S/O Beggars, Moochers and Scammers

[Elfmama]

Story in the news this week that a woman gave $8000 to a stranger for some diamonds, to be used as collateral. The diamonds turned out to be glass. Now Woman A has gone to the media, asking for help identifying the con artist to get her money back because her husband is out of work and she and her children need this money.

The transaction occurred at a mall with multiple jewellers.

A lot of people are accusing Woman A of collaboration with Woman B in order to get the kind hearted public to give her money to replace the funds she may have had swindled from her.

I agree.  If they need the money so bad, why the ehell was she off buying diamonds from some guy at the mall?      I get that gems can be an investment but that just doesn't seem like a wise expenditure during hard times.

Diamonds are a TERRIBLE investment, if you pay jewelry store prices for them.  They're marked up anywhere from 300% to 1000%.  I know a young woman who tried to sell her diamond engagement ring back to the jewelry store after her divorce.  Her XH paid around $2500 for the set.  She was offered $60.  No, I didn't leave off a zero.  Sixty dollars.

[mechtilde]

At some point in the 19th century one of my ancestors bought some dodgy and not entirely legal "diamonds"- my parents still have them in a small bone pot with "Live in Hope" on the lid. Whatever they are, they certainly aren't diamonds...

There's nothing new.

I've been approached by someone in the street offering me a "gold" chain. Yeah. Right. That's either going to be stolen, fake or real and about to be switched for a fake.

[Zenith]

The price of retail diamonds make me laugh, especially when I see larger certified gems/diamonds 2/3 to 1/2 cheaper at a pawn shop.

[Kaora]

Given, it [Death Valley] is a really gorgeous place. I go yearly in winter, when it's cool.  Enough hot days here...

We certainly thought so.  It was fascinating!

I think my favorite places are the Devil's Paintbrush and Badwater. Once had lunch at Badwater with my dad and sister, spent the entire time poking fun at the sea level sign.

On topic...

I was out yesterday with my BF, and he was going to pickup some medication I needed.  Coming out of the Albertsons, we got stopped AGAIN by the same beggar I mentioned earlier.  We were in the Jeep, and, bam, there's this guy stepping infront of the car and we have to stop.  He comes up and says he needs money until Monday, blahblah, and BF told him truthfully that he didn't have any money; I was the one with it.

We're wondering, if the same guy tries this again, a likely at this point, is it etiquettely okay to start telling him he's tried this on us before, and didn't we just see him last week?

[Debbie506]

My boss (a lawyer) got caught in a scam about 10 years ago.  I was on vacation, a temp was filling in secretarial duties.  She got a weird feeling one morning and went into boss's office and found a well-dressed gentleman in there (boss was in court).  Our office set-up is a bit odd (very old building) so it is not completely strange that someone could walk into boss's office without going through secretary - especially if boss left his door unlocked, which he did all the time.  At any rate, she told Mr. X that boss was in court, come back later.

About two weeks later, boss got word  that his bank accounts had been drained.  Apparently, the scam worked as follows:  Mr.X visited my boss's office and another lawyer's office or two (trust accounts, you know!) and stole trust cheques (not from the top of the deck, but in the middle, so the theft wasn't obvious for a week or two).  Then he and his accomplices visited a number of rural mailboxes and stole some check reorders from ordinary citizens.

So, Mr.X lines up in bank, makes deposit to boss's bank account with cheques from lawyer #2 and ordinary citizens (maybe $2,000 or so). Then Mr.X says "holy smokes, I forgot I need $500 for XYZ"...  as the teller just saw him deposit $2,000, she gives him the money.  Rinse and repeat for each account...

My boss is still really bad about leaving his office door unlocked...

[weeblewobble]

Did anyone else catch the Dr. Phil episode last week in which a grown son took his single mother to Dr. Phil for an intervention re: her "boyfriend" Danny, a supposedly British man who supposedly worked in South Africa.  She'd sent him more than $187,000 including money that she'd gained through selling off property, inheritance, and straight up taking from her relatives.  And yet, somehow, he just couldn't manage to make it out of South Africa to meet her in person.  In fact, he needed another $150,000 from her so she could access $6 million of his funds that he had supposedly set aside for her.  The bank required some sort of surety to secure the account, he claimed.  She was just convinced that Dr. Phil was going to help her find a way to get this extra $150,000, because that would mean Danny would come see her and that would make everything ok. 

She adamantly refused to believe him when he told her that a bank wouldn't require her to secure an account with her name on it. She refused to think about the logical questions such as: Why would a man with $6 million need her to send him money so he could travel to see her?  Why didn't he just reduce the money he'd supposedly put in her name by $150,000 and secure the account for her?  Why did Danny change his mind at the last minute re: appearing on the Dr. Phil show and then not answer the phone so Dr. Phil could talk to him on the air?

Every time Dr. Phil posed a perfectly logical question, she would say, "You just don't understand."  It got so frustrating, I had to change the channel.  I felt so sorry for her son.

[White Dragon]

I couldn't think of any tales for this thread, and the last week I had *three* in one day!

Scam #1 was someone who said "Someone from our number had called her but she wasn't sure who, but that it was probably our shop foreman."
The first part was understandable, happens a lot since only our main # shows on caller display.
The second part...well, we are strictly an office. No shop foreman here.
"If you can tell me what project this relates to, or what you need to accomplish I can get you to the right person."
A little bit more back and forth and she wants to talk to whoever is in charge of our maintenance.
"Sorry, all maintenance is already comtracted."

She actually sounded surprised that we have a - gasp- maintenance contract! Good bye!

Scam #2 was a FAX asking for my help in releasing 54 million $ in development funds from the "late president of Libya, who is now deceased." (One would think so, as he is the late president. Unless he's chronically tardy?)

So I guess I'm a bad person for not doing more to get those development funds freed up!

Scam #3 was someone from a call center who said they were with (unclearly mumbled company) and were we (not quite our company name). I simply asked them to put us on the do not call list.

[Twik]

Story in the news this week that a woman gave $8000 to a stranger for some diamonds, to be used as collateral. The diamonds turned out to be glass. Now Woman A has gone to the media, asking for help identifying the con artist to get her money back because her husband is out of work and she and her children need this money.

The transaction occurred at a mall with multiple jewellers.

A lot of people are accusing Woman A of collaboration with Woman B in order to get the kind hearted public to give her money to replace the funds she may have had swindled from her.

I agree.  If they need the money so bad, why the ehell was she off buying diamonds from some guy at the mall?      I get that gems can be an investment but that just doesn't seem like a wise expenditure during hard times.

She probably wasn't buying them, due to the comment about "collateral". It sounds like what I believe was called the "pigeon drop" at one time. Swindler announces she's found some diamonds. If they're not claimed within X days, she'll be able to keep them. But, alas, she has to rush to a vital appointment or something. Could Woman A hold them until she gets back? As a reward, Swindler will split to proceeds later on. But, just to ensure trust, Woman A should put up some money to Swindler - that's fair, right, since she's holding the valuable diamonds and could abscond with them, leaving Swindler with nothing? Then Swindler walks off with the "deposit", and Woman A is left with some glass chips.

It sounds ridiculous when written out, but a fast talking con artist can do well with it, I've heard.

[Outdoor Girl]

I got an email today that my computer marked as spam.  Somebody's address book got hacked and it was sent to a bunch of people.  But it did give me a bit of a start, since the person it came from is someone I cut off about 5 years ago.  (It was more of a mutual cut, really.)

[Slartibartfast]

Story in the news this week that a woman gave $8000 to a stranger for some diamonds, to be used as collateral. The diamonds turned out to be glass. Now Woman A has gone to the media, asking for help identifying the con artist to get her money back because her husband is out of work and she and her children need this money.

The transaction occurred at a mall with multiple jewellers.

A lot of people are accusing Woman A of collaboration with Woman B in order to get the kind hearted public to give her money to replace the funds she may have had swindled from her.

I agree.  If they need the money so bad, why the ehell was she off buying diamonds from some guy at the mall?      I get that gems can be an investment but that just doesn't seem like a wise expenditure during hard times.

She probably wasn't buying them, due to the comment about "collateral". It sounds like what I believe was called the "pigeon drop" at one time. Swindler announces she's found some diamonds. If they're not claimed within X days, she'll be able to keep them. But, alas, she has to rush to a vital appointment or something. Could Woman A hold them until she gets back? As a reward, Swindler will split to proceeds later on. But, just to ensure trust, Woman A should put up some money to Swindler - that's fair, right, since she's holding the valuable diamonds and could abscond with them, leaving Swindler with nothing? Then Swindler walks off with the "deposit", and Woman A is left with some glass chips.

It sounds ridiculous when written out, but a fast talking con artist can do well with it, I've heard.

I hear this is still pretty common in Las Vegas with casino chips - the con artist catches tourists on the sidewalk and says they have this handful of high-value casino chips to cash in, but they're not able to go into the casino themselves for various reasons, so would the tourist be willing to cash them?  And of course to leave their wallet/watch/etc as collateral?  The chips turn out to be counterfeit, the tourist gets stuck for passing counterfeit chips, and the con artist makes off with the tourist's money and valuables.

[Piratelvr1121]

Last week my friend texted me saying "Since when do you play Farmville on Fbook?" I texted back saying I don't, haven't for years cause I got sick and tired of fbook games and how you can do a darned thing unless you invite more friends to play.  Typical pyramid scheme sort of thing only in game form.

She said "Well Fbook is saying you just played yesterday!"  I went back online and sure enough, fbook had logged me in as playing that day.  I knew DH had been on my laptop earlier that day but he was signed into his account, not mine. 

I figure it was a scam to try and get people to play by saying "Your friend just played this game, why don't you play too!" even though I hadn't played that game in over 3 years.

Only game I play is "You Don't Know Jack" and just cause it's fun. I don't invite anyone to play.

[Wulfie]

I am managing two different apartment complexes right now due to another manager being out on leave. I have had this now at each complex so I know scammers are at work on a scam so old it should be drawing Social Security!

They call from a blocked phone number and ask for the model of the copier.  I asked him who he was from, at the first complex he said he was from "your copier supply company" when I said if he really was from them, then he would know the model of our copier already. He then told me to "Shut up you (C word)" the second time he went right to the profanity the second I asked who he was from.    Gotta love the idiots out there.

[MrTango]

I am managing two different apartment complexes right now due to another manager being out on leave. I have had this now at each complex so I know scammers are at work on a scam so old it should be drawing Social Security!

They call from a blocked phone number and ask for the model of the copier.  I asked him who he was from, at the first complex he said he was from "your copier supply company" when I said if he really was from them, then he would know the model of our copier already. He then told me to "Shut up you (C word)" the second time he went right to the profanity the second I asked who he was from.    Gotta love the idiots out there.

I've gotten that a couple of times.  If I'm in a bad mood, I just get off the phone as quickly as possible.  If I'm in a good mood, I say we have a "Corellian YT-1300 Stock Light" copier with an "Incom T-65" paper tray.

[Doll Fiend]

Story in the news this week that a woman gave $8000 to a stranger for some diamonds, to be used as collateral. The diamonds turned out to be glass. Now Woman A has gone to the media, asking for help identifying the con artist to get her money back because her husband is out of work and she and her children need this money.

The transaction occurred at a mall with multiple jewellers.

A lot of people are accusing Woman A of collaboration with Woman B in order to get the kind hearted public to give her money to replace the funds she may have had swindled from her.

I agree.  If they need the money so bad, why the ehell was she off buying diamonds from some guy at the mall?      I get that gems can be an investment but that just doesn't seem like a wise expenditure during hard times.

She probably wasn't buying them, due to the comment about "collateral". It sounds like what I believe was called the "pigeon drop" at one time. Swindler announces she's found some diamonds. If they're not claimed within X days, she'll be able to keep them. But, alas, she has to rush to a vital appointment or something. Could Woman A hold them until she gets back? As a reward, Swindler will split to proceeds later on. But, just to ensure trust, Woman A should put up some money to Swindler - that's fair, right, since she's holding the valuable diamonds and could abscond with them, leaving Swindler with nothing? Then Swindler walks off with the "deposit", and Woman A is left with some glass chips.

It sounds ridiculous when written out, but a fast talking con artist can do well with it, I've heard.

I hear this is still pretty common in Las Vegas with casino chips - the con artist catches tourists on the sidewalk and says they have this handful of high-value casino chips to cash in, but they're not able to go into the casino themselves for various reasons, so would the tourist be willing to cash them?  And of course to leave their wallet/watch/etc as collateral?  The chips turn out to be counterfeit, the tourist gets stuck for passing counterfeit chips, and the con artist makes off with the tourist's money and valuables.

Isn't there a CSI episode about that?

[Iris]

I am managing two different apartment complexes right now due to another manager being out on leave. I have had this now at each complex so I know scammers are at work on a scam so old it should be drawing Social Security!

They call from a blocked phone number and ask for the model of the copier.  I asked him who he was from, at the first complex he said he was from "your copier supply company" when I said if he really was from them, then he would know the model of our copier already. He then told me to "Shut up you (C word)" the second time he went right to the profanity the second I asked who he was from.    Gotta love the idiots out there.

I've gotten that a couple of times.  If I'm in a bad mood, I just get off the phone as quickly as possible.  If I'm in a good mood, I say we have a "Corellian YT-1300 Stock Light" copier with an "Incom T-65" paper tray.

Maybe I'm being obtuse, but why do they want to know the model of your copier? Is it to get information to set up a future scam?