Scammed on Lordship Lane - not sure?

[wee quinnie]

Hi All

I think I have been scammed on LLane just within the last hour, not reallly sure. A young woman approached me in the Cheese Block saying she had just been robbed and had her passport stolen and needed to get to the Greek Embassy. I was quite preoccupied by other stuff weighing heavily on my mind at the moment, and ended up giving her twenty quid to get to Bedford. Now at the time of handing over the dosh, I believed she seemed genuine, but upon reflection I have my doubts.

Some things that didn't ring true:

1. She claimed she had been to ED police station and they had referred her to the Embassy as she is Greek, and could not help her to get there. - Is ED police station now closed??

2. She was talking to her dad on the phone in Greece (but she spoke to him in English)

3. When I suggested she ring BRail to find out train times - she appeared to have the number - and said the fare was 21.90. I have just looked up the trainline which suggests the fare is 22.90.

Ok - I can accept I have probably been scammed, but the worrying thing is I wrote down my name and address for her to reimburse me with the dosh....

So how should I have handled this? I did think she was genuine after all?

[snorky]

95% scam

nothing wrong with being scammed, its not nice to be cynical and its skag vermin who prey on peoples gullibility - not that gullibility is a bad thing.

I would suggest that you hang around and keep your eyes open for her in the future- if LL is this bountiful, then she will be back

then you can kick her teeth in

[Marmora Man]

Been done in similar circumstances but around South Bank. Consoled myself as per Snorky's view - nice, occasionally to be a sucker for a sob story.

Won't get done again tho'

[EDKiwi]

Bedford.....the Greek Embassy is in Holland Park, why would she need to goto Bedford?

[wee quinnie]

According to her she had to go to the Greek Embassy for them to help her out, since the police couldn't help her, as she "isnt British". Anyway, her intended destination was Bedford after all that...

.....she did mention that the Greek Embassy is in Holland Pk at one point.

Thought I would spare you the long version of the story.

[snorky]

Why would anyone want to go to Bedford ?

You should have spotted that flaw in her story Immediatley

[lenk]

you would think her 'dad' might have been able to wire her some money.. but maybe her flight back was tomorrow?

No idea what she would be doing in Bedford - unless she was flying back out of Luton and staying with someone up there overnight?

That's exactly what you would do if you lost a passport... except ED is hardly on the tourist trail, you'd assume she'd have been visiting someone in ED who would have been able to lend her the money...

[PeckhamRose]

They ALWAYS strike when they see your brain is occupied on something else.

In this case, cheese, money, etc.

Also, beware someone who starts talking to you as they hand back your change.

They know you're too polite to not reply rather than count the change they gave back.

PeckhamRose - in love with Derren Brown and The Mentalist.

[EDKiwi]

ah fair enough, it's sad that some people use others good will for their own gain.

A while ago Mrs Kiwi helped out a young Italian girl with map directions (in central London) only to find that she had nicked her phone out of her jacket pocket in the process, and the other week I give bus fare to a fella who approached me in a shop and seem genuine at the time only to be told by the shop keeper (who only noticed him as he walked out) that he had seem him around a bit with the same story.

...but still I think it's best not to be too cynical, I'd like to think that most people who ask for help are genuine...

[jim_the_chin]

I think you should trust most people right up until the point that they ask you for money.

A quick straw poll - has anyone here ever been short of money for any reason and asked a complete stranger for help? I know we're a biased sample but i just wondered.

[20stonegnome]

Scammed,but no shame in that . Think of the hours of practice she had to put in to cover every possible question or doubt you might raise,then think of the failed attempts and rebuffs,one almost admires the dedication .

You gave your personal details to a stranger.Watch out for letters saying you have won the Greek Lottery...'just fill in these few details to claim'.

[Carrie]

Oh dear - this is exactly the same story that my elderly aunt fell for a few weeks ago - that time it was in Raynes Park - she was rather chuffed to think she had helped someone in distress - I thought at the time it sounded like a scam but she said she would rather pay out to 5 scammers than miss the person who was genuinely in need.

[eater81]

You have to feel sorry for such scammers to have to resort to this kind of stuff. Is there a more dirty way to scrabble an existance than by scamming people for 20 quid here and there?

At least if you have been scammed you can console yourself in the fact that dispite having got one over on you this time the poor scammer can hardly be living the life of riley.

Banks on the other hand............grrrrrrrrr.

[Andystar]

Oh dear, i'm sorry that you got scammed, it totally p*sses me off when people prey on nice people..

It reminds me of the time a guy asked me for change for a bus as he needed to get to the hospital..Long story short, I gave him my travelcard as I didn't need it anymore then went to get some food. He came up to me five mins later & spun the same story again, when I told him that I just gave him a travelcard, he looked at me with a look of shock on his face & legged it...

[snowman]

Jim

to follow up on your straw poll...yes, one morning a few years ago I realised I had left my wallet, bus pass, etc on my desk at the office (I was given a lift home from work by a friend the previous night). That same night my new neighbours had moved in the flat downstairs. Didn't know what to do to get to work so knocked on their door first thing in the morning, introduced myself and asked for ?10 so I could get into work. To their credit they didn't bat an eyelid and I was able to borrow the money. Obviously that same night I gave the ?10 back with a nice bottle of wine. The bottle was shared in our garden that same night and we have been friends ever since...

[SMBJones]

Hi

For information purposes....if someone is stranded, they can get a relative/friend to go the nearest train station and ask for a silk arrangement, they pay for the ticket and the clerk will send a fax through to the stranded persons train station, hey presto one ticket will be issued

Maybe of use, you never know, you may be stranded one day

Barry

[reetpetite]

Now thats what I call service !

[Mikecg]

I've been working in London for about 15 years now, I worked for a PC sweatshop on Tottenham Crt RD where I cut my teeth in the IT industry. At the end of the month all the vagrants would come out in droves begging for money, after about the 3rd interaction with a street drinker trying to scrounge a few bob I thought if I carry on like this I'm gonna be as broke as them, whatever the story either whacked out on junk or a life revolving around drink you cant help some people. I really do find it intimidating when you get the ones that sit next to the cash point machine, and as soon as your money ejects from it the words "Can you spare any change" is often rambled from a wreched street urchin, in the end my reply became "Sorry I've only got a ?50 note". you become hardened to the constant whine of "can you spare any change please" I don't mean to be harsh but these people are beyond help, there is no need for any person in this country to be on the streets, I never give money to them anymore because I see it as keeping them on the streets.

PS Charidy begins at home.

[Mick Mac]

Are you sure she did not say she was going to "the Bedford". Its a pub in Balham - you might find her there, drunk.

[Applespider]

Never knew about the silk arrangement which is good to know. I was standing by the information booth at London Bridge one a few weeks ago when a businessman came up and said he'd had his wallet nicked which had his season ticket in it and all his cash and was wondering how to get home. I bought him a single ticket for ?7 back to his home and asked him to pay it forward sometime.

I've had kids try to play the map trick while picking pockets too while in Regent St. Luckily a pal had eagle eyes and caught them at it.

[BigPhil]

Trust No one , If you dont know them , dont give them money!

dont even break your stride to acknowledge the persons existance.

they count on the sucker to be "nice and helpful". dont be the sucker!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

You don't know me BigPhil, but I have to get to Luton to meet Lorraine. Could you let me have twenty quid please?

[fractionater]

For those of you who feel guilty about not 'sparing some change' to street beggars.....the solution is simple. just set up a monthly DD to a homeless charity (or any charity for that matter). You never need to worry about giving change to street beggars as you are contributing to their collective good - consience clear!

[SteveT]

wee quinnie it shows your humanity, good for you.

I saw that Jim Davidson recently and he actually made me laugh which is a surprise as I do not consider him to be anything special.

Davidson "there is a lot of poor people, and we should consider all the poor people in the world"

...................pause........................ "F*ck em"!

[Jyaque]

Sorry to hear that Quinnie.

I was approached by a well-dressed lady near a petrol service station a few year ago, who pointed to a reasonable-looking car on the forecourt and said she was almost out of petrol but had had her bag nicked, could I maybe spare her a fiver... I'm not the most trusting of people but everything fitted, so I did. On the way home my brain processed it through to the point Jim makes - no-one I know would ask strangers - they'd all go into the petrol station and ask if they could call someone they knew who might help.

I went back to my mate's flat and told the story, turns out she's there all the time, just waiting for someone to pull in so she can say it's her car. You have to admire the thought that goes into the human psyche that successful scamming takes.

Re the tramps, I have to get something in return: a joke. It's amazing how few of them are willing to give that and stumble off muttering...