise eyebrows, just something that isn't your usual habit. There are stories of cleared workers being questioned because they bought nice cars or went on vacations they legitimately saved for or just treated themselves, but it was so out of habit as to cause concern.
* A couple of Soviet moles in the U.S. government were caught this way. A lot more spies should have been caught this way but no one paid any attention to the fact they were spending more than they were legally earning. It was only after they were caught that someone finally looked at their finances. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrich_Ames Aldrich Ames]] was among the most notable of these moles to be flushed out, who lived a particularly extravagant lifestyle, which was only seen as suspicious in retrospect. Everybody believed him when he said his Colombian wife came from money when she didn't. For a guy with a $60,000 annual salary, Aldrich Ames was somehow able to afford tailor-made suits that not even his superiors could afford, a $540,000 house in Arlington, Virginia, paid for in cash; a $50,000 Jaguar luxury car; home remodeling and redecoration costs of $99,000; monthly phone bills exceeding $6,000 (mostly calls by Ames' wife to her family in Colombia); and premium credit cards whose minimum monthly payment exceeded his monthly salary.
* 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 or spending extravagantly at clubs and casinos. If so, the police take a look at them.
** A variation in the case of {{inheritance murder}}s, where even if it's known that the person has come into a large sum of money, it raises cops' eyebrows that their first instinct is to spend lavishly rather than mourn their loved one. While it might not be strange to [[RetailTherapy spend money as a coping mechanism after losing somebody close to you]], spending it on new houses, luxury cars, and fancy outfits is going to raise the eyebrows of the cops.
** 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 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.
** Many 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.
* On a similar note, if you have a security clearance with the US government, they will watch your credit reports and spending like a hawk, and if you suddenly start spending more than usual, they're going to pull you in and ask about it to make sure you're not getting money to sell secrets. It doesn't even need to be especially extravagant to raise eyebrows, just something that isn't your usual habit. There are stories of cleared workers being questioned because they bought nice cars or went on vacations they legitimately saved for or just treated themselves, but it was so out of habit as to cause concern.
* A couple of Soviet moles in the U.S. government were caught this way. A lot more spies should have been caught this way but no one paid any attention to the fact they were spending more than they were legally earning. It was only after they were caught that someone finally looked at their finances. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrich_Ames Aldrich Ames]] was among the most notable of these moles to be flushed out, who lived a particularly extravagant lifestyle, which was only seen as suspicious in retrospect. Everybody believed him when he said his Colombian wife came from money when she didn't. For a guy with a $60,000 annual salary, Aldrich Ames was somehow able to afford tailor-made suits that not even his superiors could afford, a $540,000 house in Arlington, Virginia, paid for in cash; a $50,000 Jaguar luxury car; home remodeling and redecoration costs of $99,000; monthly phone bills exceeding $6,000 (mostly calls by Ames' wife to her family in Colombia); and premium credit cards whose minimum monthly payment exceeded his monthly salary.
* 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 or spending extravagantly at clubs and casinos. If so, the police take a look at them.
** A variation in the case of {{inheritance murder}}s, where even if it's known that the person has come into a large sum of money, it raises cops' eyebrows that their first instinct is to spend lavishly rather than mourn their loved one. While it might not be strange to [[RetailTherapy spend money as a coping mechanism after losing somebody close to you]], spending it on new houses, luxury cars, and fancy outfits is going to raise the eyebrows of the cops.
** 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 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.
to:
* Very much TruthInTelevision. Spending beyond one's means on luxuries is one of the things auditors look for when investigating fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.
** Many 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.
* On a similar note, if you have a security clearance with the US government, they will watch your credit reports and spending like a hawk, and if you suddenly start spending more than usual, they're going to pull you in and ask about it to make sure you're not getting money to sell secrets. It doesn't even need to be especially extravagant to raise eyebrows, just something that isn't your usual habit. There are stories of cleared workers being questioned because they bought nice cars or went on vacations they legitimately saved for or just treated themselves, but it was so out of habit as to cause concern.
* A couple of Soviet moles in the U.S. government were caught this way. A lot more spies should have been caught this way but no one paid any attention to the fact they were spending more than they were legally earning. It was only after they were caught that someone finally looked at their finances.[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldrich_Ames Aldrich Ames]] was among a Soviet mole in the most notable of these moles to be flushed out, U.S. government, who lived a particularly extravagant lifestyle, which was only seen as suspicious in retrospect. Everybody believed him when he said his Colombian wife came from money when she didn't. For a guy with a $60,000 annual salary, Aldrich Ames was somehow able to afford tailor-made suits that not even his superiors could afford, a $540,000 house in Arlington, Virginia, paid for in cash; a $50,000 Jaguar luxury car; home remodeling and redecoration costs of $99,000; monthly phone bills exceeding $6,000 (mostly calls by Ames' wife to her family in Colombia); and premium credit cards whose minimum monthly payment exceeded his monthly salary.
* Astandard 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 or spending extravagantly at clubs and casinos. If so, the police take a look at them.
** A variation in the case of {{inheritance murder}}s, where even if it's known that the person has come into a large sum of money, it raises cops' eyebrows that their first instinct is to spend lavishly rather than mourn their loved one. While it might not be strange to [[RetailTherapy spend money as a coping mechanism after losing somebody close to you]], spending it on new houses, luxury cars, and fancy outfits is going to raise the eyebrows of the cops.
** The above was amajor 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 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.
** Many 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.
* On a similar note, if you have a security clearance with the US government, they will watch your credit reports and spending like a hawk, and if you suddenly start spending more than usual, they're going to pull you in and ask about it to make sure you're not getting money to sell secrets. It doesn't even need to be especially extravagant to raise eyebrows, just something that isn't your usual habit. There are stories of cleared workers being questioned because they bought nice cars or went on vacations they legitimately saved for or just treated themselves, but it was so out of habit as to cause concern.
* A couple of Soviet moles in the U.S. government were caught this way. A lot more spies should have been caught this way but no one paid any attention to the fact they were spending more than they were legally earning. It was only after they were caught that someone finally looked at their finances.
* A
** A variation in the case of {{inheritance murder}}s, where even if it's known that the person has come into a large sum of money, it raises cops' eyebrows that their first instinct is to spend lavishly rather than mourn their loved one. While it might not be strange to [[RetailTherapy spend money as a coping mechanism after losing somebody close to you]], spending it on new houses, luxury cars, and fancy outfits is going to raise the eyebrows of the cops.
** The above was a
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* 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 the cops were fired when they were seen buying diamond rings and expensive furs.
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* 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.
** Others have been caught for consistently depositing just below the amount legally required to be reported by the bank. It's actually used as evidence in financial crimes, or sometimes a separate crime itself, because it shows the person was aware of what they were doing enough to try and circumvent procedures the public doesn't generally know about.
** Others have been caught for consistently depositing just below the amount legally required to be reported by the bank. It's actually used as evidence in financial crimes, or sometimes a separate crime itself, because it shows the person was aware of what they were doing enough to try and circumvent procedures the public doesn't generally know about.
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* In some places with vagrancy statutes punishing those without fixed abode nor determinated means to gain livelihood, those deemed as vagrants could be punished for having expensive items without justifying their provenance, with the suspicion they might have stolen them.
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* Much like Ames above, some political leaders in corrupt countries manage to hold a higher amount of property and have a better lifestyle than their official income would afford them.
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* [[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 parents' reported wealth.
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* Invoked in ''Film/TheFlintstones'', when Cliff Vandercave, who is embezzling large amounts of money from Slate & Co., gives Fred, who was promoted to act as a patsy, a "raise" from the embezzled money and encourages him to spend it liberally. With a house full of new furniture and appliances, a new car, new fancy clothes, and nights out at expensive restaurants, it doesn't take much convincing for most of Bedrock to believe Fred's guilty.
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* Invoked in ''Film/TheFlintstones'', when Cliff Vandercave, who is embezzling large amounts of money from Slate & Co., gives Fred, who was promoted to act as a patsy, a "raise" from the embezzled money and encourages him to spend it liberally. With When Fred finally figures it out, Cliff points out that with a house full of new furniture and appliances, a new car, new fancy clothes, and nights out at expensive restaurants, it doesn't isn't going to take much convincing for most of Bedrock to believe convince everyone that Fred's guilty.
