So here we go again. It's Saturday Nov. 15, 2014 in Barrie, Ontario and if anyone had told me I could fall for this SCAM, I would have told them not in a hundred years.
But that was then and now is now.
My wife and I drive a fairly fancy F350 dually and I believe we were targeted and they followed us, since they got us in the parking lot of a Bibles for Missions THRIFT SHOP in Barrie's south end.
Upon pulling in, it took me a bit of effort to find a parking space since the shop was typically quite busy especially on a Saturday and as I got out of the truck with a bag of clothes in hand to donate to the shop, there they were. (I had let my wife off at the front door which if she had still been with me they would never have succeeded with their ruse.)
The older guy, a photo of his business card attached, told me he was lost and needed directions to get to the Toronto Airport. Now It sort of hit me as funny why was he asking for directions way up in Barrie to get to the airport down there but he told me he had been to Casino Rama but made his English so poor I couldn't tell whether or not he was saying he had lost a lot of money there. About that he was not clear.
I took about ten minutes giving him very specific directions about how to get to Hwy 400 south and then that he had to take Hwy 401 west and told him to expect a two to three hour drive. He showed me his passport and what he said were his flight confirmations and that he had seven hours until departure so there should be no problem.
Up until then everything was, as they say - hunky-dory.
But then quite out of the blue he said because I was so generous and patient giving him directions that he wanted to repay me with a gift. I absolutely objected saying it was not at all necessary but he insisted and out he slides from the SUV, which was again white, and into the back to start showing me leather jackets.
So here's the rub. Either these kinds of jackets are of interest to a body or they are not. Had he been showing be, let's say, skiing equipment for which I would have no use whatsoever the conversation would have ended there but nice, supposedly leather jackets, are pretty well a given that most people have at least some interest in them.
He threw out the big numbers. They were worth $3,000 Euros each, designer, exclusive, blah - blah and another blah for bad luck and what was my size and my wife's size and next thing I knew he had a pretty big canvas bag out and he was stuffing jackets into the bag. Of course he had me 'holding the bag' ha ha - while he filled it up.
I kept on protesting that it really was way too much but he insisted that I deserved to have them since I was such a nice guy and he'd be insulted if I didn't accept his generosity. Funny how far a little (phony) flattery will go to dulling one's senses to reality.
So the bag was full of four jackets. Three for me and one for my better three-quarters and in the truck went the bag. Then, so as to speak, possession of them was mine and I shook his hand and was all set to get into the thrift shop to make our charitable donation when I couldn't quite make out what he was going on about, about needing for me to help him out to get a birthday present for his father who was just turning eighty-three.
I have to say it all had seemed so amicable and generous on his part that it took longer than it should have to get it that he was actually asking ME for money.
Finally when I clued in I asked him, how much? How much do you need? Without batting an eye he told me $550. but $500. will do and it doesn't have to be in Euros, as if I would have any of those in my jeans. I was somewhat astounded as I advised him no way. We're both on pensions now and that amount is fully out of the question. He came down to $300. but still I had no interest in actually paying anything for them. The thing being both my wife and I really enjoy Thrift Shops and as any frequent visitor to these shops knows it's easy to end up with a lot more of things and stuff than you need. Like say 20 or 30 jackets each since they are too good a buy to pass up.
I'm not quite sure when it turned from friendly to a little bit onerous. I told him point blank I did not need the jackets since we both already had more than we could wear and I gave him the bag, which had been in the back seat of our truck, back and he took it but really got a bit testy as he went to put it back into his SUV. I still can't quite fathom why I said it but I told him I'd pay $100. for them. He said no way. That was an insult and that he thought I was a better person than that.
So there's the other of his hooks I fell for. Once he knew I was willing to pay something (anything) there was no way he was going to let me off with paying nothing.
The air had grown quite tense by then but I figured it was over and done with and as I got the bag back out of the truck we were going to donate to the thrift shop, there was the other guy who up until then has not said a word, blocking my way, That made me a little uncomfortable and then his buddy, he came at me again from his SUV with two jackets in hand. He told me I could have the two of them for $200. which I did not agree to. Funny how things happen. I happened to have two of the old style Canadian $100. bills in my jeans and I guess that was part of why things unfolded as they did. I knew I had the cash money. There's no way I would have gone to an ATM to get money for them but having the ready cash, $100. of it just seemed to slip out of my hand into his greasy paw. And that was that. They sort of swore at me a little and we were set to part ways when the other guy from the passenger's side, all of a sudden he could speak pretty good English and he began to show me a bunch of watches. What - they figured they were going to burn me twice - so fast?? I told him emphatically no and he told me that -- GOD WAS WATCHING ME!! What the hell did that have to do with anything? Duh? Then again I'm sure the Devil was watching them and smiling.
All in all it took almost twenty-five minutes for me to get ripped off for $100. for two very fake leather jackets which do have the odour problems that other people have attested to.
I wonder how many others, the first thing they've done after getting the feeling they have been duped headed to their PC to do the search that has ended me up here. I suppose quite a few.
Bottom line, while my own sense of getting more than I was paying for was a very big contributing factor, I can't say I didn't feel at least a little bit intimidated, even threatened when they started blocking my path.
Don't know that what they did was totally illegal since I did get something for the $100. I spent even if they now become donations to the self same thrift shop where this all happened in their parking lot.
Finally a first for me at seventy years young.
Can't say I haven't been scammed anymore.
No fool like an old fool?
Why do certain adages have to be so true?
Still I can't say I hate the guys since:
Hate is like drinking poison,
And hoping the other guy dies.
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