Was this a scam?

JackieChan

Guys,
I was walking in to town yesterday from Thomas Street and this guy with an Italian accent pulls over and asks for directions to the airport. I gave him so details and he was off. He drove about 20m ahead and then pulled in and asked me to come over.
He said that he was over for an exhibition at brown thomas and said that he had three suits that he was given. He told me that he didn't want to take them back with him as he would be hit for the baggage.
He offered three for the price of one and said that it would be a cheap price.
He said that the goods were Visacci,etc.

I immediately suspected that this was a scam. Was I right?When I declined he said okay,thanked me and drove off.
If it is a scam how does it work?

beaker21

Yeah it sounds like a scam alright. Something similar happened to me a few years back when I was offered three leather versace jackets for the price of one off some foreigner in a car park or something...cant really remember the exact conversation but I think it was something similar. The scam is they are fake and are probably worth 10% of the money you give them.

Ruu_Old

Sounds dodgy enough alright, probably but on the suit and then start noticing a few threads out of place and before you know it, the suit would be in tatters.

Da Bounca

I've heard that exact story from someone else. On my way back to Italy, have these suits in the back.........

Now I think it's a scam.

havana

Had a similiar thing tried on me in Rome- no offence but do people really fall for these kind of things???Guess someone must or they wouldn't be bothering anymore In my case he was actually giving them to us, and oh by the way the petrol stations don't seem to be accepting my credit card any chance you could give me some cash seeing as how I just gave you free stuff!! .

leche solara

He said that the goods were Visacci,etc.

Visacci??
Who he??

FlutterinBantam

Yes def a scam... met the same guy in Airside retail Pk in Swords.... usual bs about doing a deal in BTs and going back to Italy.....

irlirishkev

I had the exact same thing happen me a couple of years ago when I lived in East Wall. Can't believe there's dudes going around spilling the same story after all this time..

Who the hell falls for these things?? Obviously some people do, otherwise they wouldn't still be trying it on!

Mind boggling.

toomevara

Had the very same thing last week in Nenagh, Co.Tipp...caught the guy cold beacuse I've lived in italy and i speak italian...he didn't...dont know what his nationality was..perhaps romanian, though cant be sure...same line, Said was a 'Beesneez' man, on a buying trip with brown Thomas, going home, wanted to offload some 'beeeuuutifoola jaketza' to me, his new 'friend' for a song...Avoid like the plague, total scam..its either a group plying the same nonsense or one very dedicated well travelled guy....

Once I rumbled him he couldnt get out of there quick enough...I was so bemused (early morning, hungover, struggling down the road, this dude just pulls in and gives me the spiel) that didnt get his reg, was driving a fiat though......

subway

its a bait and switch type scam,
people fall for them the same way they get sold stuff they dont need.
i know everyone on boards is the cream of irish intellect so obviously wont get stung,
but remember some people in ireland arent as smart as everyone on boards :rolleyes:

Gandhi

I was driving home from work one evening and this chick in a van shouts out to me that she had some top of the line speakers that she needed to get rid of. She was on her way back from a trade show in New York (this was in New Jersey) and her company didn't want to be bothered bringing them all the way back to their HQ. She told me I could have them for free.

I didn't bother - sounded too good to be true. Plus this was back when the "waking up in a bath of ice without your kidneys" urban legend was in full swing.

Hobbes

sounds like the milk for laptop scam.

Anyway added the thread to the scams page.
http://www.boards.ie/wiki/index.php/Scams

sturgo

It's a scam alright. A friend of mine works for a car rental firm. These guys come in quite often looking to rent a nice flash car. They go around building sites as-well. Real Cheesey Geezers.

Dun laoire

JackieChan wrote:

Guys,
I was walking in to town yesterday from Thomas Street and this guy with an Italian accent pulls over and asks for directions to the airport. I gave him so details and he was off. He drove about 20m ahead and then pulled in and asked me to come over.
He said that he was over for an exhibition at brown thomas and said that he had three suits that he was given. He told me that he didn't want to take them back with him as he would be hit for the baggage.
He offered three for the price of one and said that it would be a cheap price.
He said that the goods were Visacci,etc.

I immediately suspected that this was a scam. Was I right?When I declined he said okay,thanked me and drove off.
If it is a scam how does it work?

100% scam and i can tell you a story about my boss who got scammed by possibly the very same man.

The scammer noticed my boss in a garage getting petrol. He walked over to him and explained he was at an exhibition blah blah and had 3 suits left over and wanted to get rid of them cheap. Your man managed to get him over for a look. My boss who is normally sharp as a tack fell for this hook line and sinker. In fairness he did say "how do you know they are my size it's not like i can try them on" but the scammer sharp as a tack and without a blink of an eye said " i only came to you because the sizes i have are your fit" my boss then tried the whole "i would buy them but i have no money on me" trick but mr scammer wasnt gonna let him go because at this stage he knows he has him. My boss eventually caved in and went to a bank machine and handed over 300 euro (i think thats how much he paid anyway).

Be careful, he tells me they are very convincing.

Poker & Pints

WHo cares that it was a scam....Were the suits your size? What are the chances they were? Then what use would they be to you?

But it is a scam...they are knock offs from asia or turkey

lostexpectation

Dun laoire wrote:

100% scam and i can tell you a story about my boss who got scammed by possibly the very same man.

The scammer noticed my boss in a garage getting petrol. He walked over to him and explained he was at an exhibition blah blah and had 3 suits left over and wanted to get rid of them cheap. Your man managed to get him over for ws he has him. My boss eventually caved in and went to a bank machine and handed over 300 euro (i think thats how much he paid anyway).

Be careful, he tells me they are very convincing.

did he actually get any suit, were they crap?

Dyr

happened to a guy i know and he actually got his money back..dont remember the details but the moral was that tis always handy to know a few cops

Hobbes

yea checked around. Its a variation of the Speakers for Sale scam.

http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/InPerson/speaker_scams.htm

Dyr

#Elites wrote:

omfg...!

Was walking home, Italien guy pulls up ask for directions, i give them, then says "i have 3 leather jackets from a fashion show" and just hands them to me, and drives on!!!!!!!!

..which was nice

Gandhi

Hobbes wrote:

yea checked around. Its a variation of the Speakers for Sale scam.

http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/InPerson/speaker_scams.htm

Wow, so I must have got hit with one of the orginals. In my case it was a woman, which seems unusual according to that website. All the reported cases involved men.

What made me most suspicious was that this chick was way too hot to be stuck driving around a van. Presumably that was part of the scam, hoping that dudes would think "Mmm, hot chick. Take five, Brain. Willy's doing the thinking now".

r3nu4l

How come none of this interesting stuff ever happens to me? I've read loads fo threads about people pulling over in cars with laptops, speakers, leather goods, drugs etc. on offer but never had it happen to me!

What, do I look too cynical?

Do I look like I don't have a life...oh it's 1.43 in the morning and I'm posting on boards...maybe I don't have a life




Wow surprised my spelling is so good, I've had a few Kronenburgs in the pub tonight!

jimmycrackcorm

I could do with a new suit

Sam Vimes

happened to me about two years ago. the guy saw that i was wearing a dunnes uniform and still thought i'd have 300 euro spare. bwwahahahahahaha

JackieChan

What made me suspicious was that when he called me over to the car he showed the front of his passport to prove he was Italian. Don't think this is something you would do if you were for real.
The car was an aquamarine 06 rental. Looked like a punto also

Nehpets

#Elites wrote:

omfg...!

Was walking home, Italien guy pulls up ask for directions, i give them, then says "i have 3 leather jackets from a fashion show" and just hands them to me, and drives on!!!!!!!!

Did you check your wallet? Maybe he robbed you earlier

monkeyfudge

Oh yes.. I came across this very same one in Rome as well.

The petrol sation wouldn't take his credit card... boohoo

dubtom

I encountered these lads years ago selling leather jackets,same story,show at BT bla bla. If I remeber right Joe duffy, or maybe gerry ryan, had people follow these lads around confronting them. Can't remeber the outcome.I'm not even sure if what they do is illegal, apart from trading without a licence,what they do is not really that different from the guys who used to set up shop around town with those super cheap auctions selling all kinds of electrical goods for next to nothing, first ten for a fiver etc.When you get the stuff home they usually dont work or if they do their crap.

Karl Hungus

Got this once in a carpark, some fella trying to unload "Leather" jackets on me. Fat chance. In fairness though, you really do have to be thick as a plank to go for one of those scams, and I've no sympathy for anyone who gets stung.

L31mr0d

I seem to get hit by these guys a lot, They even approach when i'm abroad trying to get me to buy fake LV hand bags, which is a little insulting.

I usually entertain them and try on the jackets or say i'm very interested and that I have friends that would love them, then out of the blue, mid speel I just walk away. At least I delayed them for a few minutes. My friend bought 3 of them before, and within a month the stitches where falling out, one night we where out and somebody tugged on one the arms and it came clean off, he just turns around and says "ah well, 2 more where that came from "

I was working in Statoil for the summer before and there is a busstop right in front of it. There was this african guy in a suit with a big bag you'd bring to the airport waiting at the bus stop for around 20 minutes. He eventually came into the petrol station, giving us the usual jazz, that he had to catch a flight, didn't want to pay for luggage... blah di blah, he had a load of DG watchs and sunglasses to unload, buy 3 for 2. My manager for petes sake forked out €200. I just looked at him in amazement. After the guy left he didn't even go back to the bus stop, he started walking down into the town, obviously to the same thing again outside another shop.