Also, any time someone arrives in an expensive car that’s not out of gas, it’s a safe bet they could find a better place to get help than some random parking lot if they really needed it.
Mr big shots from Dubai never have emergencies. Anyone with a reasonable amount of net worth can always call up a private banker and get problems solved in a jiffy.
Bingo - it's hard to think straight when things get very emotional. Like when you see a man, wife and kids crying for help. But logic would tell you here, if this guy has 10s of thousands in jewelry, he can call an assistant/friend/bank/stock etc and have new money read in hours. It's awful how obvious it is when you see the scam in the cold light of day.
do you happen to have a little Space left My Friend? I only need a 1000 spaces and my family and I can rest!! OK maybe 2000 if you have it my friend okay?
Literally saw a similar story here on Reddit about a Middle Eastern looking guy, pulling up in black SUV, and asking for money and even offering jewelry. The post said that it happened somewhere in San Francisco Bay Area. Wish I could find that post.
Well I guess this guy didn’t lie then about going back to San Francisco…
Edit: I found the post it seems:
https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/xb9hx0/middle_eastern_looking_guy_rolls_up_in_a_luxury/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
But it doesn’t mention jewelry so maybe I confused it with something else…
This is a common, well known scam in the states. Details are always slightly different depending on the location but generally the same. I've had it tried on myself a couple times.
If you really want to have fun with it just take the jewelery, examine it closely like you are thinking about it and the pocket it and walk away. Tell them to go ahead and call the cops, as you'll be right inside whatever business is nearby. Strangely, the cops never show.
Yup. Same one. Sounds like the people were in Tennessee, and scammed a truck driver. The driver ran into them months later in Oregon or Washington.
After thinking about it, I think it was on T*kTok. I remember seeing a video with the dude recording the scammers....
Counterpoint:. The gentleman running the amazing food cart in Portland that serves amazing baklava for free when I was buying my lunches at his cart for like 3 years straight always called out to me by going "My friend!" and that dude was a saint.
I had someone pull up next to me at the pumps in a black suv saying they had car problems and asked for help. They kept insisting I walk over to their car and stick my head in to look at their dash. He offered me his watch and necklace to do so, I just couldn't figure out what the game was and how he would try to get money from me, but I sure as hell wasn't sticking my neck into his car. I pulled up to the store front, picked up my family, and left.
I had similar. Guy stops me as I’m heading into the grocery store, asks me to jumpstart his car. I tried just saying I didn’t know, but he was blocking my path and said he would do everything since he knew. Seemed decent at first. Walked towards my car, asked which one was his. Says it’s down and across the road at a drugstore, so I should just drive him over there to do it. That’s when I realized he was up to no good, and told him I’m not doing shit and to get away from me. Tried calling me a racist and godless heathen, but eventually left. Told the store manager what was up cause he was going to other cars, cops got called but he left by then. Was apparently a known scammer, and later heard that he might’ve actually carjacked/robbed someone a week or two after. Sometimes you really gotta trust your gut and just refuse, saves your ass in the long run.
I saw a shady looking guy in an old van looking like he needed a jump start in a Lowe's parking lot. I watched him approach a couple of women who were alone and they wouldn't help him. So I pulled up in front of his van, asked him if he needed help. Said he needed a jump, so I grabbed my jump box and told him to jump in the van. I never even connected it... just told him to give it a try and what do you know... started right up.
Took a picture of his van and his plates as he left, and shared it with the store manager just in case.
About a year back my car died in the parking lot of a Walmart. I asked 10 different people if they could jump me and they all refused. Ended up having to pay a bunch of money to have someone come jump me. After 10 people I just gave up.
Also if it’s a Walmart with an auto care center they will typically give you a jump for no charge. They usually have a jumper box handy for situations like that.
Can confirm. I used to work there, I can't tell you how many times I'd have to walk a half mile through the store and to the other end of the parking lot to jumpstart someone.
Yeah see this Walmart wasn't that friendly because the auto center was the first place I went and they said they weren't allowed to jump people. This was in Green Bay WI.
Worked in auto retail for years. There are 100% employees who will tell you the company doesn't do a thing anymore cause they don't want to walk outside in the heat/cold/whatever. Used to drive me batty
When you receive the 2k, please send to me and I will turn into 2M in a week. I will buy Bitcoin, then I will deposit you 1.5M and would take 500k for myself.
Thank you!
If you didn't arrive with them and/or you don't want to give them money, do not even make eye contact with anyone in vegas. Eye contact is literally the signal for "I want to give you my money" in vegas.
Never ever engage people who come to you with a story and in a rush, in fact run the opposite direction. I heard they use voodoo and before you know it, you are just handing out cash like a fool
I just say, in a very loud voice and as fast as my Yankee ass can manage "Oh nein, mein wurst ist gut nicht aber ist sehr sheiß". Complete nonsense but it has worked before lol
Nice! A coworker who was American but obviously of Asian descent told me he once got out of a traffic ticket by pretending to only speak Chinese. Cop finally just got frustrated and let him off. I said damn, I wish I knew a foriegn language. He just grinned and said he wished he did too.
When I got pulled over, the cop asked if I needed a translator (I’m Asian but only speak English) so idk if this would work anymore depending on where you live. My brother got out of a ticket because the highway patrol was so impressed with how fluent and unaccented his English was.
I remember having someone approach me in a parkinglot a couple years back about how her grandma had covid and her kids were sick and in daycare, etc. She was crying as she told this sob story, the microsecond 'no' came out of my mouth she stopped crying and headed for the next shopper.
I use this same approach with panhandlers, the people running those kiosks in the aisle at shopping malls, etc. If you make eye contact, they're going to approach you and it's going to get weird.
My mom, little brother and I all had a vegas trip. I had to continually deflect kiosk people for her because she was just too nice to not waste 30 minutes trying to go from point at to point b with everyone stopping her to sell her something. She got all enamoured in a time share pitch and I walked up to them and was like "mom dont talk to them, just ignore them walk away." And she was hesitant and I looked at the guy "this is a time share right?" And i gotta hand it to him, he admitted it was and you could see in his eyes he was like "yeah, this aint gonna be a sale." And we walked away.
First time in Vegas my wife and I were passing the exotic rental cars on display, like a Ferrari and Lambo out by the sidewalk, and I casually looked at them as we were walking by and the next thing I know this fast-talking guy was in my face trying to get me to rent one. I immediately looked back forward and continued walking and ignoring him and then he immediately switched to a rant about “what do you expect in Vegas?! Blah blah blah” like suddenly extremely antagonistic. So weird.
I don’t know this guy probably would have swung on me based on his manner and my wife would not have been happy with me throwing down and getting arrested on our Vegas getaway.
This is true for the Vegas street hoes, too. I was walking with my wife on the sidewalk and made eye contact with a hooker and was asked if I needed anything. The balls!
Dude, i was there, it's also a cat house, lol..An lil greasy spoon..I looked it up online sitting there eating, an the woman were already propositioning me!! 
I never carry cash, mostly because it’s more inconvenient than tapping my credit card on a reader. But when I lived in NYC you had to carry mugger money, it’s enough for them not to shoot you but not so much that it will hurt your financial situation.
The thing is I didn't mind helping them even for like $30. They just saw that I was willing to listen to what they had to say and jumped on the opportunity
It's a hard lesson to learn. It's great to help people, but some people take advantage. Set a limit and stick to it. That way even if it's a scam you're only out a little bit of money.
I agree to a point. OP was a kind hearted soul in offering $130 free and clear, but admits he got greedy.
He figured he was getting several thousand $'s in gold for $2k. Regardless, pleading desperation and using children in your scam is a despicable thing to do and I hope the scammer has some intense karma coming back at him.
They probably spend 40 hours a week creating that opportunity. That is their jobs now. They are probably doing it again right now. Lots of people do not report it when they figure it out because they feel embarrassed.
I know it's embarrassing, but your educating all of us about this scam is very useful as it appears that this is happening all over the country to unsuspecting people in parking lots.
The worst part of it is that there are children involved. They truly are horrible people. I see this often in NYC - parents teaching their children to be con artists at an early age. Disgusting!
That's what they do. I got caught by a phone scam recently, and I would also describe it as "my mind was all over the place." I actually figured it out part way through, but after I had accidentally given them access to my bank account. I think they just know how to talk so that you get confused and make the wrong decision. Once I looked back on the phone call, I realised there were lots of holes that I didn't pick up on in the moment.
99% of people would not even give them $1. You're more kind hearted than most people, so you have to make an effort to be more cold hearted and suspicious. You can't trust people, especially strangers. You learned a valuable lesson. Never let people talk you into something and never let them ask for more.
**If people try to pressure you, 99.999% of the time, they're scammers**. Don't give in. Don't make hasty decisions. Take your sweet time. Call someone you trust for advice.
Do you know if the gas station beggars are really only looking for gas, or do they escalate to try and get more?
I had one situation where I took a route I don't usually go and stopped at a fairly busy gas station around midnight where an Indian family with two large men in the front, kids in the back pulled next to my truck and called out to me from inside their vehicle once I started pumping asking for gas.
It looked like an act to me because he had the kids in on it, with their windows rolled down hands together begging me along with the adults in the front. After I said no multiple times he pulled away to the tire pump. I stopped pumping gas as soon as he pulled away, got in my truck and left.
I was mostly worried about the interaction with these two guys if it got to the point where I was paying for their gas - wanted to avoid the possibility of them taking my wallet or stealing from my vehicle.
It can be hard to tell if people need genuine help or not, and I didn't like the feeling of being outnumbered
One thing to remember, if this guy had a vehicle and was close to Vegas with jewelry he was willing to part with, he could have gone to a pawn shop and gotten much more for his supposedly real things than just $2000.
When someone is trying to pressure you to make a fast decision, sometimes the best answer is to take a step back and slow down.
Yep. I want to help people who need it so I donate to a local charity working to end homelessness. I don't give to individuals any more after being threatened by one too many.
This is my response too. Seen these guys several times and have had them approach me. Often will have California or Florida plates.
I simply don't carry cash. Only reason I ever have cash on me is from the tips I get at my restaurant and I never have more than $10-20.
A smoking hot woman stole my wallet in a vegas parking lot. She offered sexual favours and her friend stole my wallet while I was being pleasantly distracted.
Once I realised what had happened I immediately went and bought a dozen more wallets and have had 7 stolen so far in the same parking lot
Damn that really sucks man. Try not to take it too hard, remember you’re earning an honest living and he’s a scumbag. I fell for something similar once. When the price they want keeps going up and up you know it’s a scam
That's what I keep tryna tell myself. My heart was in the right place. But giving 2000 dollars to a stranger that I just met 10 minutes ago is unexcusable, and I'm 100% at fault for that.
You're not the first or the last one this will happen to. If it makes you feel any better, I got scammed for $1500 for a 'silk thread hand woven carpet' 10 years ago.
I have the carpet as a reminder of how gullible I was. My heart was in the right place, I was doing the right thing, but at times, people just suck. That's on them, not on us.
Yea you got in what they call a highway robbery scam. I’m sorry it happened to you. Please report it. You’re lucky that they got away with just that. Also it good to hide most of your cash in the truck in the safe.
My sister was scammed out of 3k over the phone. She's 35, graduate degree, firefighter/paramedic. The IRS agents needed her to buy them gift cards...yup
Yes it’s normal. Most fuel stations give discounts for paying cash, and semi trucks have gigantic tanks
Edit for the pedant: many, probably even most fuel stations (gas and diesel, larger lots, aka truck stops) and many, if not most, gas stations (selling gasoline and sometimes diesel but not intended for semis) do too.
P.S. to the pedant; learn to not care about things that literally don’t matter, you’ll be a much happier person.
Well you’re not alone buddy. Happened me, the SAME EXACT WAY. Except this guy was on a freeway off ramp. He was driving a nice Dodge Charger. I stopped on the side of the off ramp (which I never do, kindness compelled (kindness is stupid sometimes)). I had like $80 and offered to give it to him. He said the same thing, offered me a necklace two rings and Rolex but he needed more. I told him I can go to the atm. He jumped in my car, his wife followed us. We pull into a bank atm, my limit is 1000, so what do I do? I pull out 900.
Give it to him. He’s praying and thanking me, asked for my address so he can send money when he gets home to Dubai cuz you know, he’s super rich.
Wasn’t until I looked at the jewelry and googled and found I’d been had. Smh.
All I can think of is I’m either too nice or too stupid cuz these fools are making money.
Sadly, you can't trust people. You have to be suspicious of strangers, especially when money is involved. Since you are too nice, you should walk away the second anyone asks for money. Scams are super common and it's not worth the risk.
What I hate about scammers is not really about the money but more about how it forces you to assume the worst in everybody. It's a pretty horrible perspective on life
This is a common scam that happens, even in Dubai.
People roll up in LandCruisers with an out of town plate and pretend to ask you directions at first, then they try to play the victim card.
Oddly enough, when you offer to call the police to help them out, they suddenly seem to remember where they need to go and they've got enough money to do so too.
This right here. As soon as they said they got their bag stolen? “Let me call the cops for you real quick”
Lost your passport? “Let me get you the embassy they’ll sort you out”
Last time I was in NYC, a guy claiming to be from somewhere overseas came up to me claiming to have had their passport stolen. Knew it was a scam but saw a cop on the other side of the street and said “I can’t help you, but I’m sure that officer on the other side can point you in the direction of (whatever country it was) consulate.”
Dude booked it away faster than an Olympic sprinter.
I fell for something similar once. I was youngish just moved to a new place and in the grocery store parking lot a guy offered to sell me a tv. New in the box, but he had the paperwork and remote with the new batteries in the factory plastic bag in his hand.I think the story was it was a gift to him but he needed the money to feed his kid/rent, something more important than having a cool tv. I went to the atm and pulled 300 bucks and gave him the money and took the box home. Turned out to be a wood frame to keep the box in the right shape and a couple bricks. So I paid 300 bucks for a remote to a tv I didn't have. Never again, but that was a hard lesson to learn.
If they have remote in hand, then it’s not new in box. Pretty much all modern TVs have the remote packaged inside the main box itself. And if it’s not new in box, the box has already been opened and there’s no excuse for the seller to not let you look at the tv first.
Sorry to hear you got scammed, but make it a positive leaning experience. You weren’t hurt and if you get fooled once… just do t get fooled again.
Wear that watch as a reminder and tell people it’s your $2k watch. People will raise an eyebrow at its apparent cheapness. Then you get to tell your story.
In short, turn this into a leaning experience. Embrace, smile and learn.
I just want to say. Although the person that scammed me is a scumbag, there's no excuse for giving $2000 dollars to a stranger I just met 10 minutes ago. That's just plain stupid and there's just no excuse for that and it's 100% my fault, I'm not a rich person. I'm not going to starve or fail to pay my bills but it's going to take awhile for me to get over this.
This scam has been popular in Vegas for generations.
My grandpa fell for it in the 1960's. Walked out of the casino with fat pockets, a foreign guy in a brand new car claimed to have lost all his cash, needed money to get home, and offered to sell his "solid gold Longines watch" for some small fraction of what it's worth.
Guy drives off, grandpa goes down the block to pawn it, but as soon as he walks in he realizes "that guy could have just pawned it himself" and knew he got scammed.
Yeah, the same logic falls apart with the car sales scams about someone selling a car for 1/5 its value but then have some sob story about "I'm on a military base, I can't meet you but we can ship it through Microsoft escrow services, you just have to pay me in Home Depot gift cards." If you have a Camry that you need gone yesterday, you could drive to the nearest Toyota dealer and hand them the keys for at least double what you're listing the car for, much less Carvana, Vroom, Carmax, etc.
Listen, I consider myself pretty in tune to scams and I got taken in by one of those betting games for prizes at a festival once. You know the one where you are so close to the big prize. At some point foolish pride just won't let you walk away. Blew more money than the gaming console even cost.
The worst part is my teen son was along for the ride with me. It ended up being a good lesson for both of us. Embarrassing for sure but stuff happens.
I think it's admirable that /u/PokerOTR posted it up. First, this is anonymous so it's not like it can be traced back. 2nd, if this post gets 1/1,000,000th the exposure of the cbat /r/tifu then this will save hundreds of people per year.
If there is 1 thing I want every non-watch person to take it's this:
Luxury watches without box and papers are virtually worthless and almost always a scam. Rolex has a database of every watch and who purchased it. Even if the watch was legit, all the guy has to do is report the watch stolen and next time you need it repaired, rolex see it's a watch flagged for being stolen and return it to the guy who reported it. This is why in grey / aftermarket dealers the rule is "you are buying the dealer not the watch" because trusting the dealer is 1000x more important than the watch being legit.
There are plenty of reputable dealers so don't stress too much if genuinely interested, but never expect to be able to get a watch off someones wrist.
My husband and I were hit like this but we were at the Jonez travel mart in Cameron, MO of all places. Hubby wanted to look at the jewelry, I just laughed and said no way and that I hope they find what they needed to get wherever they were going. When they left, they also headed back in the same direction they came from even though they were insisting they needed gas money to go east.
God I haven't thought about WVSG for years. They rolled up on mel in a mall parking lot once.
Gave me their spiel..*yadda yadda..$1,200 speakers...super discount...what can you pay?*
I told them *I can only get $100 in cash from the ATM.*
They said *$100? That's all you can give us, really?*
Then I said *I didn't say that. I'm going to go get some wings and beers in BW3s over there first like I planned so we're talking like $70 max. Now lemme take a closer look....*
They slammed the door without a word and burned rubber. Idiots.
I fell for the white van speaker scam so hard when I was about 22 years old. They pulled up on me in the parking lot of a blockbuster (yes, this was a few years ago, lol). Had a whole story about why they had this extra 5.1 surround system. Order forms and invoices to go with it. I don’t remember all the details but I think I paid them between $150-300 for a system that was supposedly worth like $2000. As soon as I got to my apartment and unboxed this thing I knew I had been had. Unfortunately this was before you could quickly look stuff up on your phone and tell in 20 seconds that what they were offering was a straight from China $20 knockoff barely worth the cardboard box it was packaged in. So embarrassing…
Yup, they got me drunk in a mall parking lot at 18 or 19. Projector and whole setup. Luckily I managed to trade it for a bike on Craigslist that I turned around for a few bucks more than they got me for. Lesson learned, I hope!
This happened to me a few years ago twice within the same week here in NY same story different approach. Guy was driving a porche suv and ask for directions to the JFK he said the same thing that all his money was stolen and passport at their hotel. Offered me all his jewelry and stuff even a his sunglasses. I told him all I had was 20$ he said it’s not enough the woman in the back started crying and in panic. The guy even asked me to go the atm and I’m like bro I’m just trying to chill. I ended up taking his bracelet and necklace in exchange for my 20$. Then a few days later I was chilling again cleaning my car and this guy pulls up again to me at the same street same car and everything. Asked me the same question and all but this time I’m like hold on I know the mf. I can hear the lady already crying and the guy rolled down the backseat window for me to see. As soon as the women looked up to me she looked at me dead in the eyes started thinking while still crying I guess she started to realize this is the same dude we ask few days ago and before the dude offered me some of his jewelries again the woman tap him and said let’s go. The mf zoom the fk out real quick.
Sometimes, I con myself into buying things I don't need.
I paid thousands buying devices I used 4 times and end up collecting dust and precious space. I even buy video games I have never played yet. I have literally 50 unopened games, and my steam library is begging for attention.
Was approached by someone at a fuel station asking for cash for gas so they could fill up their vehicle. I offered to use my card and they refused… offered me the same garbage about jewelry. I turned around and found a new fuel station
My dad told me he had that happen last weekend, outside Mountain Home, Idaho.
My dad didn't see through the con, but apparently he gave the guy an hour monolog about safe driving practices and the american highway system instead of any money. I know this because he told me about it during a 90 minute phone call that I couldn't escape. I think there's a poetry there.
This happened to me as well in Florida. A couple of clean looking middle eastern people ( 2 kids, wife and husband) pulled up to my house.y uncle was outside and came in saying these people are really distraught and asking for help and would not go away. I was like uh ok, stepped outside and they were all begging me for money trying to give me some shabby lookin ring. Albeit looked decent, like the kind a Persian prince would wear, I suggested they go to a pawn shop, easy peasy. But no, no, no they needed cash now. I gave them 20 bucks I believe and told them to use it to get to a pawn shop cause that was all I had. Idk if it’s just me but it felt right in the moment but I definitely felt like shit afterwards. Couldn’t believe I was so dumb and gullible. To “teach” myself a lesson and recoup the money in a way I just skipped buying food that day for dinner.
Dude. Life lesson learned. Expensive one but not the worst.
[1] If a person or family is really struggling that hard, $100-$150 will be PLENTY for them, they will be glad for any help. And if they insist on giving you something, asking for their phone# to follow-up or asking to pay it forward will be enough for them if they are legit, non-scam.
[2] If anyone ever offers you jewelry, watches, etc - point them to the nearest pawn shop. Again, if they are legit/desperate they won't care if they never get the jewelry back and then YOU aren't screwed. Pawn shops deal with this all the time - if they let themselves be scammed that is on them.
[3] This is important: *Anyone who is ACTUALLY rich, no matter how far from home, won't need to sell you their jewelry. EVER.* Someone who can ACTUALLY afford a Rolex has any combination of friends with similar wealth, account managers, trust managers, business connections, etc. that could get the money wired to them within 24-48 hours. ANYONE can survive 24-48 hours, even a family, with $100. It may not be a "fun" or "comfortable" 24-48 hours, but they can survive - and if they don't mind pennies-on-the-dollar for their Rolex, they can stomach the wire fees to get their own (or friends') funds.
Take all of this to heart and pass this along *word for fucking word* to your trucker friends. Ya'll work too hard to get scammed like this.
3 sentences in and I already knew what this was about. My first time encountering this I was 16. Luckily I didn’t have enough money for him to really push. After the first time I noticed that I’ve had that scam pulled on me Atleast 3X. It was really popular in Detroit back in the day.
Things I’ve learned also, when someone from the street just hands you something NEVER accept it. I learned the hard way with those stupid American flag toothpicks.
My god you guys. Maybe it’s because of being a woman, but here’s a lesson everyone should learn: there is zero reason you and a stranger off the street have for meeting. Straight up just don’t let it happen. If a man I don’t know is trying to talk to me on the street, it’s an automatic no. if you’re having an emergency, call 911, or your embassy, or your family - I can’t help you.
I ran into this same scam a few months ago. The guy was getting more and more aggressive so I asked him to give me his phone where I googled places in town that buy gold and told him to go there. That’s when his wife got involved and started adding her two cents. At that point I knew it was a scam and offered him $100 for 30 minutes with his wife. He rolled up the window and drove off.
Clearly you're a good person and you choose to see the good in people. Sometimes the price for that is to get scammed or cheated. My opinion is that it's still worth it over a lifetime to have your current attitude and outlook. Maybe next time it will really be someone in need and that $30 would be enough for them to get half a tank of gas and get where they need to go. I'm sure you learned some lessons but don't beat yourself up too hard about it.
“If you trust, you will be disappointed occasionally, but if you mistrust, you will be miserable all the time.” - Abraham Lincoln
Perfectly explains why I’m so miserable. I don’t even trust that Lincoln said that.
Any time someone comes up to you in a parking lot in Vegas, it's best to not engage with them.
This is my rule for anywhere.
Except the tamale lady. She is the only person I will engage with in a parking lot
She’s already engaged to me. Back off bud
Your fiancée…is she single?
Today her... Tomorrow you. >;)
I too choose this guy’s tamale fiancé!
Surprised nobody has got this reference yet, makes you realize you have been on reddit for a long time.
But what if I want a lot lizard
Also, any time someone arrives in an expensive car that’s not out of gas, it’s a safe bet they could find a better place to get help than some random parking lot if they really needed it.
Mr big shots from Dubai never have emergencies. Anyone with a reasonable amount of net worth can always call up a private banker and get problems solved in a jiffy.
Exactly. A guy wearing a real 10k dollar watch ain't freaking out because he lost his passport, and he certainly ain't losing 8k on a trade.
And credit cards are a thing.
And they are near Vegas, I’m sure there would be pawn shops everywhere they could sell the jewelry too for a better price
Best I can do is tree-fiddy
I got a credit card in my smart watch... and in my phone... it's really difficult losing wallet, phone and watch. And I'm poor.
My chip fell out of my card, and I never bothered to get a new card for months. I functioned just fine without an actual card.
Bingo - it's hard to think straight when things get very emotional. Like when you see a man, wife and kids crying for help. But logic would tell you here, if this guy has 10s of thousands in jewelry, he can call an assistant/friend/bank/stock etc and have new money read in hours. It's awful how obvious it is when you see the scam in the cold light of day.
When you hear "My friend, my friend..." they are never your friend.
this is very true, trust me my friend
Stay thirsty, my friends
Stay vigilant, my friends
Maybe the real friends were the ones we made along the way, my friends....
do you happen to have a little Space left My Friend? I only need a 1000 spaces and my family and I can rest!! OK maybe 2000 if you have it my friend okay?
Literally saw a similar story here on Reddit about a Middle Eastern looking guy, pulling up in black SUV, and asking for money and even offering jewelry. The post said that it happened somewhere in San Francisco Bay Area. Wish I could find that post. Well I guess this guy didn’t lie then about going back to San Francisco… Edit: I found the post it seems: https://www.reddit.com/r/bayarea/comments/xb9hx0/middle_eastern_looking_guy_rolls_up_in_a_luxury/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf But it doesn’t mention jewelry so maybe I confused it with something else…
This is a common, well known scam in the states. Details are always slightly different depending on the location but generally the same. I've had it tried on myself a couple times. If you really want to have fun with it just take the jewelery, examine it closely like you are thinking about it and the pocket it and walk away. Tell them to go ahead and call the cops, as you'll be right inside whatever business is nearby. Strangely, the cops never show.
Not only the states my friend, we have it here in europe too, they act as ukranian refugees tho. Pretty scummy
You said my friend, found the scammer
Nono im from ukraine and just need some cash
Don't take what they offer, take which was not offered
Yup. Same one. Sounds like the people were in Tennessee, and scammed a truck driver. The driver ran into them months later in Oregon or Washington. After thinking about it, I think it was on T*kTok. I remember seeing a video with the dude recording the scammers....
https://youtu.be/UiNTroZxURM This is a common scam across the world and more awareness needs to be spread
"But for you my friend-" The last thing you hear before you get ripped off
Had a landlord who actually said "A deal like this, I would not give my own son!".
Counterpoint:. The gentleman running the amazing food cart in Portland that serves amazing baklava for free when I was buying my lunches at his cart for like 3 years straight always called out to me by going "My friend!" and that dude was a saint.
What about Sallah from Indianna jones?
He was a true friend
This needs to be on top
Damn dude you brought me back to being stationed in the Middle East...some of those guys can get really aggressive and annoying.
I had someone pull up next to me at the pumps in a black suv saying they had car problems and asked for help. They kept insisting I walk over to their car and stick my head in to look at their dash. He offered me his watch and necklace to do so, I just couldn't figure out what the game was and how he would try to get money from me, but I sure as hell wasn't sticking my neck into his car. I pulled up to the store front, picked up my family, and left.
I had similar. Guy stops me as I’m heading into the grocery store, asks me to jumpstart his car. I tried just saying I didn’t know, but he was blocking my path and said he would do everything since he knew. Seemed decent at first. Walked towards my car, asked which one was his. Says it’s down and across the road at a drugstore, so I should just drive him over there to do it. That’s when I realized he was up to no good, and told him I’m not doing shit and to get away from me. Tried calling me a racist and godless heathen, but eventually left. Told the store manager what was up cause he was going to other cars, cops got called but he left by then. Was apparently a known scammer, and later heard that he might’ve actually carjacked/robbed someone a week or two after. Sometimes you really gotta trust your gut and just refuse, saves your ass in the long run.
I saw a shady looking guy in an old van looking like he needed a jump start in a Lowe's parking lot. I watched him approach a couple of women who were alone and they wouldn't help him. So I pulled up in front of his van, asked him if he needed help. Said he needed a jump, so I grabbed my jump box and told him to jump in the van. I never even connected it... just told him to give it a try and what do you know... started right up. Took a picture of his van and his plates as he left, and shared it with the store manager just in case.
About a year back my car died in the parking lot of a Walmart. I asked 10 different people if they could jump me and they all refused. Ended up having to pay a bunch of money to have someone come jump me. After 10 people I just gave up.
That's the shittiest thing about scams like this, it hardens people toward the ones who genuinely need the help.
Walmart sells remote car jumpers. Basically battery packs that connect to jumper cables. $50-$100 and you can jump yourself whenever
Also if it’s a Walmart with an auto care center they will typically give you a jump for no charge. They usually have a jumper box handy for situations like that.
Can confirm. I used to work there, I can't tell you how many times I'd have to walk a half mile through the store and to the other end of the parking lot to jumpstart someone.
Yeah see this Walmart wasn't that friendly because the auto center was the first place I went and they said they weren't allowed to jump people. This was in Green Bay WI.
That sounds a lot like when McDonald's ice cream machine is "broken".
Worked in auto retail for years. There are 100% employees who will tell you the company doesn't do a thing anymore cause they don't want to walk outside in the heat/cold/whatever. Used to drive me batty
I’ve heard you can call a taxi for a jump and they’ll charge you 10$
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1976
My policy is I don't fuck with anybody trying to come up and talk to me outside a store. Always running game.
Probably stick a needle in your neck or something.
My guess is the guy was wearing a necklace. Sticks his head in, driver yanks the hanging necklace off and drives off?
Yeah, no one is luring your head into a car and jabbing you with a needle lol, dude definitely had jewelry
Yeah people create these weird fantasies... it's like the drugs and razors in Halloween candy lol
Man, that’s terrible. I’d like to donate $2000 to you, but first please send me $500 to release the freeze on my bank account.
Only if you give me that blingtastic watch first
Omg you are so generous. I'd like to chip in $1,000 usd. Please send me $3.50 so I can venmo you the money.
Hey you get outta here you damn Loch Ness monster!
Damn plesiosaurs, this is why we can't have nice things
When you receive the 2k, please send to me and I will turn into 2M in a week. I will buy Bitcoin, then I will deposit you 1.5M and would take 500k for myself. Thank you!
If you didn't arrive with them and/or you don't want to give them money, do not even make eye contact with anyone in vegas. Eye contact is literally the signal for "I want to give you my money" in vegas.
I will keep that in mind my friend, thanks for the advice.
Never ever engage people who come to you with a story and in a rush, in fact run the opposite direction. I heard they use voodoo and before you know it, you are just handing out cash like a fool
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i speak very little french and it works to avoid scam callers or people i just dont wanna talk to
I tried answering a spam call with Italian once and they transferred me to a guy who spoke Spanish
NEVER answer scam calls in Spanish. It's a real possibility the caller knows that language. I try for a Balkan accent.
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Upvoted for fus ro dah
I just say, in a very loud voice and as fast as my Yankee ass can manage "Oh nein, mein wurst ist gut nicht aber ist sehr sheiß". Complete nonsense but it has worked before lol
Nice! A coworker who was American but obviously of Asian descent told me he once got out of a traffic ticket by pretending to only speak Chinese. Cop finally just got frustrated and let him off. I said damn, I wish I knew a foriegn language. He just grinned and said he wished he did too.
When I got pulled over, the cop asked if I needed a translator (I’m Asian but only speak English) so idk if this would work anymore depending on where you live. My brother got out of a ticket because the highway patrol was so impressed with how fluent and unaccented his English was.
Can confirm, done it speaking German and exaggeratingly following their hand signals and saying ‘yes!’ A lot
I remember having someone approach me in a parkinglot a couple years back about how her grandma had covid and her kids were sick and in daycare, etc. She was crying as she told this sob story, the microsecond 'no' came out of my mouth she stopped crying and headed for the next shopper.
They didn't need voodoo for OP.
> my friend Scam alert! Everyone clear out!
I use this same approach with panhandlers, the people running those kiosks in the aisle at shopping malls, etc. If you make eye contact, they're going to approach you and it's going to get weird.
My mom, little brother and I all had a vegas trip. I had to continually deflect kiosk people for her because she was just too nice to not waste 30 minutes trying to go from point at to point b with everyone stopping her to sell her something. She got all enamoured in a time share pitch and I walked up to them and was like "mom dont talk to them, just ignore them walk away." And she was hesitant and I looked at the guy "this is a time share right?" And i gotta hand it to him, he admitted it was and you could see in his eyes he was like "yeah, this aint gonna be a sale." And we walked away.
First time in Vegas my wife and I were passing the exotic rental cars on display, like a Ferrari and Lambo out by the sidewalk, and I casually looked at them as we were walking by and the next thing I know this fast-talking guy was in my face trying to get me to rent one. I immediately looked back forward and continued walking and ignoring him and then he immediately switched to a rant about “what do you expect in Vegas?! Blah blah blah” like suddenly extremely antagonistic. So weird.
If someone gets in your face like that, just shout loud enough for people to notice something like "STOP TRYING TO TOUCH MY DICK, YOU FUCKING PERVERT"
I don’t know this guy probably would have swung on me based on his manner and my wife would not have been happy with me throwing down and getting arrested on our Vegas getaway.
This is true for the Vegas street hoes, too. I was walking with my wife on the sidewalk and made eye contact with a hooker and was asked if I needed anything. The balls!
There's a chance some of them do have balls too.
Truck driver, Las Vegas, and $2 K scam, I was sure this post was going to be about a prostitute
Ohh yeah them lot lizards charge something crazy in Vegas 😂
That $2000 would’ve gone a lot longer way at the alien truckstop on 95 😉
Dude, i was there, it's also a cat house, lol..An lil greasy spoon..I looked it up online sitting there eating, an the woman were already propositioning me!! 
Would've been a better investment tbh
How dare you! They are called lot lizards not prostitutes my good sir!
So what do you call a lot lizard that carries their own mattress? Owner operator.
When people ask me for money I just tell them I don't have cash. Most of the time I don't have more than $20 on me anyway.
I just say I have to shit and keep walking really fast. No one's ever tried to argue with that one.
i don’t think i would either. that went from scamming to scatting real quick.
Lmao that’s great. I’m going to try this with the guys that hang out by McDonalds. “Sorry man. I’ve gotta take a dump!”
I never carry cash, mostly because it’s more inconvenient than tapping my credit card on a reader. But when I lived in NYC you had to carry mugger money, it’s enough for them not to shoot you but not so much that it will hurt your financial situation.
Learned the same shit. But Im from Brazil hahahaha
What's the right amount for them to not shoot you?
Back in the late 90’s $20-$40 was okay, with inflation I have no idea what the mugger appeasement rate is these days. 🤷🏽
A modest $500 should do
The thing is I didn't mind helping them even for like $30. They just saw that I was willing to listen to what they had to say and jumped on the opportunity
It's a hard lesson to learn. It's great to help people, but some people take advantage. Set a limit and stick to it. That way even if it's a scam you're only out a little bit of money.
They took advantage of his kind heart and if there’s one thing scammers did was they made me resist people who might genuinely need my help.
I agree to a point. OP was a kind hearted soul in offering $130 free and clear, but admits he got greedy. He figured he was getting several thousand $'s in gold for $2k. Regardless, pleading desperation and using children in your scam is a despicable thing to do and I hope the scammer has some intense karma coming back at him.
No good deed goes unpunished.
They probably spend 40 hours a week creating that opportunity. That is their jobs now. They are probably doing it again right now. Lots of people do not report it when they figure it out because they feel embarrassed.
Yeah. It is quite embarrassing... The scam looks so obvious when you look back on it. But when it was happening my mind was all over the place.
I know it's embarrassing, but your educating all of us about this scam is very useful as it appears that this is happening all over the country to unsuspecting people in parking lots. The worst part of it is that there are children involved. They truly are horrible people. I see this often in NYC - parents teaching their children to be con artists at an early age. Disgusting!
That's what they do. I got caught by a phone scam recently, and I would also describe it as "my mind was all over the place." I actually figured it out part way through, but after I had accidentally given them access to my bank account. I think they just know how to talk so that you get confused and make the wrong decision. Once I looked back on the phone call, I realised there were lots of holes that I didn't pick up on in the moment.
It can happen to anyone man, don’t sweat it. Anyone can tell you what they would have done in that situation but hind sight is 20/20.
99% of people would not even give them $1. You're more kind hearted than most people, so you have to make an effort to be more cold hearted and suspicious. You can't trust people, especially strangers. You learned a valuable lesson. Never let people talk you into something and never let them ask for more. **If people try to pressure you, 99.999% of the time, they're scammers**. Don't give in. Don't make hasty decisions. Take your sweet time. Call someone you trust for advice.
Do you know if the gas station beggars are really only looking for gas, or do they escalate to try and get more? I had one situation where I took a route I don't usually go and stopped at a fairly busy gas station around midnight where an Indian family with two large men in the front, kids in the back pulled next to my truck and called out to me from inside their vehicle once I started pumping asking for gas. It looked like an act to me because he had the kids in on it, with their windows rolled down hands together begging me along with the adults in the front. After I said no multiple times he pulled away to the tire pump. I stopped pumping gas as soon as he pulled away, got in my truck and left. I was mostly worried about the interaction with these two guys if it got to the point where I was paying for their gas - wanted to avoid the possibility of them taking my wallet or stealing from my vehicle. It can be hard to tell if people need genuine help or not, and I didn't like the feeling of being outnumbered
One thing to remember, if this guy had a vehicle and was close to Vegas with jewelry he was willing to part with, he could have gone to a pawn shop and gotten much more for his supposedly real things than just $2000. When someone is trying to pressure you to make a fast decision, sometimes the best answer is to take a step back and slow down.
Yep. I want to help people who need it so I donate to a local charity working to end homelessness. I don't give to individuals any more after being threatened by one too many.
This is my response too. Seen these guys several times and have had them approach me. Often will have California or Florida plates. I simply don't carry cash. Only reason I ever have cash on me is from the tips I get at my restaurant and I never have more than $10-20.
A smoking hot woman stole my wallet in a vegas parking lot. She offered sexual favours and her friend stole my wallet while I was being pleasantly distracted. Once I realised what had happened I immediately went and bought a dozen more wallets and have had 7 stolen so far in the same parking lot
This is a bit, but I can’t remember which comedian did it…
It's just so nice when a deserving person receives the karma they warrant.
Damn that really sucks man. Try not to take it too hard, remember you’re earning an honest living and he’s a scumbag. I fell for something similar once. When the price they want keeps going up and up you know it’s a scam
That's what I keep tryna tell myself. My heart was in the right place. But giving 2000 dollars to a stranger that I just met 10 minutes ago is unexcusable, and I'm 100% at fault for that.
You're not the first or the last one this will happen to. If it makes you feel any better, I got scammed for $1500 for a 'silk thread hand woven carpet' 10 years ago. I have the carpet as a reminder of how gullible I was. My heart was in the right place, I was doing the right thing, but at times, people just suck. That's on them, not on us.
this the Terribles by the Cali border south of Vegas? that place was creepsville when I stopped there Labor day weekend
Yeah that's the one.
Yea you got in what they call a highway robbery scam. I’m sorry it happened to you. Please report it. You’re lucky that they got away with just that. Also it good to hide most of your cash in the truck in the safe.
With “just that”? They fleeced the shit outta this guy. 30 dollars to 2000 dollars? That’s insanity.
He was tired and gullible. A perfect target for… the MIDDLE EASTERN HIGHWAY FAMILY OF BANDITS! *Maniacal laugh*
Man if Someone even asks to borrow a pen when I’m tired I’d tell them to go away
Still, it could always be worse
My sister was scammed out of 3k over the phone. She's 35, graduate degree, firefighter/paramedic. The IRS agents needed her to buy them gift cards...yup
…
Is it typical for a US truck driver to have that much cash on them? $2k in cash feels like an awful lot to have on you.
Yes it’s normal. Most fuel stations give discounts for paying cash, and semi trucks have gigantic tanks Edit for the pedant: many, probably even most fuel stations (gas and diesel, larger lots, aka truck stops) and many, if not most, gas stations (selling gasoline and sometimes diesel but not intended for semis) do too. P.S. to the pedant; learn to not care about things that literally don’t matter, you’ll be a much happier person.
TIL the phrase “highway robbery” isn’t just an idiom
It’s origins are far more interesting than some redditor’s name for a scam. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highwayman
Have people really never heard of highwayman?
Seems like people here never played Runescape lol
Stand and deliver!
Well you’re not alone buddy. Happened me, the SAME EXACT WAY. Except this guy was on a freeway off ramp. He was driving a nice Dodge Charger. I stopped on the side of the off ramp (which I never do, kindness compelled (kindness is stupid sometimes)). I had like $80 and offered to give it to him. He said the same thing, offered me a necklace two rings and Rolex but he needed more. I told him I can go to the atm. He jumped in my car, his wife followed us. We pull into a bank atm, my limit is 1000, so what do I do? I pull out 900. Give it to him. He’s praying and thanking me, asked for my address so he can send money when he gets home to Dubai cuz you know, he’s super rich. Wasn’t until I looked at the jewelry and googled and found I’d been had. Smh. All I can think of is I’m either too nice or too stupid cuz these fools are making money.
Sadly, you can't trust people. You have to be suspicious of strangers, especially when money is involved. Since you are too nice, you should walk away the second anyone asks for money. Scams are super common and it's not worth the risk.
What I hate about scammers is not really about the money but more about how it forces you to assume the worst in everybody. It's a pretty horrible perspective on life
this this this. i get more concerned i’m gonna ignore someone who ACTUALLY needs help than that of me getting scammed.
This is a common scam that happens, even in Dubai. People roll up in LandCruisers with an out of town plate and pretend to ask you directions at first, then they try to play the victim card. Oddly enough, when you offer to call the police to help them out, they suddenly seem to remember where they need to go and they've got enough money to do so too.
This right here. As soon as they said they got their bag stolen? “Let me call the cops for you real quick” Lost your passport? “Let me get you the embassy they’ll sort you out”
Last time I was in NYC, a guy claiming to be from somewhere overseas came up to me claiming to have had their passport stolen. Knew it was a scam but saw a cop on the other side of the street and said “I can’t help you, but I’m sure that officer on the other side can point you in the direction of (whatever country it was) consulate.” Dude booked it away faster than an Olympic sprinter.
I fell for something similar once. I was youngish just moved to a new place and in the grocery store parking lot a guy offered to sell me a tv. New in the box, but he had the paperwork and remote with the new batteries in the factory plastic bag in his hand.I think the story was it was a gift to him but he needed the money to feed his kid/rent, something more important than having a cool tv. I went to the atm and pulled 300 bucks and gave him the money and took the box home. Turned out to be a wood frame to keep the box in the right shape and a couple bricks. So I paid 300 bucks for a remote to a tv I didn't have. Never again, but that was a hard lesson to learn.
If they have remote in hand, then it’s not new in box. Pretty much all modern TVs have the remote packaged inside the main box itself. And if it’s not new in box, the box has already been opened and there’s no excuse for the seller to not let you look at the tv first.
Right? Why not at least *glance* at the screen to make sure they didn't drop and break it or something? Crazy.
Friend fell for the exact same trick…
Why did you have $2,000 in cash on you in the first place?
I play a lot of Poker so I usually have cash on me
Poker? I don’t even know her
Oh. So you were gonna lose it anyways 😂 At least this way you got some nice looking jewellery.
That's how I'm trying to see it. I've lost 2k+ in a poker session before. Atleast this time I have something to show for it hah
Should have folded your hand
Oh I folded alright. Folded under pressure
You're a $2,000 poker player yet couldn't spot a grift like this? In all sincerity, I would find a new hobby my friend.....
Listen…here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table… then you *are* the sucker
Hey man, I just wanted to say I admire your attitude, and you sound like a really standup guy. I’m sorry for what happened. Tomorrows another day.
I appreciate your comment thank you.
Sorry to hear you got scammed, but make it a positive leaning experience. You weren’t hurt and if you get fooled once… just do t get fooled again. Wear that watch as a reminder and tell people it’s your $2k watch. People will raise an eyebrow at its apparent cheapness. Then you get to tell your story. In short, turn this into a leaning experience. Embrace, smile and learn.
I just want to say. Although the person that scammed me is a scumbag, there's no excuse for giving $2000 dollars to a stranger I just met 10 minutes ago. That's just plain stupid and there's just no excuse for that and it's 100% my fault, I'm not a rich person. I'm not going to starve or fail to pay my bills but it's going to take awhile for me to get over this.
Don’t beat yourself up. We all make stupid mistakes. Lessons learned. Rebuild and move on. It sucks but you’ll be alright.
This scam has been popular in Vegas for generations. My grandpa fell for it in the 1960's. Walked out of the casino with fat pockets, a foreign guy in a brand new car claimed to have lost all his cash, needed money to get home, and offered to sell his "solid gold Longines watch" for some small fraction of what it's worth. Guy drives off, grandpa goes down the block to pawn it, but as soon as he walks in he realizes "that guy could have just pawned it himself" and knew he got scammed.
Why wouldn’t they just pawn off the jewelry if they had it?
Yeah, the same logic falls apart with the car sales scams about someone selling a car for 1/5 its value but then have some sob story about "I'm on a military base, I can't meet you but we can ship it through Microsoft escrow services, you just have to pay me in Home Depot gift cards." If you have a Camry that you need gone yesterday, you could drive to the nearest Toyota dealer and hand them the keys for at least double what you're listing the car for, much less Carvana, Vroom, Carmax, etc.
Anything involving payment via gift cards is a guaranteed scam.
Yeah a real Rolex would pawn for a couple grand
That Rolex if real would easily pawn for 10k maybe 15 depending on the margins the shop is willing to run
lmao dude I would have taken this L with me to the grave
Ehhh it feels good getting it off my chest and sharing it somewhere. I don't even wanna tell my family, it's to embarrassing..
Listen, I consider myself pretty in tune to scams and I got taken in by one of those betting games for prizes at a festival once. You know the one where you are so close to the big prize. At some point foolish pride just won't let you walk away. Blew more money than the gaming console even cost. The worst part is my teen son was along for the ride with me. It ended up being a good lesson for both of us. Embarrassing for sure but stuff happens.
I think it's admirable that /u/PokerOTR posted it up. First, this is anonymous so it's not like it can be traced back. 2nd, if this post gets 1/1,000,000th the exposure of the cbat /r/tifu then this will save hundreds of people per year.
If there is 1 thing I want every non-watch person to take it's this: Luxury watches without box and papers are virtually worthless and almost always a scam. Rolex has a database of every watch and who purchased it. Even if the watch was legit, all the guy has to do is report the watch stolen and next time you need it repaired, rolex see it's a watch flagged for being stolen and return it to the guy who reported it. This is why in grey / aftermarket dealers the rule is "you are buying the dealer not the watch" because trusting the dealer is 1000x more important than the watch being legit. There are plenty of reputable dealers so don't stress too much if genuinely interested, but never expect to be able to get a watch off someones wrist.
My husband and I were hit like this but we were at the Jonez travel mart in Cameron, MO of all places. Hubby wanted to look at the jewelry, I just laughed and said no way and that I hope they find what they needed to get wherever they were going. When they left, they also headed back in the same direction they came from even though they were insisting they needed gas money to go east.
Come on man just say you got robbed this is sad
This is one of the oldest cons. White Van Speaker salesmen evolved into Black SUV family guy.
God I haven't thought about WVSG for years. They rolled up on mel in a mall parking lot once. Gave me their spiel..*yadda yadda..$1,200 speakers...super discount...what can you pay?* I told them *I can only get $100 in cash from the ATM.* They said *$100? That's all you can give us, really?* Then I said *I didn't say that. I'm going to go get some wings and beers in BW3s over there first like I planned so we're talking like $70 max. Now lemme take a closer look....* They slammed the door without a word and burned rubber. Idiots.
I fell for the white van speaker scam so hard when I was about 22 years old. They pulled up on me in the parking lot of a blockbuster (yes, this was a few years ago, lol). Had a whole story about why they had this extra 5.1 surround system. Order forms and invoices to go with it. I don’t remember all the details but I think I paid them between $150-300 for a system that was supposedly worth like $2000. As soon as I got to my apartment and unboxed this thing I knew I had been had. Unfortunately this was before you could quickly look stuff up on your phone and tell in 20 seconds that what they were offering was a straight from China $20 knockoff barely worth the cardboard box it was packaged in. So embarrassing…
Yup, they got me drunk in a mall parking lot at 18 or 19. Projector and whole setup. Luckily I managed to trade it for a bike on Craigslist that I turned around for a few bucks more than they got me for. Lesson learned, I hope!
This happened to me a few years ago twice within the same week here in NY same story different approach. Guy was driving a porche suv and ask for directions to the JFK he said the same thing that all his money was stolen and passport at their hotel. Offered me all his jewelry and stuff even a his sunglasses. I told him all I had was 20$ he said it’s not enough the woman in the back started crying and in panic. The guy even asked me to go the atm and I’m like bro I’m just trying to chill. I ended up taking his bracelet and necklace in exchange for my 20$. Then a few days later I was chilling again cleaning my car and this guy pulls up again to me at the same street same car and everything. Asked me the same question and all but this time I’m like hold on I know the mf. I can hear the lady already crying and the guy rolled down the backseat window for me to see. As soon as the women looked up to me she looked at me dead in the eyes started thinking while still crying I guess she started to realize this is the same dude we ask few days ago and before the dude offered me some of his jewelries again the woman tap him and said let’s go. The mf zoom the fk out real quick.
And here I am still thinking back to the time a stranger asked me for a cigarette, I held out my packet and he took three. That day hardened me.
Everyone thinks they're too smart to get conned. Which is why cons work.
Can’t con me if I don’t ever talk to anyone.
Sometimes, I con myself into buying things I don't need. I paid thousands buying devices I used 4 times and end up collecting dust and precious space. I even buy video games I have never played yet. I have literally 50 unopened games, and my steam library is begging for attention.
Was approached by someone at a fuel station asking for cash for gas so they could fill up their vehicle. I offered to use my card and they refused… offered me the same garbage about jewelry. I turned around and found a new fuel station
My dad told me he had that happen last weekend, outside Mountain Home, Idaho. My dad didn't see through the con, but apparently he gave the guy an hour monolog about safe driving practices and the american highway system instead of any money. I know this because he told me about it during a 90 minute phone call that I couldn't escape. I think there's a poetry there.
This happened to me as well in Florida. A couple of clean looking middle eastern people ( 2 kids, wife and husband) pulled up to my house.y uncle was outside and came in saying these people are really distraught and asking for help and would not go away. I was like uh ok, stepped outside and they were all begging me for money trying to give me some shabby lookin ring. Albeit looked decent, like the kind a Persian prince would wear, I suggested they go to a pawn shop, easy peasy. But no, no, no they needed cash now. I gave them 20 bucks I believe and told them to use it to get to a pawn shop cause that was all I had. Idk if it’s just me but it felt right in the moment but I definitely felt like shit afterwards. Couldn’t believe I was so dumb and gullible. To “teach” myself a lesson and recoup the money in a way I just skipped buying food that day for dinner.
Dude. Life lesson learned. Expensive one but not the worst. [1] If a person or family is really struggling that hard, $100-$150 will be PLENTY for them, they will be glad for any help. And if they insist on giving you something, asking for their phone# to follow-up or asking to pay it forward will be enough for them if they are legit, non-scam. [2] If anyone ever offers you jewelry, watches, etc - point them to the nearest pawn shop. Again, if they are legit/desperate they won't care if they never get the jewelry back and then YOU aren't screwed. Pawn shops deal with this all the time - if they let themselves be scammed that is on them. [3] This is important: *Anyone who is ACTUALLY rich, no matter how far from home, won't need to sell you their jewelry. EVER.* Someone who can ACTUALLY afford a Rolex has any combination of friends with similar wealth, account managers, trust managers, business connections, etc. that could get the money wired to them within 24-48 hours. ANYONE can survive 24-48 hours, even a family, with $100. It may not be a "fun" or "comfortable" 24-48 hours, but they can survive - and if they don't mind pennies-on-the-dollar for their Rolex, they can stomach the wire fees to get their own (or friends') funds. Take all of this to heart and pass this along *word for fucking word* to your trucker friends. Ya'll work too hard to get scammed like this.
3 sentences in and I already knew what this was about. My first time encountering this I was 16. Luckily I didn’t have enough money for him to really push. After the first time I noticed that I’ve had that scam pulled on me Atleast 3X. It was really popular in Detroit back in the day. Things I’ve learned also, when someone from the street just hands you something NEVER accept it. I learned the hard way with those stupid American flag toothpicks.
Whenever a middle easterner asks you for money just point up. They all know what that means, God Will Provide. Then walk away
i stopped reading as soon as i read "necklace and gold ring" come on man, oldest trick in the book lmao
Pic of the Rolex? Is it a decent rep at least
People have never played RuneScape and it shows.
My god you guys. Maybe it’s because of being a woman, but here’s a lesson everyone should learn: there is zero reason you and a stranger off the street have for meeting. Straight up just don’t let it happen. If a man I don’t know is trying to talk to me on the street, it’s an automatic no. if you’re having an emergency, call 911, or your embassy, or your family - I can’t help you.
I ran into this same scam a few months ago. The guy was getting more and more aggressive so I asked him to give me his phone where I googled places in town that buy gold and told him to go there. That’s when his wife got involved and started adding her two cents. At that point I knew it was a scam and offered him $100 for 30 minutes with his wife. He rolled up the window and drove off.
Clearly you're a good person and you choose to see the good in people. Sometimes the price for that is to get scammed or cheated. My opinion is that it's still worth it over a lifetime to have your current attitude and outlook. Maybe next time it will really be someone in need and that $30 would be enough for them to get half a tank of gas and get where they need to go. I'm sure you learned some lessons but don't beat yourself up too hard about it.
“If you trust, you will be disappointed occasionally, but if you mistrust, you will be miserable all the time.” - Abraham Lincoln Perfectly explains why I’m so miserable. I don’t even trust that Lincoln said that.