An Easy Mark...
...Is exactly what I must have been. A fair few years back I used to work night shift as an aircraft interiors cleaner at Manchester Airport. I would get out at about 9am and catch the train to Manchester Piccadilly, grab a bite to eat and then shuffle home to my bed.

This day was very much the same as the rest, save for one detail. I was sitting on the shuttle bus from the station looking at nothing in particular when I noticed a personable enough looking chap taking notice of me. I put this down to my rugged (ie hairy) good looks and thought nothing more of it. Upon disembarking, said chap ran up to me an exclaimed "fan-dan-go, do you remember me, it's Steve, we used to work together at the airport". Now I have a particularly bad memory for names and faces at the best of times, but after twelve hours of vacuuming in-flight meals out of already crusty carpets I didn't stand a chance.

So, myself and "Steve" got to chatting. We had a coffee and the more he said the more he seemed familiar. Everything was proceeding amiably enough, at which point "Steve" asked a favour of me. You see, a friend of a friend of his was coming back from Europe with a - probably illegal - consignment of cheap fags and booze and that he had agreed to take some off his hands, but he had left the cash at home. He was sure that as we were "old workmates" there would be no problem with me lending him £50 until he sorted the deal.

I was naturally apprehensive, as I always am when it comes to parting with my money for reasons other than to expand my collection of useless tat, but I obliged when given the promise of a swift return of my cash with interest.

In retrospect, this was a silly move. "Steve" failed to meet me at the spot we had arranged. Only then did it dawn on me that he could have easily read my name off my airport I.D. which had been hanging around my neck and that he didn't really supply enough specific details to confirm his identity to me.

So "Steve" was a scammer, I was tired and out-of-pocket and an important lesson was learned. Trust No One.

Although one positive thing did come from that ill-fated encounter. It gave me a new method of passing the time when out-and-about and bored. Using the techniques of Steve the scammer I will occaisonally study people walking around Manchester and then when the time is right introduce myself as someone they met once at a party/at work/in a restaurant. Not for any malicious purposes I might add, just for fun. The human psyche is a fascinating thing. People will often construct memories so that they can place you in them. I heartily recommend giving it a try, but be aware, the more savvy element of society may take umbrage at your attempted deception, so be prepared to make a swift getaway.

Speaking of which. Toodles......
(fan-dan-go because mutton chops are cool!, Thu 21 Aug 2008, 22:41, 1 reply)

If you didn't have the badge on
He would have been a good friend of your mate "John" and seen you hanging around with "John" common start to a scam around the student areas of liverpool.
(Mookfish, Thu 21 Aug 2008, 23:17, closed)