Christmas Scams
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 9:51 pm
Tis the season to be joy, Fa la la la ~ la la la la.
At this time of year many of us are in a giving mood, generous and want to believe that everyone is out to do well. I wonder. Perhaps I am just skeptical.
About a week ago as I was loading my groceries into my car a man approached me holding a gas can and asked if I could give him some money to buy gas. I told him all I had was my debit card and that I never carry cash, sorry. He pressed on that even perhaps $5.00; which would not even buy him two gallons of gas made me leery. “No, I’m afraid I cannot help you today. Sorry.â€
I felt guilty….yes guilty as I drove away cuz what if he was telling the truth? But then again around the holidays a lot of folks try to take advantage of the giving season.
Two days ago I had a doctor’s appointment and as I left his office building and headed to my car I started to return some phone calls. I stood outside my car finishing up a call when a woman, who I would say was in her 50’s; appeared huffing and puffing and exclaiming how she was glad she caught up to me. She started to tell her tale that she had an appointment at the hospital across the street for a kidney injection and her mother dropped her off there at 7:00 AM. Her readings were low so they gave her some juice to drink and they kept her for a while before issuing the injection; her details were a little too much and something I really didn’t need to know. She introduced herself as Cynthia, asked my name and then presented me with her photo ID card and a debit card and went on to explain that she no longer lives at the address on the ID card but had moved to an area across town with her mother. Her mother was concerned cuz she had to be in another part of town for work by 8:30 and told Cynthia she would have to wait till 4:00 to be picked up. Cynthia felt sure she could catch the “green†county bus that ran to her side of town only to find out as she boarded the bus they discontinued that route about 6 months ago. So Cynthia called a cab and once in the cab presented her debit card which came up $13.55 short for the trip so the driver put her out at the gas station about a block away. She called her mother who then called the cab company only to find out they do not take credit cards over the phone cuz of repeated occurrences of them not going thru. So here is Cynthia standing in front of me with her ID and debit card in hand asking if I could help her by giving her $13.55. Her phone starts to ring and as she reaches into her pocket say “don’t worry I am not getting a gun just my phone.†I am wondering once again if this is a scam. She takes the call and says “mom, I’ll have to call you back as I am trying to get the money to get home. I am not feeling too well.â€
So here I am. I know I have about $4.00 cash in my wallet and some change from my Animal Advocates change cans in the back seat so I count out for Cynthia $13.75; a twenty cents bonus and hand it over to her. She hugged me; god blessed me and went on her way. Now when I got in the car I looked for her but it was as if she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
So what do you think?
Was this a holiday scam?
If anything her story was worthy of $13.75.
Merry Christmas!!
At this time of year many of us are in a giving mood, generous and want to believe that everyone is out to do well. I wonder. Perhaps I am just skeptical.
About a week ago as I was loading my groceries into my car a man approached me holding a gas can and asked if I could give him some money to buy gas. I told him all I had was my debit card and that I never carry cash, sorry. He pressed on that even perhaps $5.00; which would not even buy him two gallons of gas made me leery. “No, I’m afraid I cannot help you today. Sorry.â€
I felt guilty….yes guilty as I drove away cuz what if he was telling the truth? But then again around the holidays a lot of folks try to take advantage of the giving season.
Two days ago I had a doctor’s appointment and as I left his office building and headed to my car I started to return some phone calls. I stood outside my car finishing up a call when a woman, who I would say was in her 50’s; appeared huffing and puffing and exclaiming how she was glad she caught up to me. She started to tell her tale that she had an appointment at the hospital across the street for a kidney injection and her mother dropped her off there at 7:00 AM. Her readings were low so they gave her some juice to drink and they kept her for a while before issuing the injection; her details were a little too much and something I really didn’t need to know. She introduced herself as Cynthia, asked my name and then presented me with her photo ID card and a debit card and went on to explain that she no longer lives at the address on the ID card but had moved to an area across town with her mother. Her mother was concerned cuz she had to be in another part of town for work by 8:30 and told Cynthia she would have to wait till 4:00 to be picked up. Cynthia felt sure she could catch the “green†county bus that ran to her side of town only to find out as she boarded the bus they discontinued that route about 6 months ago. So Cynthia called a cab and once in the cab presented her debit card which came up $13.55 short for the trip so the driver put her out at the gas station about a block away. She called her mother who then called the cab company only to find out they do not take credit cards over the phone cuz of repeated occurrences of them not going thru. So here is Cynthia standing in front of me with her ID and debit card in hand asking if I could help her by giving her $13.55. Her phone starts to ring and as she reaches into her pocket say “don’t worry I am not getting a gun just my phone.†I am wondering once again if this is a scam. She takes the call and says “mom, I’ll have to call you back as I am trying to get the money to get home. I am not feeling too well.â€
So here I am. I know I have about $4.00 cash in my wallet and some change from my Animal Advocates change cans in the back seat so I count out for Cynthia $13.75; a twenty cents bonus and hand it over to her. She hugged me; god blessed me and went on her way. Now when I got in the car I looked for her but it was as if she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.
So what do you think?
Was this a holiday scam?
If anything her story was worthy of $13.75.
Merry Christmas!!