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Hey, has anyone been hit up by the well put-together guy who has "just moved to the neighborhood" and his mother has "just wrecked her car" blahblah... He's told me the same story 3 times in the past year. I gave him $7.50 the first time, but have just walked away without saying anything the other two times.
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I've had a woman come to my door, twice, with a similar story. An emergency, she needs to call a car service, something like that. I think the second time, she realized I was on to her--she suddenly just trailed off and walked away, as if I wasn't even there. I'm not sure why they think stories are going to work, though it appears they do work better than a generic "help me out"...Brooklynian on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brooklynian
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Subject: I posted this on Esa's site.....
So this guy got me about two years ago with the same story but got my husband this past Wednesday. Both incidents occurred on Prospect Place between Vanderbilt and Underhill. This man is talking on his cellphone and mentions his mother had a stroke to whomever (if anyone) is even on the phone. If you make any sort of sad gesture or comment, he will target you. Once he gets your attention, he says that his mother just had a stroke and that his car broke down and he needs money to fix it. He asked my husband for $8.00 and he felt bad so he gave it to him. The Con Artist says he will return your money to you and asks for a business card (my husband said forget it). He also says that he works at NBC and can get you Letterman tickets. He took me for $20.00 so my husband got away easy with $8.00. -
Subject: con man making his rounds
i think he's making the rounds of bklyn. i think in the summer, he was at the corner of lafayette and south oxford. claimed he was a teacher for the nyc public schools, his car broke down and he needed to get home. he produced some sort of iD that he flashed at us and showed us some paystub to prove that he was a teacher. he lived somewhere in long island and needed money for the LIRR train. friend gave him $10. wanted to know the address of where we lived so he could return the money. he has probably wore out his ft greene prospects and is now moving onto pheights.. he's african american , about 32-40 years old, about 190-210 lbs. dressed, like a teacher, kind of half slopp/half neat, had a pocket protector, etc.. -
Subject: pocket protector guy
Ha! Just look for the pocket protector. Somebody has to get a photo of this guy.Brooklynian on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brooklynian
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To add to the description: He wears thick frame black glasses. The first time he hit me up was on Prospect Pl between Vanderbilt & Underhill at 1 a.m. He literally came out of nowhere and it was all a bit intimidating. He said he lived at 262 Prospect Pl, making it sound like he was my neighbor, and that he worked as a production asst. for the Letterman show. He said his mother had a stroke, he needed a tow truck and did I know where one was. Then the story changed to something about the tow truck driver was already there and all he needed was another $7.50 to pay the guy. It was very convoluted and confusing. The second time he hit me up was in broad daylight on Vanderbilt, in front of Half. He said he was new to the neighborhood, lived over on St. Mark's Place....I kept walking and didn't let him finish. My husband was hit up by him on Prospect Pl between Vanderbilt & Underhill also, about a month ago. He said he was from the neighborhood and was looking for a garage because the one around the corner was closed and his car had broken down and his mother had had a stroke. Last Sunday night, coming home from Freddy's, my friend and I saw him again on Prospect Pl between Carlton and Vanderbilt. He was a little more aggressive - my friend was nice and hadn't seen him before and I kept saying, "no, let's go" - he said something about needing a tow truck for his mother who had had a wreck. Again, we didn't let him finish but I was worried by his more aggressive attitude Another friend who lives in Ft. Greene said he was hit up by the guy last spring.
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Subject: con man
the guy obviously has no conscience nor qualms about asking anyone. i was w/ friend and my parents and my brother and sister in law and their two kids and this guy had the gall to come up to my friend and hit her up for $10 in front of 6 other ppl. or maybe that's his MO we just need some quick rebuttal to him when he asks you for money. in my case, i should've asked him what stop he's going to and if i could go to atlantic ave to pay for the ticket for him and also how much exactly it would cost. something.. he must be from the neighborhood...he may even be reading this... -
Subject: Can't believe that guy is still around.
That guy got me about 2 or 3 years ago. He was so worked up and convincing about the whole scenario that I told him I didn't know whether I believed him or not, but that I would give him $10 just because he was such a good actor. -
Subject: Can't believe that guy is still around.
Someone should tell Letterman about him. (He got me with that part too.) And pass this on so the next person he asks can TELL HIM OFF. Wow, what nerve. -
I ran into the same guy. I guess I was having a bad day. When he started his story about hey, I live in the neighborhood.....garage... . I cut him short and asked " you live in the neighborhood? prove it, got some ID? . The conversation quickly switched to " I just need to know where a garage is" I proceeded to tell him of every mechanic, garage that I knew of in Brooklyn. We should have a suitable "retort database" to weed out the hustlers from people who really need help.
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ah, i remember that guy! he got me and my old girlfriend several years ago in clinton hill. i didn't totally fall for the con, but he threw us off balance by approaching us with, "hi, don't worry, i'm not going to mug you." so of course we wanted to prove how *unthreatened* we were by him and ended up forking over some cash. then he tried it on me again a couple months later (in the same basic area too, Cartlon & Greene) so i told him "hey, you already got me" and he beat a hasty retreat. i gotta hand it to him, it's a nice little con he has going, but it seems like a lot of work just to get a couple of bucks from people.
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I think that's a pretty common scam. I was with my father in Bed Stuy I think and a guy said that to us. And I was also in DC and got that "I just need some money for a cab, my car broke down" story. Perhaps there's a con artist network where they trade effective tricks.
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Subject: Stolen Car, My Ass
That "my car broke down" guy approached me a couple days ago, when I was walking over to the Atlantic subway. He said, "Man, someone just stole my car. I'm real bummed. Can you tell me where the LIRR is?" So I told him. He's like, "I work in the Brooklyn schools." I looked at him, like, whatever. I copyedit celebrity names. "How am I going to get home?" he asked. I shrugged my shoulders and walked away. -
Subject: josh B:
josh b, did you read this thread already before it happened? or did you findt his thread afterwards? i'm just wondering whether you had this thread in mind when you gave him the shoulder shrug! way to go... -
I read this thread afterward. Dude seemed shady. I was like, Why are you telling me where you work? It was a credibility grab. And, besides, we were a a block away from the LIRR, where a BIG SIGN says LIRR. Then, even weirder, when I started crossing the street away from him, he grabbed my arm. "I didn't want you to get hit by a car," he said, in regards to a car that wasn't even close. Personal space breeched. Bad idea. I gave him the "our-social-interaction-has-ended look" and briskly walked away.
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Subject: Possible Sighting
A friend of mine who was with me the last time I saw the guy said that she thinks she saw him sitting at the bar at Blue Ribbon a few weeks ago, eating oysters and drinking a martini with a girl. She wasn't absolutely sure it was him, but if I see him, I just may be like, "Hey, didn't I see you at Blue Ribbon recently? Do you need money for a date?" -
I'm surprised no one has reported this guy. It seems like he is becoming more brazen-breaching personal space by grabbing someone's arm etc. Is this a safety issue at this point?
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Subject: idea
in response to susan's idea to mention his date at blue ribbon next time you see him in the street conning people for money, i have an idea. what about next time you see him on a date asking him (in front of his date of course) if he is paying for the date with the money he has been conning people out of and begging for on the street. seems like he might be deserving of a bit of humiliation and embarrassment -
What if it's not the same guy?
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last fall, he hit me up on vanderbilt, between park and sterling - pointing to grand army plaza and saying his mother was just rushed from there by ambulance... at that point he was at mtv (either letterman didn't work out for him or he was attempting to play to my youth/hipness), and "he had just gotten that job" so he didn't have any ID. i gave him my standard answer i use with EVERYONE, including the oh, so cheery panhandler at the top of the B/Q stop on flatbush: "sorry, i don't have any cash on me." (with a big smile and shurg as if to say, gee wish i could help.) he should have said the daily show, and i might have reconsidered.
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You guys are amazing. I never give money to anybody on the street - never. No wonder this guy is making out so well. And he seems to target relatively diverse nabes - so he's gotcha. If you're White - you feel guilty and want to show how un-threatened and hip you are. If you're Black, you want to show some solidarity and prove how you haven't sold out. Hey, I guess its only a few bucks, but the scary part, is that as these types get more and more successful at the game, they set their sites higher and become more aggressive.
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Subject: sloper
i think, to a wo(man), if you ask each of us, we would never give money to a stranger, but that's why they're called con(fidence) men. they gain your confidence and separate you from your hard-earned (or not) money. it's unfortunate, but if we plant the seed in everyone who reads this that this guy is a petty criminal, maybe we can put him out of business, or at least move him out of the nabe. -
Subject: new incident report
had a run-in with possibly a con-man clone. just tonight, as i was about to drive off in my car, some guy walks by asking for me to push his car withmine because he has run out of gas . i ask him where his car is, he says it's on washington ave. but i'm parked on southportland/lafayette. quite a ways from where his car was...did he just walk a mile to find someone to give him a push? he then immediately asks if he could give me his driver's license to hold and in return, i give him $4. i say no, sorry, in a hurry, he tries to convince me again, i say no and he leaves. more details here: http://ltjbukem.blogspot.com/2005/03/apb-ft-greene-con-man-alert.html -
Man, this guy's history is ridiculous! Two of my girlfriends just fell for his tall tale a couple of days ago on Washington Ave. around Prospect Place (we're moving in to the old Jewsih Hospital off Classon). He recycled the NBC bit, but this time said he could get them Prince tickets! Yeah, wishful thinking on my gals part, as they forked over $10. Sigh...hopefully this post will dampen this creep's apparent success in the PH area. On the topic of panhandlers, I've been told that they get pretty intense and aggresive around the 7th Ave. B/Q stop at night. Is this true? Any special precautions to be taken?
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quazar5000 » On the topic of panhandlers, I've been told that they get pretty intense and aggresive around the 7th Ave. B/Q stop at night. Is this true? Any special precautions to be taken?
Hmmm. I've never found that. There's the guy who hangs out in the station in the morning...he's pretty pleasant although I'm always too rushed to interact with him. Then there's the guy (I think it's a different guy) who hangs around outside Natural Land, near the subway exit on Flatbush, in the evenings. He's quite friendly and nice. Then there's a third guy who hangs around the Carlton Ave. exit, usually at the top of the stairs or in the tunnel, in the evenings. He often seems kind of out of it, and only wants money, not food. Maybe I'm not staying out late enough at night, but none of them seems aggressive to me. -
Q500 » On the topic of panhandlers, I've been told that they get pretty intense and aggresive around the 7th Ave. B/Q stop at night. Is this true? Any special precautions to be taken?
If we are going to start taking precautions at 7th avenue I think a better idea would be to move to Kansas. Please never listen to whoever told you that, about anything. -
The PH Con Artist just struck again AND I got his picture. I forwarded it, I hope it works........ Details to follow......
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Subject: where's the pic?!
i don't see it. 11238, please forward it again... ltjbukem.blogspot.com -
I just sent it...
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It's all true! http://www.dailyheights.com/archives/2005/04/caught_on_film.htmlBrooklynian on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brooklynian
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Subject: old scam
Sounds like this guy has evolved his story. i have lived in the area (sterling and underhill) for 8 years, and remember the same car/tv/etc. scam from about 6 years ago. I guess it is a work in progress. i wish certain comedians spent as much time reworking their material! -
Spotted on Vanderbilt/Prospect near Amorina. I was downright giddy when did his schpiel. I felt like I was with a celebrity. When I was done I pointed at him and said "you're the gaffler!"His reply "no, Michael Walters" . It made my day.
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Subject: yup
yup, he hit me up. told us that when he went to the police they called him the N word and how he was going to tell the press about it because he works for ABC. -
You don't think he could possibly have told you his real name?!
"Now if every newspaper editor had to deal with a reader like Emily, boy, would they think twice, or three times." --greg -
I just googled "Michael Walters" and there is a listing for one right on 7th av. Anybody gonna do a stake-out to see if he's the guy?
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Holy shit! Did this guy actually give up his name?!!!! Please, say it's true!
If this guy's photo gets out there in the papers, my bet is a lot of folks will come forward.
Would be fun to see the local newspapers try and ballpark the numbers... "TK years at TK scams per week equals TK thousand dollars..."
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Sloper » You guys are amazing. I never give money to anybody on the street - never.
I only give money to the local beggars, the regulars. Maybe, just maybe I'll be in trouble and they will be there. Maybe not. If they buy drugs and/or alcohol with it, more power to them. -
There's also a Michael Walters near St. John's and Utica... However, I think there is about a 0.01% chance that the guy gave out his real name. It's such a typical forgettable/malleable con-artist name. Michael Walters 1470 Saint Johns Pl Brooklyn, NY 11213 (718) 467 - 6811 Michael H. Walters 92 7th Ave Brooklyn, NY 11217 (718) 789 - 5127Brooklynian on Twitter: http://twitter.com/brooklynian
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Oiseau » [quote="Sloper"]You guys are amazing. I never give money to anybody on the street - never.
I only give money to the local beggars, the regulars. Maybe, just maybe I'll be in trouble and they will be there. Maybe not. If they buy drugs and/or alcohol with it, more power to them.[/quote] ha! i used to do that too, back in my boston days. they were so appreciative.cake or death? do you have a flag? -
EmilyM » Then there's the guy (I think it's a different guy) who hangs around outside Natural Land, near the subway exit on Flatbush
i usually buy that guy a beer when i go into natural land, at like 4am, on a beer run. thats the only handout i ever give to anyone, and weve actually become very friendly with each other thanks to those couple of beers
i figure if i can afford the super overpricedness of natural land, i can spare $2 for a beer. he always appreciates it immensely. -
I still think this guy hangs out in front of 192 Park Place in the mornings around 8:00 a.m., plus/minus 15 minutes. Wears a Yankees cap, has the black frame glasses everyone mentions.
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Old news but in today's Times.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/complaint-box-the-sympathy-scam/
Don't get me started -
actually, the woman who wrote this in the times:
ringrunner said:
Old news but in today's Times.http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/17/complaint-box-the-sympathy-scam/
is the same person who started the thread cited here:
homeowner said:
More recent thread about this guywhich actually cites the brooklynian thread you're now reading from six years ago, which now cites her times post.
echo chamber achieved.
"Here's a little tip I would like to relate: Many fish bites if you got good bait." -
Same guy?
http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=39516For better or worse, the change on Nostrand is going to make the change on Franklin look minor.
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