Shared by Samson from USJ, Selangor :
Let me share this with you as it actually happened to me yesterday Sunday at
around 5 pm.
I was walking along the kerb in Damansara Perdana towards my car when a car
pulled up to ask for directions. Inside the car was a middle eastern looking
man with his wife in front seat and a baby with her. Perfectly innocent
looking couple. She wound down the screen so her husband who was driving
could talk to me.
He asked me for directions to a nearest petrol station and I promptly gave
it to him. Then he took out his wallet and fished out a 50 Singapore note
from a bunch of them and asked if he could pay with Singapore dollars, I
told him no and perhaps he could use a credit card and he flashed me a gold
mastercard which I said will do. Still all innocent
Next he asked me if the value of his Sing 50 was at par with Malaysian
ringgit and I told him no, but to look for a money changer in the Curve to
change it. He asked me what a Malaysian RM 50 looked like so I reservedly
took out my wallet (mistake) to show him a RM 50 note.
He came out of the car to see it and I began to feel that a scam was along
the way from the numerous internet postings. He asked to see a RM 500, I
said I had none, then he asked to see a RM 100 and I still said I had none.
(I knew I only had 3 RM 50 notes a bunch of 10's and fives and some I
ringgit as I had no need to replenish my cash which is why I wanted to see
where this goes.) I transfixed my eyes on my wallet and his hands. I put
back the RM 50 in my wallet but in a flicker he reached into it and whisked
out the bunch of notes in it.
This got me mad and in an instant he returned it to me in front of my eyes.
My eyes were always transfixed on his hand and my wallet as I did not not
want to be distracted as I knew the scam was in place. The child in the car
started to make some noise but I did not care and focused on his hands and
my wallet. He apologized and returned me the cash within seconds. To his
dismay there was no RM 500 or RM 100 notes to see. I placed the wallet
quickly in my back pocket and wanted to take a picture of the car plate to
alert the pdrm. Next thing I knew he was in the car and driving away, I had
no time for the picture.
Couple of minutes later I rechecked my wallet and the (one) RM 50 note was
missing. What would have happened if it was RM 100 or more. Thank god we do
not have such large currencies in Malaysia.
Now the question. I was fully aware that the scam started and I was very
observant still I got "pukaued". They are really extremely good in this art.
I was not an unsuspecting victim, I was a participant yet I could not check
him. I related this to a friend in pdrm in the same night and his advice,
anyone show you money just say "Tak tahu and Walk Away". Yiou can never win
as there have been so many reports on the matter. You see it is so difficult
to prove that they stole the money in the first place as they have enough
cash with them and your money is not marked.
To me it was a lesson I was prepared for. When I brought this story back to
the office this morning my staff related her painful experience.
This is her story. Her husband withdrew RM 300 from the bank atm. She was
seated in the car just outside the bank waiting for him. When the husband
got out someone tapped him and said he dropped his wallet. He turned around
and said it was not his as his was in his pocket with the just withdrawn
cash. The stranger said that they could share what was in it as they were
the two who had spotted it. He picked up the wallet and inside looked like a
bunch of RM 100 notes. The guy immediately placed his arm around the
husband like best friends and started to talk on their good fortune.
While this was going on the wife noticed her husband talking to someone
friendly and thought it was an old friend until she noticed her husbands
wallet being taken out of his pocket and she could not do anything as she
was in an aircon car strapped to her seat.
Meantime on the five foot way outside the bank, the guy tells the husband to
wait there while he goes inside the bank to inquire if anyone had dropped
the wallet and reported it.He asked the husband to hold the wallet loaded
with the cash. The wife calls out to the husband to come to the car and
finds him in a daze. When she relates what she saw, he realizes his wallet
is missing so they quickly open the wallet he is holding and lo and behold
the new found cash is also missing and in its place old newspapers. The new
wallet has also been switched.
There is just no escape. Sometimes we blame people of apathy. Maybe this is
why people shun people. In my case it was a lesson of RM 50 well paid for. I
tried and failed. My advice now is also to run when money is waved at you in
any shape or form.
Let me share this with you as it actually happened to me yesterday Sunday at
around 5 pm.
I was walking along the kerb in Damansara Perdana towards my car when a car
pulled up to ask for directions. Inside the car was a middle eastern looking
man with his wife in front seat and a baby with her. Perfectly innocent
looking couple. She wound down the screen so her husband who was driving
could talk to me.
He asked me for directions to a nearest petrol station and I promptly gave
it to him. Then he took out his wallet and fished out a 50 Singapore note
from a bunch of them and asked if he could pay with Singapore dollars, I
told him no and perhaps he could use a credit card and he flashed me a gold
mastercard which I said will do. Still all innocent
Next he asked me if the value of his Sing 50 was at par with Malaysian
ringgit and I told him no, but to look for a money changer in the Curve to
change it. He asked me what a Malaysian RM 50 looked like so I reservedly
took out my wallet (mistake) to show him a RM 50 note.
He came out of the car to see it and I began to feel that a scam was along
the way from the numerous internet postings. He asked to see a RM 500, I
said I had none, then he asked to see a RM 100 and I still said I had none.
(I knew I only had 3 RM 50 notes a bunch of 10's and fives and some I
ringgit as I had no need to replenish my cash which is why I wanted to see
where this goes.) I transfixed my eyes on my wallet and his hands. I put
back the RM 50 in my wallet but in a flicker he reached into it and whisked
out the bunch of notes in it.
This got me mad and in an instant he returned it to me in front of my eyes.
My eyes were always transfixed on his hand and my wallet as I did not not
want to be distracted as I knew the scam was in place. The child in the car
started to make some noise but I did not care and focused on his hands and
my wallet. He apologized and returned me the cash within seconds. To his
dismay there was no RM 500 or RM 100 notes to see. I placed the wallet
quickly in my back pocket and wanted to take a picture of the car plate to
alert the pdrm. Next thing I knew he was in the car and driving away, I had
no time for the picture.
Couple of minutes later I rechecked my wallet and the (one) RM 50 note was
missing. What would have happened if it was RM 100 or more. Thank god we do
not have such large currencies in Malaysia.
Now the question. I was fully aware that the scam started and I was very
observant still I got "pukaued". They are really extremely good in this art.
I was not an unsuspecting victim, I was a participant yet I could not check
him. I related this to a friend in pdrm in the same night and his advice,
anyone show you money just say "Tak tahu and Walk Away". Yiou can never win
as there have been so many reports on the matter. You see it is so difficult
to prove that they stole the money in the first place as they have enough
cash with them and your money is not marked.
To me it was a lesson I was prepared for. When I brought this story back to
the office this morning my staff related her painful experience.
This is her story. Her husband withdrew RM 300 from the bank atm. She was
seated in the car just outside the bank waiting for him. When the husband
got out someone tapped him and said he dropped his wallet. He turned around
and said it was not his as his was in his pocket with the just withdrawn
cash. The stranger said that they could share what was in it as they were
the two who had spotted it. He picked up the wallet and inside looked like a
bunch of RM 100 notes. The guy immediately placed his arm around the
husband like best friends and started to talk on their good fortune.
While this was going on the wife noticed her husband talking to someone
friendly and thought it was an old friend until she noticed her husbands
wallet being taken out of his pocket and she could not do anything as she
was in an aircon car strapped to her seat.
Meantime on the five foot way outside the bank, the guy tells the husband to
wait there while he goes inside the bank to inquire if anyone had dropped
the wallet and reported it.He asked the husband to hold the wallet loaded
with the cash. The wife calls out to the husband to come to the car and
finds him in a daze. When she relates what she saw, he realizes his wallet
is missing so they quickly open the wallet he is holding and lo and behold
the new found cash is also missing and in its place old newspapers. The new
wallet has also been switched.
There is just no escape. Sometimes we blame people of apathy. Maybe this is
why people shun people. In my case it was a lesson of RM 50 well paid for. I
tried and failed. My advice now is also to run when money is waved at you in
any shape or form.
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