Is this a scam, do you think?

[Cloo]

Odd scenario today - was paying for a drink at the cafe in Tate Modern and this kid came up to me asking me to donate money to sponsor his football club, saying he also had a card reader. I was considering it but then he seemed really insistent, and I realised he seemed to have suspiciously confident 'patter' - at that point I reckoned probably a scam, I don't think most kids would have that much front going up to strangers and he seemed too good at this. gsv also said afterwards that with a card reader they could take your card and put in any number they liked as well - he'd thought maybe it was genuine and the kids were just being well motivated to fundraise, but when I mentioned the card reader he reckoned I was probably right. Also in a place with lots of tourists and relatively well off people.

Has anyone else had anything like this?

Could make this a general thread for other potential scams people have spotted in town.

 

[dessiato]

I've noticed there's a lot of people using handheld card readers for all sorts of charitable donations. Big Issue sellers use them now too. But I'd be suspicious of a kid asking

 

[A380]

Probably a scam. I’d not think Tate modern would let other charities collect in their building. Plus if it was for a youth football club I’d expect there to be a few kids in kit, plus an adult.

Plus most sports clubs asking for sponsorship, rather than donations offer you something. A name on the kit, a players goals etc etc.

Sounds scammy as a scammy thing to me.

 

[[62]]

Sounds like a scam. Tate Modern = well-meaning social liberals with money. Obvious target.

 

[Cloo]

Probably a scam. I’d not think Tate modern would let other charities collect in their building. Plus if it was for a youth football club I’d expect there to be a few kids in kit, plus an adult.

Yeah, I didn't see an adult around, which was the other thing that made me raise my eyebrows - there were just two lads working the cafe tables. Even if they didn't sneakily input extra money on the card reader you could probably still pick up £100+ from a round if you found enough marks.

 

[[62]]

Unrequested anecdote from yesteryear coming up, but decades ago when I was a post-graduate doley smoking too much pot and reading anarcho-punk fanzines, I answered a call for a local charity to go around door to door and leave those little things to leave donations in.

On the one hand, I was heartened that people in the conservative seaside town I grew up in trusted a mixed-ethnicity young bloke with dreadlocks, earrings and a Dead Kennedys T-shirt with their donations. On the other hand, seeing as I was skint, I pondered how weird it was that I was suddenly handling massive amounts of cash when I barely had ten quid to rub together. I didn't touch a penny of it, but it would have been so easy to pocket some of it - there were no controls.

To my massive annoyance, the charity were caught up in a massive scandal a year or two later. I wonder how many people thought they should never have trusted me when I was duped as much as everyone else.

 

[MickiQ]

Scam, I personally won't give my card or bank details to anyone who approaches me in the street even if I think they are on the level whereas I would often chuck a couple of quid in a collection bucket. The move away from cash has largely ended street giving as far as I am concerned.

 

[clicker]

You could phone the Tate and check if they gave anyone permission.
If they did I'd be surprised. If they didn't I'd say scam.
Did he mention which football club?

 

[ska invita]

Common scam for years now, kids on their own the tell tale.

 

[Jennaonthebeach]

I'm suspicious of any situation that requires me to put my card into a reader, having been ripped off for a whole pay check once after using a restaurant in Vauxhall. It's chip and pin, cash or nothing for me, though I am considering setting up my phone to make payments.

 

[ska invita]

There's a dark side to it of course but I kind of like how this still goes on... Like an echo of the street urchins of aulde London Towne. That said I've had suspect adults try it on also

 

[Lazy Llama]

Scam - kids doing it round us for their “boxing club”.
From what has been said on our local FB group, they do a £10 transaction and then “it didn’t go through” and re- do but with £100.

 

[moochedit]

Not had that in street but i've had door knockers try to get my bank details for charities before. May well have been genuine (can't be certain) but i'm not giving my bank details to a person that randomly knocks my door.

 

[newme]

Can't be sure but absolutely anyone approaching me for money is immediately viewed with suspicion. If I consider I want to donate something I will ask for the details of the charity/whatever and go check it out later. Anything approaching do this thing now is a no. Even if its a well known place it could be someone saying they are from x when they are not. Same rule as nonsense spam asking for logins, if there is a login then I will go get it myself, if its a charity I will find their website myself, check if they are legit and whatever the deal if with their % to actual contributions v chuggers. Maybe overly cautious but card details are a lot different from chucking some change in and I know enough of those that were sketchy but wrote the concept off as it being money I was giving to someone anyway. Unlimited amounts is not what I decided on.

 

[Epona]

I think the card reader is a definite red flag - I mean if it's someone asking for cash, even if you think the reason is made up if you give them cash that's it - you might have helped them out a bit, but whatever you gave them isn't going to suddenly involve your bank account being emptied/credit card fraud.
Card reader is an absolute no-no in this sort of situation.

 

[Orang Utan]

Any unsolicited shit like that needs to be chucked into the long grass. Even if it’s legit

 

[abe11825]

Like others stated - insistence on card reader = red flag. Others not around asking the same (with no adult), weird.

Just like when we've had boot sales in my community, people want to Venmo (or other electronic pay site) you the exact cost of the item you're selling. Happened to me a couple years ago. Selling a mens and womens full golf kit - clubs, balls, bags, etc. Wanted over $200 each because it had brand names and hardly used. Some bloke and his missus comes round, wants to buy the entire thing (so over $400 total) but asks if they can Venmo me without asking for a lower price (he admitted each kit was worth more than what I was asking). Sorry; cash only. They pleaded for a minute before saying could we put the stuff aside and they would go to the bank? Take out the cash requested? We said sure, as long as they come back within the hour as people on Craigslist were also asking about it. Not 30 minutes later the couple comes back, cash in hand, takes the kits away.

But it was shady as hell... asking first if we'd take Venmo and / or another electronic payment. Top dollar stuff, I don't always trust smart devices transmitting money like that. So being in a public setting and some kid approaches me asking for dosh and pay via card reader? That's a big bag of nope.

 

[platinumsage]

There's a dark side to it of course but I kind of like how this still goes on... Like an echo of the street urchins of aulde London Towne. That said I've had suspect adults try it on also

It was cool going to Paris and seeing people on the street perform the old cups game wheeze, to lure people in while a plant in the crowd does some pickpocketing.

Exactly as portrayed in this 500-year old painting by Heironoymous Bosch:

 

[Cloo]

In Paris once we had the ring scam, which I still don't understand why anyone would fall for. A woman stopped us saying she'd found a gold ring on the street but she couldn't wear it for religious reasons (?) and at pains to say look it was real gold, it had stamps on it, obviously valuable and generally suggesting we should give her some money for it. I'd heard of this exact thing (the ring is of course worthless) so told her no. Not sure why anyone would fall for it, but apparently they do - I suppose it was in the district of upmarket jewellers so you're supposed to feel it more possible someone lost a decent item there?

 

[existentialist]

In Paris once we had the ring scam, which I still don't understand why anyone would fall for. A woman stopped us saying she'd found a gold ring on the street but she couldn't wear it for religious reasons (?) and at pains to say look it was real gold, it had stamps on it, obviously valuable and generally suggesting we should give her some money for it. I'd heard of this exact thing (the ring is of course worthless) so told her no. Not sure why anyone would fall for it, but apparently they do - I suppose it was in the district of upmarket jewellers so you're supposed to feel it more possible someone lost a decent item there?

AIR, that particular scam is so ancient as to be a cultural artefact

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

A rock solid rule of life is that if you have even the smallest possible hint of something being a scam, it is.

 

[Cloo]

AIR, that particular scam is so ancient as to be a cultural artefact

What I don't get is why anyone would believe someone couldn't wear a ring 'for religious reasons'.

 

[danski]

What I don't get is why anyone would believe someone couldn't wear a ring 'for religious reasons'.

Because they were cut off, from being a heathen?!

 

[Spymaster]

Anyone who'd put their card into a machine presented to them by a random stranger, then key-in their pin, deserves to get ripped-off.

 

[StoneRoad]

Yeah, this card-reader thing seems to be scam rather than genuine.

Someone legit should have ID, additional info and at least one companion.
When I did in-store collections for the RNLI I had an ID round my neck, plus a "visitor ID" from the store and official, sealed collection buckets. Although I sometimes worked alone, I usually had someone with me.
How that would work without cash [and a bank branch to pay into] I am not sure. Will talk to the area fund-raising manager about it, I'm due a meeting later this month.

 

[A380]

In Paris once we had the ring scam, which I still don't understand why anyone would fall for. A woman stopped us saying she'd found a gold ring on the street but she couldn't wear it for religious reasons (?) and at pains to say look it was real gold, it had stamps on it, obviously valuable and generally suggesting we should give her some money for it. I'd heard of this exact thing (the ring is of course worthless) so told her no. Not sure why anyone would fall for it, but apparently they do - I suppose it was in the district of upmarket jewellers so you're supposed to feel it more possible someone lost a decent item there?

I think this one mainly relies on finding pissed greedy people.

 

[existentialist]

What I don't get is why anyone would believe someone couldn't wear a ring 'for religious reasons'.

Greed plays a part. A lot of scams rely on the idea that the mark is somehow getting an advantage over someone. "you fool, religious reasons stop you from wearing it, so gimme"

 

[Puddy_Tat]

AIR, that particular scam is so ancient as to be a cultural artefact

'fawney' as slang for a fake ring, and scams surrounding them, recorded as long ago as the 1780s

fawney, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

 

[abe11825]

In Paris once we had the ring scam, which I still don't understand why anyone would fall for. A woman stopped us saying she'd found a gold ring on the street but she couldn't wear it for religious reasons (?) and at pains to say look it was real gold, it had stamps on it, obviously valuable and generally suggesting we should give her some money for it. I'd heard of this exact thing (the ring is of course worthless) so told her no. Not sure why anyone would fall for it, but apparently they do - I suppose it was in the district of upmarket jewellers so you're supposed to feel it more possible someone lost a decent item there?

If it was near a jewelers district, first thing I'd ask the woman was if she nicked it, considering "it's a real gold ring". If she got some sort of offended by the question, hey, it's valid since she's trying to get people to give her money for it (for religious reasons or not). If she says she didn't steal it, I'd find a way to point her in the nearest pawn shop direction. She wants money so desperately for (an obviously fake) ring, go try to hock it... see what happens then.

 

[ebay sex moomin]

Heard of a jewellery scam in New York. The scammer sets up a stall near a subway selling gold chains, that are in fact, fake. All the chains are snapped, the implication being that the seller snatched it from around someone’s neck- and why would they snatch a cheap, fake chain? Obviously they’re the real deal!

Relies on a particular kind of greed, that one.