http://www.herald.ie/national-news/conmen-make-euro1000-a-day-in-laptop-scam-1699920.html
Conmen make €1,000 a day in laptop scam
By Cormac Looney
Monday April 06 2009
GARDAI are hunting two conmen who are suspected of making €1,000 a day using a fake computer scam.
The pair, both believed to be Travellers and in their early 20s, were found by gardai last week as they tried to defraud two Polish men of cash by selling them fake laptops on the street. But no cash had been handed over and so gardai could not arrest the men.
The two conmen are believed to have struck at a number of locations around Dublin over the past two months, travelling in a mid-2000s reg Freelander jeep, which has Donegal plates. They are described as "well dressed".
The men operate by offering an unsuspecting buyer a genuine laptop for sale, for which they produce a receipt and guarantee. The machine, which is worth €1,000, is offered for €200. As the buyer hands the cash over, one of the conmen distracts him by offering some of the money back, as a goodwill gesture.
According to the reports, as the conman does this his associate switches the laptop bag, and hands the unsuspecting buyer a bag filled with water.
Reports
An electronic alert about the men's activities has been issued across Dublin police stations. The two men are known to gardai, a source said, and have a previous conviction for theft for deception. They have been up to a dozen reports of the scam across different parts of the city in recent weeks.
Gardai have yet to receive an official complaint of the theft, and they believe the reason for this is that people are embarrassed at being conned.
Anyone who has been approached by the pair is asked to contact their local garda station, or the garda confidential line on 1800 666 111.
A source said: "People are a bit reluctant to come forward because they may feel foolish. But we need to get these people, because we believe they are trying this four or five times a day."
The scam is the latest in a series of frauds involving the sale of laptops on city streets in recent years. Most of the incident involve gullible buyers handing over cash and being given empty laptop cases in return, or cases filled with papers, or other weights.
Seriously, who would be stupid enough to buy a laptop from 2 guys in a jeep.
People who give in to this don't deserve any sympathy
