Bureau or the state regulatory agency can tell you if a charity is for real.
STREET SMARTS
Many scams are executed by invisible thieves, scams that require no acting skills. But there is a whole repertoire of street scams that get pulled on the unsuspecting. One of the all-time classics is the Mustard Squirter.
A man comes up to you and says, "Do you know you have mustard all over your back?"
Startled, you glance over your shoulder, and say, "No, I had no idea."
"I've got some tissues," the man says. "Let me wipe it off."
He proceeds to blot out the stain with tissues.
"Great," you say. "Thanks so much, I've got a business meeting in an hour."
"You're welcome," he says. "I think it's all gone now."
"Thanks again."
You were just a victim of a mustard squirter. Before you were aware of him, the con artist squirted some mustard on your back. It doesn't have to be mustard. It could be ketchup, chocolate, or lotion. In any case, it was a distraction. While he wiped it off, he picked your pocket, or an accomplice working with him did the theft. It happens a lot in crowded areas. Be suspicious of any good samaritan. If someone offers to wipe off some mustard, hold on to your wallet while he does it.
Then there's the well-worn Jamaican Switch. The con artist, generally a foreigner, approaches you on the street and confides that he just arrived and has all his money in this package he's carrying, most of which he plans to give away to the church. He opens it and shows you a thick wad of bills. He says he has no bank account or anything, and is worried about the money being stolen from him. He wonders if there is some way you could deposit it for him in your account until he makes arrangements. He'll even pay you a fee when he picks it up. If you agree, he makes one more condition. He'd like you to give him some good faith money to prove you can be trusted. Once you do, he hands over the package and quickly leaves. The package, however, no longer contains money, but rolled-up paper.
A very popular stunt at tourist destinations is the camera scam. You're strolling with your spouse, with your camera dangling around your neck. A friendly guy, looking like he's having a good time himself, approaches you and asks, "Would you like me to get a picture of you?"
"Hey, great."
He takes the camera from you and suggests, "Why don't you go over there, so I can get that view behind you."
The moment you turn around, he takes off with your camera.
If you want someone to take your picture, you pick the person, because although most people are honest and friendly, many people act friendly and honest but aren't. They strictly want to take advantage of you. Always be suspicious of anyone who volunteers to take your picture. If someone asks you, the odds are good that there's a reason and you'll go home without your picture or your camera.
HOLD THE ROCKS
So many different goods are being sold on the street these days by vendors: cameras, phones, VCRs, televisions. And the vendors are very persuasive, the prices always bargain-basement.
"Twenty bucks, it's a New York bargain," the vendor boasts. "Hey, anyone want a calculator for twenty bucks? C'mon, twenty bucks, a New York bargain."
You stop and take a closer look. It's a name-brand calculator that you've seen in all the office products stores for twenty dollars more than that.
"Twenty dollars, that's all?" you ask.
"That's right. It sells in the stores for thirty-nine ninety-nine."
"It's got everything with it?"
"Yeah, it's all here. Warranty. Instructions are in the box."
You know that the guy on the street has no overhead. You figure he probably can make a profit for himself selling the calculator for twenty dollars. So you buy it. The guy hands you a cellophane-sealed box.
Well, the guy actually will make a lot more profit than you imagined. When you open up the sealed box, you'll find a nicely-wrapped rock. This is the famous rock-in-the-box scam, and it works well with a wide variety of products and rocks of all dimensions. I've seen people who thought they had bought a TV, but had actually bought a carton with some pretty good-sized boulders in it. The rock in the box has been going on for years, and you can find it wherever vendors sell merchandise on the street.
There's an easy way to avoid it: If