Basic Trope: Someone is suspected of illegal activities because they're seen buying stuff they normally shouldn't be able to afford.
- Straight: Someone has stolen $50,000. Sally, a teacher on a modest salary, is suspected because she recently went on a shopping spree during which she bought a $5000 designer bag, several expensive dresses, and, of course, about thirty pairs of shoes.
- Exaggerated:
- Someone steals $5 million in a heist. The next day, minimum-wage Burger Fool Sally manages to spend that exact amount on luxury cars, and then spams images of them on social media.
- A prominent billionaire is assassinated and Sally is seen driving his missing Bugatti Chiron.
- Downplayed:
- Daniel mumbles something about Sally probably being a sugar baby or a drug dealer because he has tried to calculate the total worth of her luxury items, and found out that it's a bit more than someone on her salary is likely to afford.
- Sally was once living below her means but no longer is, a sign that she used the stolen money to pay off debts that she was unable to do so.
- Justified:
- Sally loves shopping and doesn't care about the news. After winning the lottery, she's eager to go buy some stuff and doesn't realize that she'd look really suspicious.
- Sally is a Stupid Crook. It's a wonder she managed to pull off the heist in the first place.
- Sally paid by postal order or money order for the items because of the anonymity of cash, paying a fee to get the cash at the post office to send herself money, and because it was equivalent to cash, it could only be spent that way.
- Inverted:
- Sally is known to be a complete idiot who's obsessed with shoes. Daniel argues that she can't be guilty — if she were, she would've run off to buy shoes with her stolen money as soon as possible.
- Sally's involvement in illegal gambling is exposed by her pawning her various luxury goods to pay the debts.
- Sally is suspected of fraud because despite the 'runaway success' she still maintains her hand-to-mouth lifestyle.
- Subverted: Sally's "luxury products" turn out to be cheap knockoffs.
- Double Subverted: However, there's evidence that she did get duped into paying luxury prices for them.
- Parodied: Sally's shopping spree took place way before she allegedly stole the money. She's still considered a suspect
- Zig Zagged:
- Averted:
- Sally doesn't go on a shopping spree shortly after the robbery.
- Sally goes on a shopping spree, but is not suspected.
- Enforced:
- Lampshaded:
- Sally's student Tommy wonders why his teacher's all blinged out.
Tommy: Hey, Mrs. Sally, did you actually bother to watch or read the news? There's been a high profile robbery that's worth like... $15 million if I can recall. I don't think you should really flaunt those after such an event...- Sally bemoans about being in jail after buying the shoes.
Sally (in jail): Why, oh why, couldn't I have waited to buy those stupid shoes? - Invoked: The actual culprits notice that Sally recently won the lottery, and make sure she gets a catalogue of expensive clothes she can buy (and unwittingly make herself look suspicious to draw attention away from them).
- Exploited: The actual culprits try to pin the crime on Sally.
- Defied:
- Sally wins the lottery. Her husband tells her that someone recently stole $50,000, and forces her not to spend it yet to avoid looking suspicious.
- Sally does go on a shopping spree, but makes sure to keep some evidence (or "evidence") that she won the money in the lottery to avoid being suspected.
- Sally makes a point of enjoying her luxuries behind closed doors.
- Discussed: "Look at all my new shoes!" "Sally, you idiot! Now everyone will think you stole the $50,000!"
- Conversed:
- Implied: One of the suspects is a woman who's clearly wearing new designer clothes.
- Deconstructed: The stress of dealing with a false accusation destroys Sally's passion for shopping, which used to be her favorite pastime.
- Played For Laughs: Sally breaks into vending machines, steals a bunch of quarters and tries to buy a $5,000 designer bag with them. She's genuinely surprised when she gets caught.
- Played For Drama: Sally faces a dilemma: buy expensive medicine for her sick mother and have to spend time away from her to fight a false accusation, or risk her mother's health by not buying medicine.
Buy some luxury items HERE. It won't look suspicious at all!
