You've Got to Put a Pocket or Two

It’s rare to go out for the day and return home with more money than when you left, but that’s exactly what's happening to some lucky Londoners.

UK broadband provider TalkTalk's new "put-pocket" marketing campaign employs 20 ex-pickpockets literally to put money (either a £5, £10, or £20 note — that’s up to $33 free) into Britons' pockets. The cash comes with a card emblazoned with TalkTalk's logo and a little information about its services.

"With so many scams out there, Britons have become very skeptical of companies giving money away — so we have turned to Put-Pocketing to give something back," the company's communications director, Mark Schmid, told Brand Republic.

According to TalkTalk's blog, where you can also watch a video of two put-pockets at work, the money is being distributed in several heavily-trafficked London areas (Leicester Square, Oxford Circus, Covent Garden, Westminster, Trafalgar Square and The South Bank), as well as on the Tube. The company plans to give £100,000 (about $165,000) away in London, and beginning in September, in other cities across the UK.

As for the putpockets, they carry ID and have guards in case they're caught and someone calls the police. But the scheme has been operating since July 1, says Brandweek, and no Londoner has been the wiser.

As Schmid told Brand Republic: "While unconventional, we don't think anyone is going to mind finding a crisp £20 in their pocket." Indeed.