Beware of Random Scammers

You know, those people who stand in random parking lots and then go up to you asking you for money for gas. You know what I'm saying?

I bring this up because after finishing work today, I was coming out of the staff parking lot. To get out, you have to use your ID to scan out. So right in front of the gates stood this older looking European man. He could really be mistaken for a patient or a family member. This guy is smart. He stands where people would have their windows rolled down already so you don't stand much chance ignoring him. Plus because it's rush hour time, traffic would be heavy, so you'd have no where to go.

Anyways, I had my window rolled down to scan out. Lo and behold, this old man was looking at passing cars but not really doing much. As soon as he saw my car, he waved at me. I thought, well maybe he's lost. The first thing he says? "I need to go to ____ and _____, just a drop off. Not too far away. I really need to get there. You're like my daughter, and I'm like your father. So you be good and drive me?"

Ok first of all, if you really need to go to a place, you take a taxi or TTC. Or get a friend to drop you off. If you really needed to be there, you'd walk there. Either way, you would not be wasting time waiting for some random stranger to pick you up and give you a lift.

Needless to say, I told him I was going the opposite direction, sorry. And drove off. He probably thought because I looked young and drove a "fast" car, that I would be naive enough to fall for his words. Think again old man.

It also reminds me a few years back when I was still in university. I was accompanying a friend near Eaton Centre when she had to go to the bank to do some stuff. So I said I would wait outside. By outside, I mean by the bench IN the mall. So this wasn't outdoors, but it was still in a mall.

I was sitting there minding my business when this middle aged man came up to me and asked if I spoke any Chinese. I replied back in Mandarin. So he started talking to me in Mandarin. He looked pretty lost so I thought well, maybe he's lost and needs direction. 

Well, the story he told me was completely off. He has a condo here at Yonge/Dundas and was going to visit a friend in Ottawa the next day, but realized he has almost no gas left in his car, and needs money. And we're not talking $5. But more like $70. He said he would accompany me to the bank and wait for me to get the money. He would also pay me back, so it would require me to give him my cell number.

So many warning bells going off in my head that I decided to just try and run. But wait, gotta wait for my friend. To kill time, I pretended I had no idea what he was talking about. It's kind of fun playing stupid but then again, you never know what's going on in their heads. Best to just leave.

My friend comes back and sits down on the bench with me. She later told me she didn't say anything because she assumed the guy was my friend, when in fact I had no clue who the heck he was. So while I told the dude I don't have any money on me, and I can't help him, he decides to start yelling at me!

Like what? You want money from me and then you start yelling at me? People these days. This is why I don't just randomly give my hard earned cash away to random strangers. 

Needless to say as my friend and I were walking away, he started walking behind us and yelling at us. I never forgot about that day, even to this day.

Another one was at the KC parking lot with my mom. Some dude approached our car and asked for money because his car ran out of gas and he needs to be out of town for whatever reason. We just drove off.

Really? You need to be somewhere? Gas up ahead of time idiots. Or call CAA for help. Your stories are pathetic. Not enough money for gas? Maybe you shouldn't own a car. 

To anyone out there who has not experienced this yet, this is just a head's up. Especially for the young ladies who have a heart to want to help people. You may want to help them, but in the end their intentions could be something much worse.