Scams you have fallen for

I read an article at lunch about a woman who had tried to scam an elderly nun - when the nun called her bluff she robbed her.

The nun was more streetwise than I was.

I fell for a similar scam several years ago - a woman stopped me on the street, told me some tale about needing to get home in a hurry and asked me for a pound to get the bus home - I gave the money and didn't realise I had been scammed until I saw the same woman in the same place asking for the same thing a few weeks later.

Another time I bought a Big Issue from a homeless guy - for those who don't know it is a magazine sold by the homeless as a way to earn some cash. When I sat down to read it I copped on that the issue was old and grubby - the guy wasn't a legitimate seller and had just fished on old copy out of a bin and sold it to me.

Anyone else have stories of scams they fell for or which you saw was a scam from a mile away?

Are you as streetwise as that nun?

FTA69

Sounds terrible mate. For five pounds I can tell you how to avoid such scams in future.

electrobanana

Might go to mass Sunday.

Boom_Bap

IN before the OP gives out thier Back Account number and sort code.

Boom_Bap

Boom_Bap wrote: »

IN before the OP gives out thier Back Account number and sort code.

It's **-**-** ********
Edit - boards must edit it out automatically

kjl

I have a real **** one. This was when camera phones were just hitting the market. I was on ebay and saw a great deal on 100 nokia camera phones. I thought this is great I can make a nice profit on the phones and the seller has a reputation of over 100,000 which was very high for the time.

Long story short myself and friend send €2000 to some dude in romania called Ned and we never got the phones. Turns out he had hacked the ebay account.

Lesson learned though, as I am always wary of scams nowadays.

jimgoose

Deleted User wrote: »

...the guy wasn't a legitimate seller and had just fished on old copy out of a bin and sold it to me...

Did you happen to get his name? I want to buy that man a pint. Oh well-hit, Chief!! :D:D

FTA69

Look if someone's begging for money on the street then it's more than likely they're after booze or drugs. Some addicts look like perfectly normal people who can convincingly say they lost their bus ticket/student card etc. I've seen people in suits out begging like. I know a notorious heroin addict and thief in Cork City and while doing the door of one club I noticed him dipping in and out of pubs in Washington Village dressed in a sharp suit looking to swipe iPhones or handbags. If you didn't know him you wouldn't give him a second glance and you wouldn't for a second think he was a complete degenerate.

In short, no matter how genuine someone seems if they're pan-handling money on the street or at people's doors they are more often than not on the rob. Another one that scams loads of people is pub to pub or door to door "charity" collecting.

Gloomtastic!

Going to Fairyhouse on Easter Monday with the family when I was a teenager. Lost all my money on a three card trickster before I even got past the turnstiles. What a twat!! :rolleyes:

gobnaitolunacy

Almost got dragged into a rigged card game in malaysia, backed out straight away and made my excuses when the subject of money was broached.

In short, anyone offering a Westerner an unbelievably quick way to make a few bucks is a con artist.

wobzilla1

My mate once ordered a 32Gb memory stick off Ebay.
At the time this was a huge amount of memory and he couldn't believe it.

When it arrived he couldn't figure out why it wouldn't work.
We cracked it open and it was just a USB male connection with absolutely nothing attached to it, just glued into the enclosure.

castletownman

I THOUGHT THE COP WAS A PROSTITUTE!

B.A._Baracus

Deleted User wrote: »

I fell for a similar scam several years ago - a woman stopped me on the street, told me some tale about needing to get home in a hurry and asked me for a pound to get the bus home - I gave the money and didn't realise I had been scammed until I saw the same woman in the same place asking for the same thing a few weeks later.

This is why I don't give anyone money.
You see the same people tapping day in and day out. Always with some sob story.

Seedy Arling

I read in the paper about some guy that called to an elderly mans home and said he was calling to inspect the serial numbers on twenty euro notes. I think the old man told him to feck off and the guy beat him up then.

Anyone

Tesco's Car park Scam


This is an old scam that has started up again....


This is a warning to men who may be regular Tesco customers. Over
the last months I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping.
Simply going out to get a few odd's and ends has turned out to be quite
traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your
friends.

Here's how the scam works:

Two very hot 25-26 year-old girls come over to your car as you are packing your shopping into the boot. They both start wiping your windscreen with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy little T-shirts. It is impossible not to look.

When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to another store. You agree and they get in the backseat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.


I had my wallet stolen May 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th &
24th. Also June 1st, 4th, twice on the 6th, three times
last Saturday and it's very likely to happen again this coming weekend.

So tell your friends to be careful.

P.S. Dealz have wallets on offer for 1.49 each.

Sin City

Wallet inspecter

wobzilla1

Seedy Arling wrote: »

I read in the paper about some guy that called to an elderly mans home and said he was calling to inspect the serial numbers on twenty euro notes. I think the old man told him to feck off and the guy beat him up then.

http://deadon.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/wallet_inspector.jpg

stevedublin

Trying to put a roof over your head pre-2006.

Irish Guitarist

Years ago a Romanian with a child stopped me in the street. He had a sign saying he needed €10. I felt sorry for the child and handed the man about €3 in change. Suddenly he developed the ability to speak without the aid of a sign and said "that's not enough. I need €10". I shook my head and walked off but what I should really have done was grabbed the money back out of the ungrateful bastards hand.

stoeger

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Years ago a Romanian with a child stopped me in the street. He had a sign saying he needed €10. I felt sorry for the child and handed the man about €3 in change. Suddenly he developed the ability to speak without the aid of a sign and said "that's not enough. I need €10". I shook my head and walked off but what I should really have done was grabbed the money back out of the ungrateful bastards hand.

wouldn't even look at then filthy c%#ts can't stand then

looking_around

I absulotely HATE the sob stories. In this day and age most people have access to money somehow. Lose a bank card? ..most banks now give you emergency cash.
If it's a student, the bus driver will know them and will let them get away with it if they lost their ticket. (happen to me).

I had one yesterday..she looked bout late 20's I think. I'm walking into the bus station and she looks at me.."hey you, can I talk to you"..I pause for a second expecting her to ask if she's at the right bus(this happens frequently enough)
She starts "I have a daughter in hospital and I..." I walk on.. "hey wait, come back, please"..
She was there with some guy, and shortly after another woman joined..and the 3 walk away laughing.. .
o0

It's a big thing in limerick. There's a set of them, always the same people, begging for money to feed their poor kids.
No one in Ireland is THAT poor.. we have a generous welfare system. They can feck off.. ever see them, getting their kids to beg too!! ..how the fcuks is that allowed??.

And the things is, I'm not against giving money to street performes, play some music, dress up, ..whatevers.. at least it's something.. but don't sit there whining!

I thought of another one - a girl approached me in the street with a gold ring in her hand and asked me was it mine - she had just found it on the ground.

I had a bit more sense that time and told her to get lost.

Later I heard a tourist in a bar talking about this gold ring he had found and wondering how much it might be worth.

Presumably he had given some money to the girl for finding 'his' ring thinking he was making a quick buck.

hatrickpatrick

The Labour Party.
I voted for Eamonn Gilmore

Irish Guitarist

stoeger wrote: »

wouldn't even look at then filthy c%#ts can't stand then

This was a good few years ago and was my first encounter with one of them. I learned the hard way what scam artists they are.

stefan idiot jones

Not a scam as such, but in London a few years ago a team of scumbags were going into pubs looking lost. They opened their maps and were asking people sitting at tables for directions. While the unfolded map was held out in front of them, the sneaky cutns would swipe mobiles etc. that were on the table under the map.

I hope they all die roaring.

dgt

Those stores that open up and immediately have a liquidation sale..... Yeah

mick_ee

tinkers painting sheds who use mostly diesel with a small drop of paint

suicide_circus

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Years ago a Romanian with a child stopped me in the street. He had a sign saying he needed €10. I felt sorry for the child and handed the man about €3 in change. Suddenly he developed the ability to speak without the aid of a sign and said "that's not enough. I need €10". I shook my head and walked off but what I should really have done was grabbed the money back out of the ungrateful bastards hand.

Roma =/= Romanian.

USA, Brazil and Spain all have higher Roma populations than Romania.

I am pie

Nearly got stung with the money for a train ticket routine. Woman was balling and in tears in West Hampstead in London, I foolishly asker was she alright, she gave me a spiel about finding her husband hanging out of some young one in her house and that she had just discovered them in the act. She had to get to her sisters in Kent but had left her bag behind and couldn't face going back in.

Luckily I had no cash, I explained that I had nothing on me but I'd be glad to buy her a ticket with my card as I was on my way to the station.

The volley of abuse that came out of her after that! What a wretch.

Elmer Blooker

Love and romance.

I'm older and wiser now.

strobe

mick_ee wrote: »

tinkers painting sheds who use mostly diesel with a small drop of paint

Sounds awful make uppey .