‘Help Me, I’m German!’

UK police are warning drivers of a new scam in which fraudsters pose as stranded motorists in lay-bys, beseeching the aid of good samaritans with pleas such as, "Help me, I'm German!"

The fraudsters claim that they're out of gas and have lost their wallet. But they offer gold jewelry in return for money. The scam is that the gold jewelry is fake. [cambridge-news]

When I first saw the headline I thought it was going to be about people who wake up, realize they've become German, and cry out for help. Kind of like a Germanified version of Gregor Samsa. That would have been better.

Scams

Posted on Fri Nov 15, 2013


Comments

Sounds like the fake gold ring trick that the Travellers try on the tourists in Europe.
Posted by KDP  on  Fri Nov 15, 2013  at  01:23 PM
They should try that trick here in the Netherlands. They'll be in for a shock...
Posted by Richard Bos  on  Sat Nov 16, 2013  at  05:53 AM
There used (~1990) to be a well-dressed "African businessman" at the north end of Tottenham Court Road, London who would stop passers-by with a sob-story that his wallet had been stolen, and he had to catch a plane in an hour. At that point he would flash a fake Rolex, in the hope that you would offer to buy it for the price of a taxi fare.

Or am I cynical, and he and the watch were genuine ?
Posted by OnlyMe  on  Sun Jan 05, 2014  at  06:02 PM
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