Read on Twitter
I read a thread about street scams- here is my story -
Ten Years ago outside Euston train station me and my pal were sitting, a man came over distressed and said “I need to get a train home to Newcastle to see my mum, she’s dying, can you give me £50?”
Ten Years ago outside Euston train station me and my pal were sitting, a man came over distressed and said “I need to get a train home to Newcastle to see my mum, she’s dying, can you give me £50?”
Me ( genuinely worried for him) pulling out my phone “oh my god that’s awful, here let me call your family and we will let them know your trying to get home”
Him “no, it’s only my mum at home and she doesn’t have a phone”
Me ( ever the organiser) “ok, calm down - who called you to tell you she’s dying then? let’s call them and let them know your coming home”
Me ( ever the organiser) “ok, calm down - who called you to tell you she’s dying then? let’s call them and let them know your coming home”
Him trying to improvise this hole in the story “no, I mean she’s in the hospital”
Me now smelling a rat with phone out “that’s terrible I’ll call the ward and let them know you are coming, which hospital ?”
Me now smelling a rat with phone out “that’s terrible I’ll call the ward and let them know you are coming, which hospital ?”
Him getting agitated “I don’t know I just need to get the train fare and then I’ll go there and find the hospital”
Me “this is terrible, sure I’ll help you ok lets go to the ticket desk and I’ll use my credit card to buy you a ticket now” I get up to go with by hand bag and beckon him to follow
Him stalling me .. “no I only like using cash”
Me “ok that’s weird”
at this point by pals face is like
Me “ok that’s weird”
at this point by pals face is like
Me “ok I’ll get cash out and I’ll go buy the ticket for you as it has to be on my account, but it’ll be in your name”
Him “can’t you just give me cash and I’ll go buy the ticket?”
Me “no, I don’t mind helping you but I want Amex points on my card, so it’s my credit card buying you a ticket or nothing and I need to claim it in my business account to be fair my husband is strict about receipts”
Me “no, I don’t mind helping you but I want Amex points on my card, so it’s my credit card buying you a ticket or nothing and I need to claim it in my business account to be fair my husband is strict about receipts”
Him now losing it and shouting at me “YOU WANT TO COLLECT YOUR AIRMILES POINTS AND A RECEIPT WHILE MY MUM IS DYING?”
Me “have you met my husband who deals with receipts? He will at least demand I get at least a copy of the receipt for this journey, it won’t take two minutes or he’s going to moan for ages about me not getting a receipt ”
My pal casually smoking/drinking coffee on the benches outside cafe Nero “her husband has autism and she needs to get receipts for everything, you should maybe try someone who isn’t self employed and doesn’t have a husband who is stringent about receipts and Air Miles points?”
Him to my pal “can you do it? Does your husband need a receipt?”
My pal “no, am single but am giving you fuck all because you’re a liar, if you wanted home you’d accept her buying a ticket right now”
My pal “no, am single but am giving you fuck all because you’re a liar, if you wanted home you’d accept her buying a ticket right now”
Man “FUCK BOTH OF YOU AND YOUR STUPID RECEIPTY HUSBAND” and he ran away shouting at people
The cops then came over and said “there’s a gang operating a scam to buy a train ticket, don’t be fooled into giving them money”
My pal “No worries we don’t give money unless we can get a receipt, she’s self employed and her husband moans about her lack of receipt collection, I’ve heard him”
Cops - mildly bewildered “Ok” and walked off.
We bought more coffee and carried on chatting.
It’s a real shame because there are so many people out there needing help and scammers make us so defensive
