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Is this a scam, do you think?

Cloo said:
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.
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Performance art; after all it was the Tate Modern.
 
Puddy_Tat said:
My initial reaction to that would be a major UpYours...

(although replying to this sort of bollocks probably isn't good idea)
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The "from" address on phishing emails is usually fake anyway. They just want you to click the link.
 
Cloo said:
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?
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The variation is distraught person claims to have lost ring there or thereabouts. Offers huge reward (say £1000) as they have to be somewhere urgent and can't stop to search for it. Leaves a number.

Someone else comes by and says hey what's this and finds the ring.

Greedy person offers them substantially less than the proffered reward (say £100) looking to claim it and pocket the difference.
Turns out ring is worthless (£5) and no one is coming to pay any reward.

£95 profit.
 
Gromit said:
The variation is distraught person claims to have lost ring there or thereabouts. Offers huge reward (say £1000) as they have to be somewhere urgent and can't stop to search for it. Leaves a number.

Someone else comes by and says hey what's this and finds the ring.

Greedy person offers them substantially less than the proffered reward (say £100) looking to claim it and pocket the difference.
Turns out ring is worthless (£5) and no one is coming to pay any reward.

£95 profit.
Click to expand...

Where do you get these £5 rings that look like £1000 rings?
 
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