Believable con-artist
A story we heard on East Coast Radios Crime Watch insert resonated with us recently, so we thought it would be a good idea to warn others about clever conmen and women.
The tale centred around a very believable man who told people that he’d been mugged and needed to get home to Newcastle. He appeared so genuine, with a bloody and bruised eye and an affidavit confirming he’d been mugged, that people willingly parted with their money in order to help. Turns out he is a very successful con-artist as a number of people came forward saying they’d helped the same man.
Not the only one to fall for a con-artist
It brought to mind several similar stories that we’d been taken in by, just because we all want to help those in trouble. We remember a woman that went door to door in a Durban suburb collecting money to get back to her children after a similar disaster. She gave a number to phone to check on her story. Of course, the person at the other end of the phone was also acon-artist and did just that as they were obviously in on the scam. She floated around the suburb until the locals cottoned on and then presumably moved on to the next area.
We’ve also been taken in by a fellow asking for money to fill up his coke bottle with petrol after running out on his way home. This one had the local car guard doubled up with laughter at our gullibility at falling for this con-artist.
Any ideas on what to do when confronted with a con-artist?
So what do we do in a similar situation? Walk away from the con-artist but be left with a nagging conscience? Direct them to the nearest police station? If you have any ideas on how to deal with this con-artist dilemma, please leave a message by clicking here. We’d love to hear from you!
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