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kittypaws

Christmas Scams

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by
kittypaws
, 12-22-2012 at 12:19 AM (1746 Views)
Tis the season to be joy, Fa la la la ~ la la la la.

At this time of year many of us are in a giving mood, generous and want to believe that everyone is out to do well. I wonder. Perhaps I am just skeptical.

About a week ago as I was loading my groceries into my car a man approached me holding a gas can and asked if I could give him some money to buy gas. I told him all I had was my debit card and that I never carry cash, sorry. He pressed on that even perhaps $5.00; which would not even buy him two gallons of gas made me leery. “No, I’m afraid I cannot help you today. Sorry.”

I felt guilty….yes guilty as I drove away cuz what if he was telling the truth? But then again around the holidays a lot of folks try to take advantage of the giving season.

Two days ago I had a doctor’s appointment and as I left his office building and headed to my car I started to return some phone calls. I stood outside my car finishing up a call when a woman, who I would say was in her 50’s; appeared huffing and puffing and exclaiming how she was glad she caught up to me. She started to tell her tale that she had an appointment at the hospital across the street for a kidney injection and her mother dropped her off there at 7:00 AM. Her readings were low so they gave her some juice to drink and they kept her for a while before issuing the injection; her details were a little too much and something I really didn’t need to know. She introduced herself as Cynthia, asked my name and then presented me with her photo ID card and a debit card and went on to explain that she no longer lives at the address on the ID card but had moved to an area across town with her mother. Her mother was concerned cuz she had to be in another part of town for work by 8:30 and told Cynthia she would have to wait till 4:00 to be picked up. Cynthia felt sure she could catch the “green” county bus that ran to her side of town only to find out as she boarded the bus they discontinued that route about 6 months ago. So Cynthia called a cab and once in the cab presented her debit card which came up $13.55 short for the trip so the driver put her out at the gas station about a block away. She called her mother who then called the cab company only to find out they do not take credit cards over the phone cuz of repeated occurrences of them not going thru. So here is Cynthia standing in front of me with her ID and debit card in hand asking if I could help her by giving her $13.55. Her phone starts to ring and as she reaches into her pocket say “don’t worry I am not getting a gun just my phone.” I am wondering once again if this is a scam. She takes the call and says “mom, I’ll have to call you back as I am trying to get the money to get home. I am not feeling too well.”

So here I am. I know I have about $4.00 cash in my wallet and some change from my Animal Advocates change cans in the back seat so I count out for Cynthia $13.75; a twenty-five cents bonus and hand it over to her. She hugged me; god blessed me and went on her way. Now when I got in the car I looked for her but it was like she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
So what do you think?

Was this a holiday scam?
If anything her story was worthy of $13.75.

Merry Christmas!!
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Comments

  1. Bluebiird's Avatar
    Suspicious. Highly suspicious. Then again I'm suspicious of everyone. I find it hard to believe that there was absolutely nobody else she could call for help. Were there any other people around? Because I wonder why she came to you. Could it be that she singled you out or was it just that you were the only one around?
    Is it so impossible that the cab driver could have taken her the rest of the way if she could give assurances that there was more money at home?
    Also, she boarded the bus and found the route was discontinued. Assuming she found this out at the start then couldn't she have gotten just gone back into the hospital and asked for help? Maybe I don't fully understand the situation but it seems that there were other routes that could have been explored before asking a stranger for money.

    We had a guy come to our house once. A very well mannered man with a calm and quiet voice. He said his son had been ill and they'd gone to hospital and got a cab home but he didn't have enough money to pay the driver. None on him or in his house. He claimed he lived at the other end of the street in a house that we're not entirely sure exists (we don't really know the people over there). He asked if we could spare some change so he could pay the driver and offered to leave something with us as an assurance that he was telling the truth and would pay us back. We're not used to answering the door for people so we were caught off guard right away. Mum gave him a little money but as soon as she shut the door she wondered if it was the right thing to do.

    I'll tell you one thing. That man never came back. Also. It's highly suspicious that he came all the way down to the other end of the street begging for money.

    I didn't think of it at the time but we should've asked for one of his shoes, or maybe his trousers. If he only lives down the street then it wouldn't be a problem for him and if he was lying then surely he wouldn't take the risk. If we get such a case like that again then I might do that.

    Also, for two years running the same man (not the one from the house. A different man) approached mum in a car park one day and told her a sob story and asked for change. It was the exact same one too. She didn't have any money on her either time so it was a waste of his time. But when he didn't get anything out of her he rushed off to approach someone else.

    But like I said. Highly suspicious.

    Sorry for the super long comment.
  2. kittypaws's Avatar
    I appreciate you super long comment as that is what this blog is all about....what have you experienced and was I taken?

    The guy you speak of who came to your home....and the second one who for two years running has returned....I think they are desperate. they are just looking for a way to survive


    I too was highly suspicious of Cynthia but then again.....at least for me, my conscience sets in.

    I will replace t he $10.55 I took from the Animal Advocates contributions.....

    It left me with a feeling that yes....I may have been 'had' but at least she put some energy into her delivery..and the little bit of money I gave her will not get her far...I wish for her the best and a Merry Christmas.


    All is well that ends welll....hope Cynthia is safe.
    Life is good when you look at it from the up side.


    Bluebird.....Merry Christmas!!!
  3. PeterL's Avatar
    Anyone who goes through that much trouble to get a few dollars like that for a few bucks probably does really need the money. They probably would do as well, if they just gave a straight story, but that's not the way it's done.
  4. Bluebiird's Avatar
    The car park guy was actually a few years ago.
    I find that if you're suspicious of everyone then you're never disappointed, though you might be pleasantly surprised now and then.
    Although, this can make me an unpleasant person to be around, so it has its drawbacks. I quite like it when the rest of the world doesn't share my scepticism, it keeps things balanced .
    We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
  5. Virgil's Avatar
    They weren't asking for a lot of money, but they do sound dubious.

    I don't seem to get more around the holidays, but that could be me. There's this guy I see almost every time I get a coffee early in the morning on my way to work. He's drunk as a skunk and he hangs out looking for some change to get a cup or maybe a bagel. I give him some change or a dollar on occasion, but really if he's got enough money to get drunk, why is he asking for money? He's obviously been out all night and he's dressed pretty ragged. And then he picks out cigarette butts out of the garbage and smokes what remains. What do you do with people like that?
  6. PeterL's Avatar
    He's asking for change so he'll be able to buy more booze. I would never give to a panhanlder who was obviously drunk.