SCAMMED - lesson learnt :(

timeportal

about 10 years ago my cousin and I were walking down the main street in glasgow centre when a good looking young lady came up to us in tears asking for £1 to get home as she had lost her purse.

Reached into my pocket, handed over £1 with a few kind words of encouragement to cheer her up and off she went. mentioned to my cousin that I wondered how many more people she'd try that on before going home and assuming its a scam, how much do we recon she made in a single night? but it was only a quid so no biggie for me.

Following night, same street, same girl, same tears. As I reached into my pocket to give her another pound (I did mention she was good looking didnt I?) I said "damn your luck hunny, 2 purses in 2 nights!" She swiftly moved on without a second glance and didnt take my offered pound

Azari

The last time this happened to me it was a woman who said she had driven to where we were but had had too much to drink to drive and needed the bus fare home.

I didn't believe her but, as she only wanted £2.50 I gave it to her, telling her it was because hers was the best story I'd heard, encouraging people, as it did, to help someone who was trying to act responsibly.

adindas

Normally if I am in this situation and I really want to help people in need, I will buy him the ticket directly from the ticket machine.

DiiFMaritime wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I have been scammed:mad:

At Manchester Piccadilly Rail Station today, a guy came up to me and said he left his bag on the bus and can't find it and need to get back to Birmingham but has no money. He needed £12.50 to get home. He said I could take his coat in exchange for the money and also he will give me his email address. Me being naive thought I would help him out, so I gave him £20 and he gave me his email address and he walked off swiftly but not towards the ticket machines!! By the time I realised, he was out of my sight. Obviously his email address is a fake one.

Sigh, trying to do a good deed but turned out to be scammed!! Really upsetting:(:(:(

aloise

Not all are scams, some are genuine. My grandson was stuck at a railway station when he bought a train saver. he was still at the ticket office when he rubbed out the proper date and did it for the day before. He tried to exchange it, (he had never left the ticket office ) but the man there refused to help. He was 14 at the time. He was very distressed as he was quite a way from home, to far for us to pick him up. A lady seeing him asked what the trouble was an immediatly gave him enough money fo another ticket with some over for a cuppa, her words.
This happened in Liverpool.
I would always err on the side of maybe it's genuine. But what a lovely person you are to want to help.

Dave101t

difference between someone polite in a ticket office and a scrote saying 'giz a tenner'.

DVardysShadow

DiiFMaritime wrote: »

... He said I could take his coat in exchange for the money and also he will give me his email address.

Now you have received a stolen coat.

soolin

I work in Central lOndon and if I erred on the side of caution and gave money to every beggar that asked I would be bankrupt.

It's either 'I need £10 for a phone call to phone 'home' or 'holiday destination' as my mother has been in a serious accident in (insert any country), or the latest one is I am on medication and need money to buy water and food to take my medicine (told him to go to the local Boots who could at least help with water- and he swore at me).

A fairly good one was a young girl who desperately needed money to get a cab as she had her purse stolen and needed to get to Gt Ormond Street to see her sick baby (she was about 6 minutes walk away at the time incidentally). She hadn't noticed the Police officer on the bike nearby and said she didn't have time with talking to the police and if her baby died it was my fault- but I flagged the officer down anyway but she had run off when he stopped.

Police officer said he spends half his day warning tourists not to fall for these scams, he reckoned most were wanting money for drugs, especially the better dressed ones. He thought it a bit funny though that the scammer had targetted a Londoner on this occasion as they rarely went for anyone other than a tourist.

catlad

i was scammed way back in 1997 a man came up to me and ask if i could change a 10pound note i had 10pound coins and he just went behind a house and never came back i was vulnerable in them days

arcon5

I was with a friend once walking past a bus stop with a man in a wheel chair and a friend.
"Excuse me please guys, we're waiting for a bus to [some town] and short of £1.50. Any chance you can help me and my disabled friend get home?"

"Sorry, can't help." We was very suspicious.

"But i'm bloody disabled and can't walk!"

So we resumed walking to hear shouting "YOU SELFISH ********. I HAVE A GOOD MIND TO SMACK YOU! I SAID I WAS DISABLED!"

We turned around and he was out of his wheel chair heading towards us in a very agressive manner :eek:

These things are all too common where I live..
"I have to catch a bus to Skegness" @ 11PM
"I need to get to the Hospital" which is a 4-5 minute walk away
ect
ect

The people doing this are not convincing, look like a mess and usually have a bottle with them.... so it's preety obvious they are not genuine, before somebody says 'what if they are...'.

And if you suspect somebody are genuine then ask them questions... they'll either get flustered and contradicting themself or walk away.
Even if you do then get it wrong and give a con your money.. atleast you made them work for it .

RichGold

A few months ago I was filling up my van at a Filling station on the A43, when a woman filling her car on the next pump walked over to me and told me that she had forgotten her purse and was on her way to a funeral.

She was Irish, and her kids were done up like dogs dinners, in plastic tiara's and pink dresses.

I told her point blank that I wouldn't be paying for her fuel, and then asked her how many times a week she pulled this stunt?

She just looked at me disgusted and walked off, trying every other bloke on the forecourt before making he way inside to pay. I have no idea if she managed to get money out of anyone, but she certainly wasn't having mine.