Posted on 03/18/2009 4:02:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The well-dressed con man has been targeting his victims in various big box-store parking lots throughout San Jose. Well-spoken with an African accent, the swindler tells his victim he is lost and needs help. Soon the con artist is flashing wads of cash and telling a grand story about inheriting millions of dollars from an uncle who wanted to leave a large portion to the church.
First he must find two honest men to help hand out the donations. Of course, they'll need to provide a large sum of cash as an act of good faith. In just a few short hours, the con man, with help from at least one accomplice, swindles the victim out of thousands of dollars.
It's called a pigeon drop scam, and during the past six months eight men between the ages of 54 to 86 have been victimized, each losing between $7,000 and $20,000, according to San Jose police. The string of scams that began last summer are likely being orchestrated by the same two suspects, both described as black men who speak with African accents, according to police.
With three cases being reported in the past six weeks, including two on March 11, San Jose police Sgt. Dean Ackemann wants people to be wary of promises that seem too good to be true, especially people claiming to have inherited millions of dollars.
"The underlying motives for the victims is greed," Ackemann said. "They are promised this large amount of money. They think they're going to get something for nothing. They are lulled into a false sense of security and they get scammed out of their money."
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
You no longer need email to fall victim to the Nigerian scam.
people still fall for this scam?
I just don’t understand how people fall for this scam... how do they convince people they need help to GIVE money away.... I’d be very, very suspicious of someone with a lot of cash on hand like that.
What can I say? I’m just skeptical in general.
Must have re released the flimflam man with George C Scott.New take on a old scam.
I am surprised they have not encountered any straightforward individuals who simply bop them over the head, take the money, and run off.
Excuse me for asking, but:
Did we not fall for the Kenyan scam, as a country, last November?
um, er, uh, yeah, you have a point.
Comes down to greed, people really like (the idea of)getting something for nothing... just think what your average gub'mint cheese eater will surrender for "free stuff".
Unless someone with more knowledge corrects me, this one is called a "pidgeon drop," and it predates electricity.
nufsed
...there’s one born every minute.
Unless he’s running his scam in spanish he can’t be doing very well.
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