Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local scams
It's very bad news to hear of the mugging on Seymour Road. Best wishes to the person who got mugged. It's a reminder to be aware, and also to WALK MORE so that there are more good people on the streets and fewer people out there on their own.
Every so often there are local scams. The houses on the ladder roads are ideal for leafleters and for 'utility company reps'. When a very dodgy 'rep' turned up on my doorstep, I called the police, and they arrived within minutes. There are quite a lot of older people on my road, and I said I was concerned they might be 'visited' too. So, if you are suspicious, do something about it.
Another scam is when someone in a sorry state rings your doorbell very early in the morning, claiming to have been mugged or beaten up the night before. They spin a story that they are a neighbour on your road, that they spent the night in A&E, and had to take a taxi home from the hospital and please could they borrow £... to pay the cab-driver. They promise to pay you back later that day. The cab fare sounds about right, they look in a bad way, and on the basis that you can't know you everyone on your road, it seems plausible. Unfortunately, it's a scam. If you need proof, offer to talk to the cab-driver yourself. There isn't one, and the person isn't a neighbour who lives on your road.
Both of these incidents happened to me, but don't worry, they didn't happen recently. I've posted them up not to scare people, but to encourage people to make any recent scams known. The scams often move up or down the ladder roads, and it's helpful to know what's going on.
Every so often there are local scams. The houses on the ladder roads are ideal for leafleters and for 'utility company reps'. When a very dodgy 'rep' turned up on my doorstep, I called the police, and they arrived within minutes. There are quite a lot of older people on my road, and I said I was concerned they might be 'visited' too. So, if you are suspicious, do something about it.
Another scam is when someone in a sorry state rings your doorbell very early in the morning, claiming to have been mugged or beaten up the night before. They spin a story that they are a neighbour on your road, that they spent the night in A&E, and had to take a taxi home from the hospital and please could they borrow £... to pay the cab-driver. They promise to pay you back later that day. The cab fare sounds about right, they look in a bad way, and on the basis that you can't know you everyone on your road, it seems plausible. Unfortunately, it's a scam. If you need proof, offer to talk to the cab-driver yourself. There isn't one, and the person isn't a neighbour who lives on your road.
Both of these incidents happened to me, but don't worry, they didn't happen recently. I've posted them up not to scare people, but to encourage people to make any recent scams known. The scams often move up or down the ladder roads, and it's helpful to know what's going on.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Birdy_Too on
-
I have notice on my door which states that I do not want door to door salespeople calling (commercial or religious), hawkers, free newspapers, taxi cards, pizza leaflets, collections etc etc
Stating that all will be instantly recycled, not the salespeople mind.
I’ll have a chat to Hugh about producing a few so you can download a PDF and print it off. I can produce to or three types depending on what you want put through your post box.
I have laminated mine and blue tacked it to the door.
It has reduced by junk by 80% although. When someone knocks on, I point the sign and politely say goodbye and shut the door.
-
Permalink Reply by Anette on
-
Thanks for that Helen, will keep an eye out. And call the police if I see anything! Hopefully people will post here if they come across a scammer. Maybe a good idea to tell the older people we know on our roads, so they are aware. I'd hate for someone to scam a pensioner with something like this!
Birdy Too, I'd LOVE a sign! Where can I get one?
-
Permalink Reply by Alison P on
-
Helen's original post made me wince. When I first moved in here, around 7 years ago I lived on my own. Early one evening a very well spoken guy rang the bell and explained that he was a neighbour from a few houses up and that he needed to get a taxi somewhere (very important reason, can't remember why). He was waiting for his wife who worked at the local hospital to arrive with some money but she was held up blah blah blah. It was all totally convincing and I was just about to look for my bag when I saw another guy just out of eye shot hanging about waiting for him. He moved away suddenly when he realised I'd seen him. I had a sudden reality check, said I had no money and shut the door. Was so upset afterwards but I'm sure I'd have been even crosser if I'd given him anything.
Interesting to see a couple of themes between this experience and Helen's. I was really cross, both with myself and him, because you end up feeling you need to be cynical about any story that is out of the usual and involves you helping someone.
-
-
Actually, just remembered a few years back when this guy rang our doorbell quite late one evening with a story about his mobile being out of battery and having forgotten his house keys. He asked to borrow a mobile so he could call his wife to see when she would be home so he could get in. He claimed to live on this road. I was very sceptical, but let him borrow the (cheap!) handset for the home phone, but left him on the doorstep.
I was not going to give him the opportunity to run off with my mobile.
He dialled a number on the handset, but gave it back and said no reply - very quickly. I did 1471 afterwards, as I was suspicious, and yep, he'd not dialled a vaild number. I reckon he was trying to steal a mobile.
-
Permalink Reply by Liz on
-
My 'favourite' is a woman who claimed to have run out of petrol and forgotten her purse so my husband offered to give her some petrol. She called his bluff and said okay, unfortunately we don't have a car so it was left to a friend to send her off with a flea in her ear BUT we did ring the police who caught her and an older man telling the same tale and they were able to arrest them as some older people had given them money. It is fraud and should be reported even if they didn't get any money off you personally.
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
