Dublin's latest scam

bragan

Not sure if this is the right place to post this,but heres the story anyway:

About two months ago, my friend and I were walking down abbey street, beside Bus Aras. A man stopped us. He was very panicky, and upset. He was of slim build, early - mid forties, and darkish hair. He spoke with a strong Scottish accent. He told us that he had just arrived in Ireland today, and he had got his bag robbed, which contained his phone, wallet, money etc. He had managed to find a hostel that would let him say without any I.D but he had no money to pay for it, and could we loan him some money.

Now, I'm ashamed to say usually I wouldn't give someone who stopped me on the street money, but I felt so sorry for him. You could tell he was really upset, as he nearly started crying. To be honest, it was his panic that made me give him some money. My friend and I gave him about five euro, and I felt guilty that I hadn't been able to give him more, as I could just imagine how horrible it would be, to be in a strange city, and be in that situation.

Two weeks ago, I met a friend of mine, and she began telling me a story of how she had got stopped by a man near Grafton street. She was describing him, and it struck me that his description was a lot like the "poor Scottish man" my friend and I had encountered. And she continued telling me how he had just arrived in Dublin, from Glasgow, his bags had been robbed, he had no money, or passport, but luckily had found a hostel that he could stay in with out I.D, he just needed some money to pay for it. You can imagine my shock, at realising I had been taken for a fool.

I have a feeling that this may have happened to a lot of other people. I know alot of you will probably think i was stupid for falling for his story, but i have to say he does it very well, any normally i wouldn't believe things like that.

Anyway, i was wondering has anyone else met this scottish scammer??

Saruman

lol thats one of the oldest ones in the book!!! Have had people do that before,... i ignore and walk on.

Kali

Yep oldest speel ever.

Berger

Haha, I ran into that guy at St Stephens Green a few weeks ago. Same story, from Scotland. I gave him about 30c!

Stix

If you were abroad and got caught on the hop like that, wouldnt you ring home to family or friends instead of stopping someone in the street ?

dregin

I've definitely run into him at least once too.

meditraitor

I first came across that scottish dude about a year ago walking down the quays, same story, threw him a few quid then low and behold six months ago the same **** with the same story,, he's been around a while , just shows iRELAND is full of mugs..

Medi

Saruman

Of course hence its utter crap... cant afford the call in a payphone... call collect... Hell he could have gone to an embassy... in fact next time anyone meets someone... say no money for you and direct him to his embassy (if you know where it is). Or turn around to him and say "Oh come with me and we will find a friendly police officer for you."

bragan

Stix wrote:

If you were abroad and got caught on the hop like that, wouldnt you ring home to family or friends instead of stopping someone in the street ?

No, because you phone/wallet/money is gone. how would you ring home??Ask people for money.................

Beruthiel

bragan
this is not a PI
please read this forums charter
thanks
B

LundiMardi

bragan wrote:

No, because you phone/wallet/money is gone. how would you ring home??Ask people for money.................

ever heard of reversing the charges?

Canis Lupus

I wonder how much money is made by guys like this. I used to get that sort of a story at least once a week while in college in Dub but cos I'm a stingy bastard I usually just walk away from anyone who includes the words "give" and "money" in a single sentence.

BossArky

Canis Lupus wrote:

I usually just walk away from anyone who includes the words "give" and "money" in a single sentence.

Canis Lupus, how about I give you lots of money?

Dr.Feelgood

Maybe someone from boards should try it for a week and let us know how he/she gets on!!

I am not volunteering

fintan

That guy has been around for a few years now, he has asked me for money on at least 5 different occasions.

LegacyUser

must be one pricey hostel

Ph3n0m

what about the other guy who goes around begging and is deaf/pretends to be deaf?

irlirishkev

I wouldn't give him any money, but I might offer to show him to the local copshop.. that'd probably give him something to think about :rolleyes:

Stench Blossoms

Ph3n0m wrote:

what about the other guy who goes around begging and is deaf/pretends to be deaf?

I think i've seen him on Westmoreland St. Is he kinda small with big glasses? He handed me a piece of paper that said something like "€5 for bus fare" and then pointed to his ear as if he was deaf. I was gonna give him money but all i had was my bus fare. I later seen him goin into a bookies..

Kingsize

The same guy tried to scam me with it about a year ago on georges st
He didnt seem too worried about his situation when i seen him coming out of paddy powers on abbey st a few days later

Canis Lupus

BossArky wrote:

Canis Lupus, how about I give you lots of money?

Okay

*blissfully ignores the point*

Kingsize

practically everybody ignores that deaf guy ive always wondered what if he was holding up the winning lotto ticket & was offering me half the proceeds...

Ph3n0m

unless lotto tickets are now available on plain white paper - then no, he is just on the prowl for an easy mark - good thing I am not charitble to anyone begging in the street

ISAW

paperclip wrote:

must be one pricey hostel

Ask him where the hostel is because you have a brother in law that can deliver clothes etc. to him. then tell him he can stay with you. you can meet him in half an hour with some money but first you have to get in touch with your father and brother who you live with to tell them someone else will be staying toningt and for a couple of days. then tell him your father is retired works from the director for consumer affairs and your brother is a Garda in the fraud squad. they have great contacts with the Scottish Police since your brother just returned from one of his many conferences to strangrare where they give international courses on ATM and other frauds and scams. He should have no problems in getting new ID papers and finances sorted out.

Then tell him maybe it is better you forget about meeting him in half an hour. Lets just go directly now since the father and brother are all at home. You can go straight to your house. It is only ten minutes by taxi. If he flags one down he is probably telling the truth.

Repli

That scottish guy tried to scam me before with the same story one day when I was walkin to college with my friends, I just said to him "Thats the worst scottish accent Ive ever heard" and kept walking lol..

uberwolf

I once gave a chap money using the hostel line, then had to ask him for some back as I realised I'd neglected to reserve enough for my bus fair.

Kingsize

good thing I am not charitble to anyone begging in the street

yeah I lived on georges st for nearly 4 years you really grow intolerant of all the worthless scamming *****s out there.
I really got to hate them all especially the bogus homeless who sit at bank machines begging &trying to guilt people into giveing them cash & then walk home loaded at the end of the day.

the scottish guy has just got a better "background story" but most people that ive come accross who are "looking for money for a hostel" are just scammers.
most of the cities hostels shut their doors & are full fairly early in the evening as far as i know- i once offered to bring one of these guys to a hostel & pay his entire fee for the night but he was apparently was "waiting for his mate"

KTRIC

Kingsize wrote:

practically everybody ignores that deaf guy ive always wondered what if he was holding up the winning lotto ticket & was offering me half the proceeds...

That guy has been around for years. I was with my now ex girlfreind and he stopped us just outside Eason's with the stupid piece of paper. We had a great laugh when my girlfreind started trying to talk to him in sign-language. He was totally shocked and just walked off mumbling.

grimsbymatt

While I was a student I encountered a good 'un. This bloke came up to me, puffing and panting really vigorously. Between his hasty breaths, he explained that he was having an asthma attack (it was very realistic, he'd obviously practised it) and needed some money for a taxi to the hospital.

I explained that I had no money, but would call him an ambulance if he really needed to go. Ignoring this, he went on to show me his appointment card for the clinic he 'attends' to see a doctor and then showed me the stump of his missing finger, which apparently proved that he worked on a nearby building site.

I again explained that I didn't have a penny on me. His asthma attack immediately calmed down and eventually stopped and he walked along side me, asking whereabouts the best place was to find all the students. I pointed down the road and we both went on our merry ways.

I was later told by a friend that she had seen this guy and had felt sorry for him and given him some money!

BizzyC

bragan wrote:

No, because you phone/wallet/money is gone. how would you ring home??Ask people for money.................

Ever here of collect call???

I was stopped with the same story, by a welshman!
There changing nationality now!

Wigertoods

Got caught out once by some fella on D'olier st. who
claimed to be short of his nitelink fare.Only had about €1
in change and gave it to him.Saw the same p***k a
week or two later badgering people with the same line.

Giving the f****r the money wasn't the bit that bugged me
but the idea of people preying on the compasion of others
just pisses me right off.

chump

there was an article about him in one of the sunday papers a few weeks ago, the journo got done for a hundred or 2 hundred euro... sucker!

Kernel

But you people are worse to give these scammers any money at all, even 1euro or 30 cents. As stated in the Romany Gypsy thread, **** them, give them nothing, then they'll stop chancing their arm. It's only probably because you lads are afraid of the person or are afraid to say 'no' for some other reason ,that you hand over anything.

Kingsize

theres a simple solution dont give any of the fukkers your money.
It may sound bad but believe me its the only way that genuinely needy people are going to get the attention they need.it makes me so angry to see people going to the bother of going out & giving soup & sandwiches to scam artists & bogus beggars who all go home to their comfy beds after a hard days graft( or should i say grift).

bragan

Kernel wrote:

But you people are worse to give these scammers any money at all, even 1euro or 30 cents. As stated in the Romany Gypsy thread, **** them, give them nothing, then they'll stop chancing their arm. It's only probably because you lads are afraid of the person or are afraid to say 'no' for some other reason ,that you hand over anything.

i agree with you on that. and as i said i wouldn't usually give people money. i have said no on many occasions. this guy is particulary good at being scared and upset, which is why i was so annoyed.

BizzyC

Genuinely needy people tend seek help from organisations.
The vast majority of people begging are those that don't have a valid case to receive aid, and are just chancing their arm.

Crash

He's tried that one on me about five times in the past two years - didnt have any cash on me the first time - anyhow kinda twigged it was waaay too well rehearsed.

petes

tell them to fook off

AARRRGH

The fact that he claims he is a tourist who got a "traditional irish welcome" (a mugging) really infuriates me.

I have seen him many times.

Next time, I'm decking him. Seriously. I know I will get in trouble for this, but he deserves it.

I seriously hate that guy.

The Corinthian

bragan wrote:

Anyway, i was wondering has anyone else met this scottish scammer??

He’s been working the city centre for a few years now and seems to specialize in short cons, such as the one you described. I’ve personally run into him so many times at this stage that he recognizes me and will joke about not wasting each other’s time.

Kernel wrote:

As stated in the Romany Gypsy thread, **** them, give them nothing, then they'll stop chancing their arm.

On old friend once described it me as protection money. His reasoning, which makes sense, is stop giving such individuals money and they’ll have to find another source of income and oddly enough this is unlikely to be a job. As a result many will turn to crime, often violent.

For example, in the case of Romany Gypsies in Italy, as Italians are not terribly predisposed to giving them money they’ve turned to a number of other trades of which the most infamous are pick-pocketing and child kidnapping / trafficking.

Kingsize

your mates reasoning does make sense
but im not sure we should pay people just because they may turn violent & i cant see why you or i should have to reach in our pockets to give them our hard earned in the 1st place.
the reason these people are out there in such numbers is because people are so willing to give them their cash.

BuffyBot

Came across one just like him (Scottish and all) working the same con in Schiphol airport a few weeks ago - perhaps he decided to take a holiday with all the cash he's making

RuggieBear

Actually i was stopped by a guy near Bray Dart station a few years aback looking for money for a bus....he told me he was a drug addict and needed to get to a hospital coz he was having delusions and hurting himself. He then rolled up the sleeve on his left arm where he had cut himself every cm or so, all the way up his arm, from his wrist to his shoulder...most were quite shallow but some were gaping wide and a few he had "stitched" together with a piece of old string. Probably the most disgusting thing i've ever seen up close.

I gave him his bus fare.

BizzyC

There's a guy in bray who stands infront of spar on the mainstreet every night. He used to ask me for busfare home, now he's asking for "money for the homeless".
He's always smoking too, if he's so poor then how does he afford cigarettes?

segadreamcast

The Corinthian wrote:

He’s been working the city centre for a few years now and seems to specialize in short cons, such as the one you described. I’ve personally run into him so many times at this stage that he recognizes me and will joke about not wasting each other’s time.

On old friend once described it me as protection money. His reasoning, which makes sense, is stop giving such individuals money and they’ll have to find another source of income and oddly enough this is unlikely to be a job. As a result many will turn to crime, often violent.

For example, in the case of Romany Gypsies in Italy, as Italians are not terribly predisposed to giving them money they’ve turned to a number of other trades of which the most infamous are pick-pocketing and child kidnapping / trafficking.

Nice story and all - yet it still doesn't really hide the fact that your friend is a bit of a plank who throws money at people who don't deserve it. Indeed, it's this "fear/compassion" for what these people might become/what they might do, that they thrive upon - it's almost like a schoolyard bully syndrome in a sense...

The Corinthian

NoelRock wrote:

Nice story and all - yet it still doesn't really hide the fact that your friend is a bit of a plank who throws money at people who don't deserve it. Indeed, it's this "fear/compassion" for what these people might become/what they might do, that they thrive upon - it's almost like a schoolyard bully syndrome in a sense...

Of course, if you don't want to give them money and you don't want them to turn to more violent types of crime, then you have to deal with root problem - which is unlikely to happen given our track record on dealing with problems that can otherwise be ignored. So in all practical terms he was not such a plank.

Nonetheless, I know what I would probably do to solve the problem, but I suspect it would cause me to end up in the Hague.

RuggieBear

The Corinthian wrote:

Nonetheless, I know what I would probably do to solve the problem, but I suspect it would cause me to end up in the Hague.

booze cruise..?

segadreamcast

The Corinthian wrote:

Of course, if you don't want to give them money and you don't want them to turn to more violent types of crime, then you have to deal with root problem - which is unlikely to happen given our track record on dealing with problems that can otherwise be ignored. So in all practical terms he was not such a plank.

Nonetheless, I know what I would probably do to solve the problem, but I suspect it would cause me to end up in the Hague.

I think we both see each other's point of view clearly enough. I'd be with you in your personal solution :P unless you actually did mean booze cruise as the above suggested .

Kingsize

I wonder did the scottish scammer in schiphol jokingly say he got a "typical dutch welcome" ...

Blisterman

I hate the beggers who ask you why? When you say you're not giving them any money. And walk doen the street beside you.

Sparky

i never give money to people on the street who ask for it, because say if your talking out some coins out of your wallet, they will eye you up on what you have. I give to people who have a cup and are sitting on the footpath.

There was a story i heard from a guy on the subway in NY that this begger goes around the trains and on average makes $400 a day.