Con man working in Dublin

sensibleken

Just a quick warning to look out for this guy. He's a dublin man in his fifties 5f 9, grey hair, yellow mustache. Will more than likely approach you with a phone in one hand and a bunch of keys.

His spiel is that there has been some kind of accident and he needs a lift or money for a taxi to get the car back. He comes accross as panicked, quite convincing. I came accross him a few weeks back in Terenure and just today in Clonskeagh. I chased him but he got away in a taxi. Gardaí have been informed so if you do come accross him they will have a reference.

MrStuffins

Thanks for the warning OP.

What is he looking to get exactly? Hoping you'll give him a few quid for a taxi etc? He's not stealing anything is he?

sensibleken

MrStuffins wrote: »

Thanks for the warning OP.

What is he looking to get exactly? Hoping you'll give him a few quid for a taxi etc? He's not stealing anything is he?

Exactly. First he asked me to give him a lift, then he asks for money for a taxi. He is quite convincing as he doesnt ask for money straight off.

MrStuffins

sensibleken wrote: »

Exactly. First he asked me to give him a lift, then he asks for money for a taxi. He is quite convincing as he doesnt ask for money straight off.

I'll keep the look out for him.

EarlyStorms

Haha I like the fact you chased after him and he jumped in a taxi. Thanks for the heads up!

TheVoodoo

IIRC, there was a similar 'American' guy going around said he had been robbed and needed money to get a text to the US Embassy. He was doing it for a few weeks all over town.

Yillan

sensibleken wrote: »

I chased him but he got away in a taxi. Gardaí have been informed so if you do come accross him they will have a reference.

What were you going to do if you caught him? Citizen's arrest? Beat him up for begging money off you?

Do you often find yourself chasing after people in Dublin?

JuliusCaesar

I was about to get into the car the other day when a beggar approached me. I don't usually give beggars money, but I guess he looked like an old-fashioned tramp - wild head of white hair, wild white beard, donkey jacket - and so I gave him all my change. Next morning, I'm off to the shops and see him getting out of a taxi at the end of the road. Hmm, I think. And guess who's standing there looking for the price of a cup of tea, when I'm on my way back? Unbelievable.

I don't get a taxi to work!

dan1895

Sounds like a run in I had with someone on the North Circular two or three years ago. Same spiel, there was an accident, needed a lift or money for a taxi. I didn't have a car at the time and no cash on me which was extremely frustrating for him, jackass!

hmmm

I've ran into one of these guys twice, he was operating around Christchurch. First time I listened to his spiel for a little while, second time I walked past. The pity about it is that if someone is genuinely in trouble, I'm probably going to walk away from them which is not right.

If I run into him again in the future, I'm going to offer to walk him down to Busarus and buy his ticket for him. I might need to pop into Pearse Street on the way.

sensibleken

Yillan wrote: »

What were you going to do if you caught him? Citizen's arrest? Beat him up for begging money off you?

Do you often find yourself chasing after people in Dublin?

well since you asked so politely. I was going to see if he got in a car so i could report the reg to the gardaí

Fuinseog

sensibleken wrote: »

Just a quick warning to look out for this guy. He's a dublin man in his fifties 5f 9, grey hair, yellow mustache. Will more than likely approach you with a phone in one hand and a bunch of keys.

His spiel is that there has been some kind of accident and he needs a lift or money for a taxi to get the car back. He comes accross as panicked, quite convincing. I came accross him a few weeks back in Terenure and just today in Clonskeagh. I chased him but he got away in a taxi. Gardaí have been informed so if you do come accross him they will have a reference.

oh yeah, I met him a year back on Amiens Street. the opening gambit was "I know you are Irish and I need your help" and it continued as you described. he had grey hair and age was the same. Do not remember a moustache though.


maybe off topic, but I would like an opinion on this.Ten years ago I was in Germany near the Polish border. I had just come away from an ATM. A Polish student approached me. he looked respectable enough. he was in Germany on a day trip and his rucksack had been stolen. He had to be back back home by morning as he had an important uni exam. he desperately needed the train fare, about 30 euro. I could even have photocopy of his passport. I commiserated with him but did not give him money. was this the right thing to do?

Fuinseog

sensibleken wrote: »

Exactly. First he asked me to give him a lift, then he asks for money for a taxi. He is quite convincing as he doesnt ask for money straight off.

thats the way it was exactly. he had no phone either and had to be somewhere urgently.

An american asked me for help there on Talbot Street about a month ago. his wallet had been stolen.He was in his fifties and inebriated. claimed to be a colonel in the USAF and needed the taxi fare to the american embassy.

artanevilla

Yillan wrote: »

What were you going to do if you caught him? Citizen's arrest? Beat him up for begging money off you?

Do you often find yourself chasing after people in Dublin?

It's not begging money, it's conning money.

Fuinseog

TheVoodoo wrote: »

IIRC, there was a similar 'American' guy going around said he had been robbed and needed money to get a text to the US Embassy. He was doing it for a few weeks all over town.

there we go, late fifties grey hair, wearing dress jacket and trainers? accent did sound american though hard to tell cos he appeared to have had a few.

Fuinseog

artanevilla wrote: »

It's not begging money, it's conning money.

is it a criminal offence though?

Fuinseog

hmmm wrote: »

I've ran into one of these guys twice, he was operating around Christchurch. First time I listened to his spiel for a little while, second time I walked past. The pity about it is that if someone is genuinely in trouble, I'm probably going to walk away from them which is not right.

If I run into him again in the future, I'm going to offer to walk him down to Busarus and buy his ticket for him. I might need to pop into Pearse Street on the way.

he needs to get around Dublin. its not as if he is an Irish abroad in Peking.

PCPhoto

Fuinseog wrote: »

is it a criminal offence though?

fraudulently obtaining money by means of deception ....erm..yes its illegal.

Fuinseog

PCPhoto wrote: »

fraudulently obtaining money by means of deception ....erm..yes its illegal.

wasnt sure. begging is not illegal, though the guards may move them on.

psychward

Fuinseog wrote: »

thats the way it was exactly. he had no phone either and had to be somewhere urgently.

An american asked me for help there on Talbot Street about a month ago. his wallet had been stolen.He was in his fifties and inebriated. claimed to be a colonel in the USAF and needed the taxi fare to the american embassy.

his story sucks. he could have taxied his way to the embassy and they would have paid for him when he got there.... if had been genuine.

Fuinseog

psychward wrote: »

his story sucks. he could have taxied his way to the embassy and they would have paid for him when he got there.... if had been genuine.

the embassy was closing in half an hour and the were not willing to pay.....
I offered to ring the embassy but he seemed against the idea.
what you say is of course true. plenty of folks will however be pleasantly disposed towards Americans and more so to those serving their country.

Riesen_Meal

Some other dude trying a similar scam outside the Ulster Bank ATM near the Airport a few years back, a londoner asian type guy....

Basically he gave me a spiel on how he was over in Ireland on business as a clothes salesman and he missed his flight home to London, he said he has no money to book a return flight home but of course he did have only the finest of samples of top of the range Armani/D&G etc clothes that would fit me that he proceeded to show me in his boot of his car literally begging for money, I said I would hear him out for the craic and see what he had to say, then it was like I was standing in a shop within no time, he was checking my sizes and all measuring up shirts to my chest and all that jazz.....

I then copped the labels on some of these clothes (sewed onto the innards) and they were no way designer clothes, but had convincing outer labels.... (like turkish cheap knock-offs)

With that at the end of it all I said to him did he think I came down in the last shower but I did give him kudos for such a convincing scam, what with being literally a stones throw from the airport and using a rented car to show me said items, bold as brass, outside the door of the bank!

Funny enough, a week later, my mate was in the same bank paying a bill, and low and behold, who approaches him looking for cash? Your man!

Now my mate wouldn't normally be streetwise at all and was well willing to hand over cash only he had none and was broke after paying a bill in the bank, just makes ya think, theres a difference between kindness, and gullible....

Another classic was when I worked in a cargo bay years ago we used to get them random guys, well dressed, selling books and stuff calling in so we were used to seeing them popping in, then a traveller came in with a black bag of ipods, back when they were 300 quid and the rest to buy, and sold one to one of the lads at the time, he showed him his one and let him use it, all well and good, the lad bought it for 90 quid, so he put it in his bag, didnt think anything of it, got home, opened the box and got a bag of sand for his troubles.... :pac:

The oul switch-a-roo, oldest trick in the book....

psychward

Fieldog wrote: »

Basically he gave me a spiel on how he was over in Ireland on business as a clothes salesman and he missed his flight home to London, he said he has no money to book a return flight home but of course he did have only the finest of samples of top of the range Armani/D&G etc clothes that would fit me that he proceeded to show me in his boot of his car literally begging for money, I said I would hear him out for the craic and see what he had to say, then it was like I was standing in a shop within no time, he was checking my sizes and all measuring up shirts to my chest and all that jazz.....

I was stopped by 2 romanian/italian looking ''gentlemen'' at Dublin Castle years ago looking for directions.... once I gave him directions I then had to listen to him go on about how he was a fashion designer at Brown Thomas and they had just finished a fashion show and his luggage was overweight on the way back to Milan so he was going to do me a deal for being so ''kind'' to them by giving directions... something like 70 euro for a jacket... I walked away , wrote down the registration number and gave it to a Garda around the corner. No idea what happened to them. I thought they could have been selling stolen goods. I didn't think that maybe they would have just lied with fake labels.

A way too kind and trusting Brazilian friend of mine was cleared out by a conman with a Scottish accent. The conman gave a story about his wife being pregnant in a hospital on the other side of town and that he needed a taxi fare as his car had broke down on the way and that he would pay him back later. Once he got the cash he disappeared in the opposite direction.

Riesen_Meal

psychward wrote: »

I was stopped by 2 romanian/italian looking ''gentlemen'' at Dublin Castle years ago looking for directions.... once I gave him directions I then had to listen to him go on about how he was a fashion designer at Brown Thomas and they had just finished a fashion show and his luggage was overweight on the way back to Milan so he was going to do me a deal for being so ''kind'' to them by giving directions... something like 70 euro for a jacket... I walked away , wrote down the registration number and gave it to a Garda around the corner. No idea what happened to them. I thought they could have been selling stolen goods. I didn't think that maybe they would have just lied with fake labels.

A way too kind and trusting Brazilian friend of mine was cleared out by a conman with a Scottish accent. The conman gave a story about his wife being pregnant in a hospital on the other side of town and that he needed a taxi fare as his car had broke down on the way and that he would pay him back later. Once he got the cash he disappeared in the opposite direction.

They are out there all right, once people in their right mind can question the situation and not be so easily-led/gullible to hand over money, old people in particular you would worry about - its different obviously if someone is definitely stuck and you can of course help out in any way that you can, but there is other's who will always take advantage of the kindness of a stranger.....

The Scientician

psychward wrote: »

I was stopped by 2 romanian/italian looking ''gentlemen'' at Dublin Castle years ago looking for directions.... once I gave him directions I then had to listen to him go on about how he was a fashion designer at Brown Thomas and they had just finished a fashion show and his luggage was overweight on the way back to Milan so he was going to do me a deal for being so ''kind'' to them by giving directions... something like 70 euro for a jacket... I walked away , wrote down the registration number and gave it to a Garda around the corner. No idea what happened to them. I thought they could have been selling stolen goods. I didn't think that maybe they would have just lied with fake labels.

The Italian leather scam has been going for years. My friend's dad got done nigh-on 20 years ago with it.

Mr Simpson

That american guy has been around for a few years now, always seems fairly intoxicated

fryup

ya the american guy, got caught out by him years ago in Howth

The Evening Herald did a front page spread about him.."Don't give money to this man" was the headline.

Its a pretty sad and pathetic way to go through life don't you think

bamboozle

dan1895 wrote: »

Sounds like a run in I had with someone on the North Circular two or three years ago. Same spiel, there was an accident, needed a lift or money for a taxi. I didn't have a car at the time and no cash on me which was extremely frustrating for him, jackass!

+1, exact same happened to me about 3 years ago outside the garda club on Harrington Street, remember how frustrated he was with me after i listened to all his story before telling him i'd no car or cash.

he kept on with the line 'now my flat mates was in an accident, she's in hospital but she's all right, i just need to get to her'

Fighting Irish

I'm a big believer in letting people learn the hard way, you can't warn people about every con going so let them get stung once and it'll never happen again!

bamboozle

Fighting Irish wrote: »

I'm a big believer in letting people learn the hard way, you can't warn people about every con going so let them get stung once and it'll never happen again!

true, but i'd rather not see people conned out of their hard earned cash.

Toby Take a Bow

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

I don't get a taxi to work!

Maybe he got a lift from someone he knew who happened to be a taxi driver.

Highly unlikely, of course.