Man knocking on our window at 2.30am asking for money

[MissWorld]

This could all be very innocent but I just wanted to flag that on Friday night/Saturday morning at around 2.30AM, someone started banging on my kitchen window on Oglander Rd while I was downstairs making a drink. I was startled to say the least so I ignored it at first, but they kept gently banging. I asked who it was (my window blinds were down), and a man said it was a neighbour and he needed some help.

I answered the door, and he said he'd just moved in opposite and had locked his doorkeys and his wallet in his car he'd left in Bermondsey after a party and needed ?10 to get back to the car (I was half asleep so the details are hazy). I gave him ?10 and he thanked me and said he'd pop back round later that day to give back the cash. He never appeared...He also mentioned the door number he'd moved into ? which I've since realised is quite a long way up the street from us.

Like I say this could all be very innocent...but I know of situations like this where people have ended up being burgled a week later, and I just wanted to flag it up in case anyone's experienced anything similar.

[Sue]

He was a chancer wanting a tenner.

[uncleglen]

This happened at our house a couple of years ago....the man wanted a tenner for a cab because his father was in hospital...we did not cough up at 3am

[mynamehere]

Wow. I would never open the door to a stranger at 2:30am! Knocking on my kitchen window would make me jump out of my skin

[Jules-and-Boo]

Tough one - imagine if that someone really needed help. I would hope that if I needed help at 3am and banged someone's door that they would help.

Fortunately I've never been in that situation.

[Sue]

I don't think locking your keys in your car after a party is the kind of emergency I'd gladly help a complete stranger with at that time of night, even had the story been true!

[Jules-and-Boo]

That's true, but you wouldn't know unless you spoke to them.

The other worry is, if you don't answer they may think you are not home and break in :-(

I'd probably call the police - as it's either, or.

[handymaneast dulwich]

Knocking on my kitchen window would make me jump out of my skin also as im on the 3rd floor lol

[Jeremy]

Scam.

I would have told him to walk back to Bermondsey!

[jj55]

A scam because on Friday night a guy knocked on at least 2 doors on Chadwick Road (the lower one way bit) saying he'd just moved into the street - with a similar tale about his car and wanting ?10/?20. Fortunately most of us know each other on the street so we usually know if someone has moved away/moved in.

Between 11 of us we're letting our whole street know - it works when people are caught off guard and think someone genuinely needs help - there is an old thread on here about this scam and also about break ins linked to it. I would let the police know - the people on our street have.

[El Presidente]

If someone you don't know knocks on your door at 2.30 am asking for money it is ALWAYS a scam.

[MissWorld]

Yes sounds about right jj55...We only moved in about a month ago so don't know all the neighbours yet. I was scared out of my skin, but only answered the door because he said he needed help and I was worried that he would try and break in if I didn't answer - it is a tricky one. I gave him the cash to get rid of him more than anything.

I let the police know before I posted this thread, but just wanted to make others aware.

[sidebirds]

,

[mancity68]

Same thing happened to us two weeks ago round about 130am. Excuse was car been taken to pound.

[Chick]

Tis a scam. I have had a woman with baby on the door needing money for the electric meter to heat the milk for baby. Gave her a tenner and of course never seen her again. It's a shame-scammed once but never give money anymore in such circumstances.

In 2007 there was a woman, about 30ish who waved me down. Floods of tears, needed money to heat baby milk(again). I gave her a tenner, she stuck her head in through the car window saying ?you have more than a tenner you give me more? I said I also had children to feed. I had to threaten to drive away with her head in the car to get rid of her. She could have got a job as an actor.