Another scam (money for petrol)

[hoipolloi]

Hello all

Was round at my friend's (The Gardens) Monday afternoon when we noticed a bloke waving at us from the street, through her living room window. He was white, aged 45-50 with very short grey hair and wearing one of those fluorescent jackets that you typically see workmen in. When my friend went out to see what he wanted, he said he was working on the house next door (it has been gutted and a team of builders are doing it up) and he had completely run out of petrol and needed to use his car - he wanted to borrow some money to go and buy a can of petrol from the garage. My friend only had a fiver and offered to lend him this but he said he needed more. So being the nice person she is she came in and asked us if we had any dosh and between us we cobbled together ?15. Anyway, he offered to leave his car keys with us and said he'd be back in 2 minutes. We didn't take the car keys and needless to say he didn't come back. Anyway, we were naive and you might think it serves us right but I thought I should pass this on just in case it is a scam operating in the area. In retrospect the whole story was highly dubious (many cashpoints within walking distance, etc) but we just didn't think.

HP

[KalamityKel]

Cheers for pointing that out (tu)

With all the builders around it's hard to tell the genuine from the not so.

[Louisa]

It's easily done HP, but personally I would rather chew glass than offer someone my hard earned cash when they are stuck in the middle of a busy area with cash machines and access to telephones all around. I guess some people dont think. You'll know better next time no doubt.

Louisa.

[ratty]

Another possible scam happened to us last night in Abbotswood Road. Bloke came round, knocked on the door and said to my missus that I had sponsored him (some football penalty scoring thing). Wife said that I was upstairs putting the baby to bed and he asked her to go up and get me. I imagine if she had he would have been in and had away with ipods, dig cameras, video cam, laptop etc etc. Anyway - had the cheek to come back 5 mins later saying I owed him a fiver. I told him I did not - he was quite insistent but eventually disappeared. Pretty poor scam I know but I guess it is worth making people aware!

[RosieH]

No bugger ever scams me. I feel quite left out.

although hoipolloi, I did once fall for something similar a few years ago when I lived elsewhere so you have my sympathy (this was a pregnant woman late for hospital appointment) - I don't think it's naivete so much as being caught on the hop and wanting to think the best of people. these days i think everyone's a w*nker and seem not to be parted from my money. I do think I've lost a little bit of my soul though...

[char1ie]

Bless. I'm popping over in a minute. My cousin the deposed African president wonders if you could give him your bank account details and I need ?70 for my sister. She's disabled and I need to take her in a cab for urgent medical treatment.

Charlie

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Another scam has happened to another of my gullible friends.

She was woken at 5 am by a black woman, about 50, wearing a hat, who informed my friend that her father had died in a north London hospital and she required ?38.50 to get her and her brothers to the hospital by taxi. She proffered an out of date passport as proof of her good intention.

My friend fortunately told her to try the police station - only after she had woken up a bit.

[d803cn]

@ Peckhamgatecrasher

The same woman tried this to me about a week ago.

Apparently some random relation of hers had died and for some convoluted reason she needed about ?38 to get a cab to the hospital. She seemed to think that a bank statement with "her" address on it was proof enough for me to find her afterwards and claim the money back - I thought about pointing out that she could have found the bank statement whilst rummaging in someone's bins.

Anyway I told her I couldn't help, but I wish I'd told her to get the bus...

[????]

How long have you been in London? Two minutes?

[dulwichbloke]

She came to my house in The Gardens yesterday evening and tried to pull the same scam about a dead mother at a hospital in North London. It was the same person who appeared a few months ago at five in the morning saying she was locked out and needed money for a locksmith. I pointed this out to her and told her to bugger off which she did but not before offering me ID (right!) nd telling me she lives at No 2A (which she plainly doesn't because I sked her to point out that house and she was very hesitant. I should have called the police, but I don't have much confidence they would show up in time to nab her and I was a little distracted with something else at the time.

If anyone else has this scammer calling, please do me a favour and do what I should have done and chucked a bucket of icy water over her! Thanks.

[hoipolloi]

In answer to ????'s question, 20 years but I'm glad to say it hasn't made me as cynical as some others. Perhaps we should report ourselves to the police for being stupid enough to trust someone?! I just hope that if I am ever in a situation where I genuinely need to rely on the kindness of strangers, I run into someone equally stupid.

[Cassius]

hoipolloi Wrote:

> I just hope that if I am ever in a situation where

> I genuinely need to rely on the kindness of

> strangers, I run into someone equally stupid.

I think this is something that really does worry me - that with so many scams going on and us all trying to be aware and not taken for a ride, there is less scope for genuine cases to be taken seriously. I think I would almost rather be taken for a ride (as long as its not for too much) than to feel that I had left someone who I could have helped in the lurch!

[RosieH]

you're quite right. I was talking nonsense before when I said I'm more cynical these days. some years ago a guy hit me with the line that his mum was being battered by his stepdad, she'd just phoned him and he wanted to get home dead quick in a taxi. he was only after about 4 quid - was very convincing and yet I thought it was probably a scam. But I couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't handed over the cash.

[embellina]

Mr Em got caught by the fluoro jacket man - only for ?5 but that's not the point. The man offered to leave his keys and phone as "security" - but of course banking on the boy saying no (which he obvs did). I think he so used to working at festivals that he trusts everyone in a high-vis vest!

[Huggers]

The woman who says she's been locked out has already been recently successfully prosecuted for fraud- the police took statements from all the people she'd tried it on with on our road -we'd been warned by Bellenden Residents round robin email which actually arrived as she was pressing the doorbells.If it is the same woman didnt take her long to come up with a new modus operandi.

[SteveT]

About time the stocks were brought back, so these rats could show us how the punishment fits the crime.

[Nero]

Has any of the victims notified the police? If not, then please do. It might just help. Nero

[????]

Call me cynical but just some random thoughts...

...is he the only person on the building site?

Has the building site no communication with a central office?

Hasn't he a mobile?

Where was his hard hat?

etc. etc.etc

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Just had the lovely lady whose mother has died on my own doorstep. I must hang my head in shame though, I think I've scared her off and she will be inventing another pitch.

Her: "I need to ask you for help. My mother has died and my brother and sister and me"

Me: "need to get to North London and it will cost ?38.70?"

Her: "Yes. How did you know?" Looks very bemused.

Me: "You've played this scam too often round here." Shuts door.

Only later did I think that I should have called the police, thrown buckets of cold water, etc. It did not warrant a 999 call and though the neighbourhood thingammy number has been posted several times on here, I just didn't think quickly enough. Moral of this is copy the number down and leave it somewhere handy.

[Sandperson]

Damn. What would have been good was if when she said "how did you know?" you replied "Your mother has come to me in visitation. She wants you to see the error of your ways and give all the money back."

[*Bob*]

I'm still waiting for my visit. I'm looking forward to it, I really am.

[Brendan]

Next time this happens to someone. Say that you will be right back. Close the door, go and get your camera. Leave it about 2-5 minutes. Then open the door, quickly take a snap of them and then slam it in their face.

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

The thing is, when it actually happens to you, every good intention goes out of the window. I've replayed how I should have done it so many times. Bit like thinking of a stinging retort several days later!