Anyone Else Experienced a Scam* Like This?
Friday, for the third (maybe fourth) time in the past six months or so, someone came up to me in a gas station and asked for some cash** so he could get back home to the Valley (pretty sure all the others like this guy mentioned the Valley). This fellow said he had used up all his money on anti-freeze for his car and pointed to a white car with the hood up.
His funds exhausted, he needed cash for gas. This guy at least acknowledged the mistake he had made. (“All my fault,” he said–or something similar.)
Now, what caused me to doubt the sincerity of this guy’s plea was not just that I had heard it before, but also the sight of his his well-prepared prop. I mean, if you had filled your car with anti-freeze, wouldn’t you close the hood? And most people dispose of their anti-freeze bottles instead of stacking them neatly in an easily visible spot near the bar holding the hood up. (For display purposes only?)
People tend not to stack such bottles very neatly when done with them. When, on my cross country drive, I filled my car with oil (just west of Oklahoma City), I tossed the bottles aside (before throwing them away).
So, I’m wondering if anybody else experienced such a “scam” and if so, was there more to it than extorting cash from a gullible fellow. I mean, the guy put together a pretty elaborate scheme just to get a few bucks.
——–
*Maybe it’s not a scam, just an odd coincidence.
**Another time three woman approached my car while I was getting in it and asked for money (or maybe a ride) so they could get home to the Valley.
31 Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
No.
Back in my younger, gullible days, I was having trouble with my truck once in the courthouse parking lot. A guy came up and asked what was wrong. I explained the deal and he said I needed X (can’t remember what it was). He told me that we could go to this store across the street and get it. He told me that he had to go in because his friend would give him a discount and for me to give him the money, so I gave him a $20. We walked past the store and turned on another street. He told me that he had to go to his house, nearby, to get something and would meet me at that spot in about 10 minutes. I had figured something was wrong by then, so I just went back to my truck sans $20.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 26, 2010 @ 4:03 am - June 26, 2010
Needless to say and to be on the safe side, I don’t accept help from strangers. Of course these days I have Verizon roadside assistance.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 26, 2010 @ 4:05 am - June 26, 2010
People pull all sorts of similar junk here in Florida. The heat of summer makes their ‘performance’ even more poignant, often; overheated cars, overheated self (from ‘honest labor’ outdoors and needs money for water, Gatorade, etc.) {Where’s the money from your labors?}
But the REALLY good ones??? Have entire little ready-made families as props that they can point toward from their vantage point in gas station or Walmart parking lots where they’re accosting you. I’ve seen everything from children, to dogs, to the elderly and while I’ve only in my younger days given them money…I often see others’ look on in disbelief as the neat little band of ‘not-so-Shakespeare’ players loads up with others’ donations and pulls into a liquor store further up the street or just piles in and hauls ass altogether (completely bypassing the heretofore badly needed gas/service station/mechanic shop).
Comment by rodney — June 26, 2010 @ 7:21 am - June 26, 2010
I don’t usually have trouble like that. It must be my stern visage that says I’m not an easy mark. My son, however, has actually gotten to know the homeless guy who hangs around the Scheetz station at night, and thinks nothing of slipping him a few bucks when he can spare it. (Sigh) You can take the hippie out of Oregon….
Comment by V the K — June 26, 2010 @ 8:52 am - June 26, 2010
And since you bring this up, one thing that strikes me when I’m out west, people always ask for my ID when I use a credit card. Here in the east, if the purchase is small (like >$20) they often don’t even require a signature for it. Is this because my credit card is out-of-state when I’m out west? I am not sure it’s that since Maryland, Virgnia, and Pennsylvania treat it the same way. Even Michigan doesn’t give me any hassle. Or is credit card theft simply that rampant west of the Rockies?
Comment by V the K — June 26, 2010 @ 8:56 am - June 26, 2010
There is a panhandler in my vicinity who holds up a sign that says ” Why lie? I need beer”. Him I’d give money to just for being honest.
Comment by Mary — June 26, 2010 @ 8:59 am - June 26, 2010
When I lived in Dallas a local TV station did a expose on panhandlers. they used a hidden camera and followed one around. What did they discover? That every weekend the “panhandler” would take a gambling bus and go to Shreveport to gamble. During the expose it was revealed that this “down and out” panhandler was making almost $40,000 a year panhandling.
On a lighter I like comment #6 once saw a panhandler who had the same sign stating “Honestly i need beer money…” so I gave him a few bucks for being honest.
Comment by CharlesMartelsGhost — June 26, 2010 @ 9:27 am - June 26, 2010
Florida reporting in. I used to work at a gas station here in the Jacksonville area, and I would see a scam like that about once a month. It’s relatively common, but sometimes they will invite you over to the car and offer some stolen goods in exchange for whatever money you have (a fence). The breakdown line is just a prelude to whatever they have in mind for getting your money away from you. Never buy used electronics.
Comment by robert — June 26, 2010 @ 10:37 am - June 26, 2010
I moved to Houston back in 02. I get a version of it about once/twice a year. “I’ve got a job but it starts tomorrow and I need 3 dollars to feed my child” “I’m over on this side of town and need a couple of dollars for gas for the car”
My current favorite was this winter. Two stout women in a corvette (it was cold that day) rolled up and asked for 5 dollars since the passenger (her daughter) was pregnant and needed it for pre-natal care.
Comment by ksevens — June 26, 2010 @ 11:07 am - June 26, 2010
VtheK, Does you son at least run down old ladies in cross walks just to balance things out?
Yes, here out west they ask for ID with a credit card all the time. Not that it lessens the fraud, I think it’s just a power trip for sales people.
Dan, please don’t give them money, we don’t need them back here in the Valley.
Comment by Leah — June 26, 2010 @ 11:50 am - June 26, 2010
I actually thank the guy at the register for taking the time to make sure I am me.
I try not to give money easily, but people I trust, I’ve no qualms about giving money to if I have it.
Comment by The_Livewire — June 26, 2010 @ 11:57 am - June 26, 2010
VtheK, Does you son at least run down old ladies in cross walks just to balance things out?
No, but apparently at a recent hardcore show he attended, some skinheads were signing people up to join the Klan. He filled out the forms with his friends names.
Comment by V the K — June 26, 2010 @ 12:02 pm - June 26, 2010
I had two obviously underage girls ask me for a ride to LA. (I live in the Central Valley)
I very quickly said “no.”
Both gals were very much skanked out and it didn’t take much imagination to go from “innocent ride” to knife or gun stuck in my face or worse.
Either I look really gullible or I pegged their “perv” meter for some reason.
What really appalled me, though, is that there are guys my age (I’m obviously over 40) who are willing to give such young girls a ride. I say that with a fair amount of confidence, because why else would the girls have approached a guy my age?
Comment by Blake — June 26, 2010 @ 1:22 pm - June 26, 2010
Sounds like forced creativity as an effect of Obamanomics at work.
Comment by patrick — June 26, 2010 @ 2:00 pm - June 26, 2010
Driving east on I40 in Airzona a family with a baby was at a rest stop begging for money so that they could get to Iowa. A week later driving west on I10 I saw the same family at a rest stop again begging for money to get to Iowa. They were apparently moving from one Interstate to another – certainly not getting any closer to Iowa.
Comment by John W — June 26, 2010 @ 3:15 pm - June 26, 2010
Time to fix the economy, hehe! More criminals every day are exploiting the recession. And everyday criminals are getting so desperate and violent. After we fix this terrible economy we can deal with crime/violence issues at the local level.
Daniel, for now, just bring a concealed handgun (w/ permit) and a can of pepper spray wherever you travel. If you know how to do martial arts, that’s even better. And have a fully-charged cellphone with you at all times when in public. You may need it to call for police. Hope that helps.
Comment by Totakikay — June 26, 2010 @ 5:56 pm - June 26, 2010
We ran into one similar in Charleston, SC. This guy had a family for props and cash. He said he needed a water pump or something and showed us the cash he had and he only needed $30 or somesuch more to have the repair done. Of course, all the while the family looked on (nice behavior for the kids to witness).
Comment by Beverly — June 26, 2010 @ 7:03 pm - June 26, 2010
When I lived in Houston, I once saw some HS kids out on FM 1960 & Kuykendahl (busy intersection) with signs stating they needed money for the prom. Thing is, none of the schools in that area are exactly “poor”.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 26, 2010 @ 7:16 pm - June 26, 2010
OT: Now, how many folks, in Houston, do you think can spell “Kuykendahl” without looking it up?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 26, 2010 @ 7:19 pm - June 26, 2010
In Ft Lauderdale now there are a cpl of panhandlers who just have signs scrawled that say…
LOOK I’LL BE HONEST
GIVE ME A BUCK FOR A BEER
and they seem to do even better.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — June 26, 2010 @ 8:58 pm - June 26, 2010
I’ve had the ‘need money for gas/anti-freeze/etc.’ approach several times, though it’s been quite a while since the last time.
Nevertheless, I usually give them money, anyway. I figure it’s a lot more effective transfer of wealth than government welfare.
Comment by bfwebster — June 26, 2010 @ 9:55 pm - June 26, 2010
at’s an oldie to anyone who lived in or around New Orleans.
Instead of the Valley, it was N.O. East, Algiers, Gretna, Slidell, Mandeville, or whatever was just far enough away to make it a bit of a trip. Half the scammers though never had the antifreeze bottles, or just said the left their money at home. Most folks down there know if you were running hot, and you pulled in to cool it off you were not buying anything but just putting straight water in to get home.
The one time I thought the guy might possibly be maybe truthful, I offered to use my card to give him a few gallons of gas,, as his little ecobox would easily make the distance he needed that way, and he turned that down. Said station had hard liquor so I’d bet that is what the money would go for. That is one reason they ask just as you are about to leave.
as an aside about scams…
There used to be one of those “Will Work For Food” guys at Tulane and Carrollton who kept his “work clothes” in the light pole, walk out to the intersection, pull the clothes out of the pole, put the raggy pants and shirt over his clean t-shirt and shorts, and pull out his sign. If you offered him actual work, he’d get indignant. I wonder if/where he moved after Katrina?
Comment by JP — June 27, 2010 @ 1:06 am - June 27, 2010
And an asided aside about homeless guys.
I worked with a rather rough punk who could be a huge pain in the arse.
But.
He would see homeless folks under overpasses and go either make (he was quite the cook) or buy a lunch/dinner from one of the many places around the area (he knew where the best food was as well) and give the people the food, and sit and chat with them while they ate it.
He would be the last person one would expect to do such a thing.
Comment by JP — June 27, 2010 @ 1:21 am - June 27, 2010
Tell ‘em to do it the Wolverine way and piss in the radiator.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — June 27, 2010 @ 5:21 am - June 27, 2010
JP, you just described my son perfectly.
Comment by V the K — June 27, 2010 @ 9:30 am - June 27, 2010
Funny you should post this, Dan. I had a young woman come up to my car at a 7-Eleven the other day begging for cash. This 7-Eleven has gas pumps and she claimed to need gas. She was obviously foreign and spoke pretty good English, but unfortunately lost me with the rush to get her whole spiel out in a very droning fashion. I turned her down by saying I had no cash on me, which that time was actually truthful. A lot of times I have little or no cash on me as I use my debit card mostly since I keep forgetting to go to the ATM. I rarely give cash out to panhandlers, judging each one by their appearance, story and frankly whether they are rude in approaching me. For some reason many like to come up to my car when I’m eating lunch on the run which I find to be very annoying.
Comment by John — June 27, 2010 @ 10:39 am - June 27, 2010
NYC – Penn Station – we used to get the scammers who claim that they were mugged and needed trainfare to get back home; which they usually claim is out on Long Island. I always said that since I’m using a monthly pass I don’t carry any money.
One was so stupid about it he kept asking me every night one week.
Then Sept 11 happened; Penn Station has since been crawling with National Guardsmen and the scammers have all gone.
Comment by Charles — June 27, 2010 @ 8:31 pm - June 27, 2010
Yes, I have run into this scam in a local gas station & a grocery store a few years ago My instincts told something was wrong so I told the people I couldn’t help them.
Comment by Sebastian Shaw — June 28, 2010 @ 3:34 pm - June 28, 2010
Off the interstate to get home, there’s usually a panhandler begging for money during the Spring & sometimes Fall season; I never give them money. One day I saw someone pick up the supposed homeless panhandler to take him home in a very nice pick-up truck.
Comment by Sebastian Shaw — June 28, 2010 @ 3:40 pm - June 28, 2010
I’ll admit I give money when people ask me. Not lots, of course. Maybe a couple of bucks.
If they truly are in need, then I’ve helped someone out.
If not, I’m only out a couple of bucks.
Comment by Bobbie — June 28, 2010 @ 8:46 pm - June 28, 2010
I was approached by a guy last week. He said he had been given bad directions on how to get back to the freeway that would lead him back home and was he out of gas. He pointed to a white pickup truck parked across the street in front of a liquor store (but not at the gas station next door to the liquor store). He said he had seven dollars, but needed three more to buy enough gas to get home. (He was lost, but he knew exactly how much gas it would take to get home?) This was in the Valley, so he said he need to get to Palmdale.
More hard luck details. He had been visiting his grandmother at the hospital where she was recovering from a stroke (or a seizure, he wasn’t quite sure which), which had occurred when she was told that his cousin had been arrested by the police.
I gave him directions to the freeway (in the unlikely event he was really lost). I said if he showed me the seven bucks he already had, I would give him the other three he said he needed. He showed me four dollars. The other three, he said, were back in the truck. Yeah, that made a lot of sense.
All in all, there were more holes in his story than in Swiss cheese. I gave him the three dollars anyway. There was maybe one chance in ten that some part of his story was true, and besides, it was very entertaining. If he applied himself, he might be able to get a career writing fiction.
Comment by dirc — June 29, 2010 @ 2:10 am - June 29, 2010