I think I just got scammed

Sleephead

tin79 wrote: »

Sounds like an awful lot of effort for a poxy €65. For all the time walking around spotting golfs, then waiting around for the owner to come back, the fixing it charade and two people involved. Cant think they would make much out of it un less they are desperate?

4 or 5 a day 5 days a week?

Take the weekend off son!

MugMugs

tin79 wrote: »

Sounds like an awful lot of effort for a poxy €65. For all the time walking around spotting golfs, then waiting around for the owner to come back, the fixing it charade and two people involved. Cant think they would make much out of it un less they are desperate?

€65 x 2 = €130

€130 x 5 = €650

€650 x 50(2 weeks holidays) = €32,500

500 Golfs a year.

catbre

The same thing happened me near the radisson blu in Dublin. A grey haired man in his 60s. charged me €55. Is a total scam. Only realising it now that i heard it on liveline. It happened me over 2 years ago.

B00056718

littlevillage wrote: »

Amazing story.

In fairness this conman could have taken ya for more than 50 notes. Consider it a cheap "life" lesson. There possibly is a few other ways this "con" could have gone .. (my brother experienced something similar a while back).

In my brothers case .. he came back to his car and felt that something wasn' right when it wouldn't start and a complete stranger offered assistance. He didn't give yer man any info and politely told him to get lost but had a suspicion yer man didn't go too far away. My brother left the scene on foot, but deliberately swung back around again about 20 mins later and found the same guy hanging around the car. The guy disappeared quickly and didn't come back again but quite obviously he was about to break into the car or steal it etc. Turns out that a lead had been cut in the Engine bay which was preventing it from starting.

The scam might be .. car is disabled, the 'front' man offers assistance .. if you take the assistance he gets 50 bucks etc. if you don't take the assistance this guy perhaps gleams enough info from you to work out where you live and when you will be coming back for the car etc.... hey presto!! he or his accomplices have a confirmed window of time when they know they can safely work on your car and try and steal it etc.

These guys are probably smart enough to only target cars that are not being filmed by security cameras.

A couple of follow-up questions.

Is this weakness cured in new Golfs ?

and I wonder was there a similar weakness in the other VW group cars that were effectively Golf clones .. Audi A3, Skoda Octavia, Seat Leon etc. ?

I used to own a diesel Fabia. It's built on Polo, not Golf but I remember accessing the starter motor from underneath the car in front without even jacking it up. I actually thought it was a clever desingn as for many cars changing the starter motor can be tricky.
So Fabias could be disabled within seconds without opening the bonnet.

darragh o meara

B00056718 wrote: »

I used to own a diesel Fabia. It's built on Polo, not Golf but I remember accessing the starter motor from underneath the car in front without even jacking it up. I actually thought it was a clever desingn as for many cars changing the starter motor can be tricky.
So Fabias could be disabled within seconds without opening the bonnet.

This all well and good til he tries it on a mechanic or someone who knows their way around a engine

PixarSketch

So it was a bearded man, around the 50 years mark and went by the name Tony...........................mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm


http://www.bdo-darts.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Tony-OShea-Darts.jpg

goz83

thegreatiam wrote: »

Your car broke, someone offered to help on the spot, gets a part over the phone for you, fixes the problem and your car works now.

What part do you think is a scam?



Sounds like this guy saved you a lot of trouble,

If youre in doubt follow up on where he said he worked, or google the cost of the part he replaced. Add on an hourly fee for repairs+call out charge/tow to garage, and see which is cheaper.

:pac:

Must be feeling silly if you kept looking at this thread.

thegreatiam

goz83 wrote: »

:pac:

Must be feeling silly if you kept looking at this thread.

haha, yes, ive been following it closely.

as long as more people are aware then its all good.

I for one am more suspicious of good samaritans

Sam Russell

thegreatiam wrote: »

haha, yes, ive been following it closely.

as long as more people are aware then its all good.

I for one am more suspicious of good samaritans

The original 'good samaritan' actually paid for the poor unfortunate to stay at the inn - he did not empty the victims pocket.:)