Scammed on Lordship Lane - not sure?

[Peckwich]

I was approached on Farringdon Road today by a young lady, teary eyed, said she had just been in a bar (at this point I was feeling trepidation that a crime may have occurred) and had had an argument with her boyfriend and needed to borrow money home. She needed ?7 to go from Farringdon Station to Dorking. I could take one of her earrings as collateral, would meet me there again tomorrow to repay me, or I could speak to her mum on the phone. She offered me an earring twice and insisted they were real (they were giant pretzels painted in gold). She didn't convince me somehow, when I said 'no' she exclaimed, "I don't believe it" and as I walked away, heard her trying to flag another person down. Went past her on the bus and saw a suited gentleman stooping down to listen to her story. One thing for sure, she had been drinking. It's a hard call to make and if I had been in a different mood or if she had caught me at another time (or if she hadn't kept offering me her cheap earrings) I may have been more sympathetic.

I have been caught out once by a girl in a supermarket carpark asking for bus fare home as she was alone and her parents hadn't given her enough dosh to get the bus home. I thought nothing of it and gave her the money which wasn't much but every penny was counted at the time, being a student. She immediately headed off to join a group of people who looked like her family! Small fry, I guess but it made me that little bit more cynical.

Another time, a friend and I stopped on the Southbank as there was a teenage girl sitting on the ground weeping whilst numerous people walked by. We asked her if she was okay and she said she needed money to get to a hostel in Camberwell. We asked how much and when she said ?10, alarm bells started ringing in my head but my friend being quite naive got out a tenner and gave it to her. She did ask for more money at this point but did not get it. My friend may have even offered her a lift there instead but she declined!

[The Joker]

So, some random person asked you for ?20 and yo uhanded it ocer in the street? I applaud and admire your altruism and trusting human nature.

However, I am also curious about one thing.....

..When and where are you next going shopping? *practices Eastern European accent*

[jim_the_chin]

Ted Max Wrote:

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> This woman should move her pitch to LL. She'd

> clean up.

I just came here to post that Ted, but you'd b3tan me to it - it's a strange story.

[ErnestoCHE]

you handed over 20 quid without even doubting the woman.

your a plank, chalk it up to stupidity and living a sheltered cheese block lifestyle

[summerjt]

Hi OP, sorry you got scammed. It's nice that some posters think it's good to think the best of people, and to help people out where you can. However, having lived in London for several years now, I have to say that I don't give anyone in the street who is grafting my attention, let alone my money. I must have developed some kind of shield, because I don't get asked very often now, while it seems that when I'm out and about in London with friends from other parts of the country, they seem to get hassled all the time. Having said that, if I saw someone who looked as if they were unwell, I would certainly step in to try to help, but that would be me volunteering my time and attention. It's a sad fact of life that in London, I don't trust anyone.:(

[ludoscotts]

Hi I got scammed on my doorstep, a woman came to the door saying she lived further down the street and that she had an electric or gas metre(cant remember which now) that you have to top up and that it had run out but she had no money until her husband came home from work and that she had 2 children in the house. she wanted to borrow some money and said her husband would call in on the way home and pay it back, she didnt have a coat or bag just the key thing for the metre and her house keys so it did seem like she had just come a few doors down to see if anyone could help, I gave her ?5 and never saw it again- suppose thats the age we livi in where you dont know your neighbours! so dont know if they are telling the truth. one to watch out for though.

[Jeremy]

Oldest trick in the book!

[anonymous_third_part]

buddug Wrote:

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> Hi - I've been had by this one. It was near Old

> Street tube a few months ago. As he approached I

> began to do the 'avoid beggar shimmy', but was

> stopped in my tracks when he showed me the gaping

> wound. When I asked what he'd done, he said he'd

> just fallen off his bike and needed a taxi to get

> to hospital. I was really shocked as it's quite

> big and looks dreadful. I gave him a ?10 note as

> that's the only cash I had! Needless to say he

> didn't hail a cab there and then. Later I wondered

> if it was a scam, but came to the conclusion no

> one could be that desperate, and if they were then

> good luck to them. Opening the wound constantly,

> if that's what he does, can't be doing him any

> good either.

I've seen this bloke at Charing Cross- amazing how much cash he pulls in with it. The bloke I saw was Scottish. Probably a good thing to do to get cash.

Never give money out to anyone who cold calls you or apporoaches you in the street.