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Earlier this week I was thinking similar.. How do I teach a young person about to travel the world alone as a new adult the scams like bump-and-rob.. the pick

Earlier this week I was thinking similar.. How do I teach a young person about to travel the world alone as a new adult the scams like bump-and-rob.. the pick pockets in new orleans and the ones that 'tell you where your shoes are from'.. the ball and cups people in NY, the purse snatchers watching from the alleys.. There are so many scams and criminal things I've seen over the years (and I am sure many more I do not know) - how to prepare people for predators that are waiting for the noobs in the cities.. the dating app free dinner people and the dating app drug and rob common in Columbia these days.. /random quick thoughts. We need a compendium and video to show some things they should be aware of and looking for instead of staring up at the pretty new lights or what not.

gs17 3y ago
> and the ones that 'tell you where your shoes are from'. Isn't it "where you got your shoes"/"what street your got your shoes on" ("you got 'em on your feet!"/"you got 'em on [current street name]")? Do they actually get violent or is the implication enough for people who fall for that?
- stevenicr 3y ago
  The time I saw it go down I appreciated the honesty and candor at the end.. it was made clear that 'they preferred to provide value by being entertaining for a time and wanted money for doing a 'fun thing'.. yet they had many times before.. and during the current interaction, had many opportunities to take advantage of the distracting situation to take everything, and would be happy taking less if it was offered.. while nodding to others who were nearby that they could stand down since it appeared a charity/entertainment tax was going to be paid instead of needing to be taken.. That's the vibe I ran into there.. I'm sure it varies depending on who is involved.. Several lessons.. one of which is I carry a 20, a 10, and a couple of 5's in one pocket so I can hand over cash in any situation without pulling out a wallet - which is easy to snatch / grab.. Also be aware of anyone who wants to take your attention to a small place, like staring at your shoes and their hands near that spot, so you don't know what's going on around you.. So I didn't mind handing over a few bucks for the candor, but I can see how it gets worse, and likely also changes upon time of day / night.
titanomachy 3y ago
> the dating app free dinner people This is a lesson that people can learn for themselves relatively cheaply. > the dating app drug and rob common in Colombia This on the other hand sounds quite scary, glad it hasn't caught on where I live.
- EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago
  I learned the dating app Herbalife scam. Ended up with $20 nutritional powder can in hand.
- stevenicr 3y ago
  dating app -> drugged -> robbed.. I recall at least 3 stories around Nashville with this M.O. the past couple years or so.. I remember at least 2 stories from around Miami that I've seen in the news. I'm sure there have been many more, just seen a few actual stories when not looking for them.. I've seen an interesting revenge video made with one of the Columbia situations - and it's apparently gotten to be such a common thing that the state department has recently warned people (https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/world/colombia-dating-app-warning-deaths-intl-latam/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/world/colombia-dating-app-war... ) not to use dating apps when going there.
quesera 3y ago
> new orleans ... the ones that 'tell you where your shoes are from' I didn't realize how localized these scams are. NOLA is exactly where someone tried to pull that on me. I don't know if it was a scam really, he was in no position to collect if I didn't enjoy his joke. I told him it wouldn't be fair of me to take the challenge, because there was no way he could possibly be correct. He kept trying with some rewordings, but I stuck to my position and he moved on. At the time, I wondered idly where the conversation would have gone if I had been more receptive, but I have to admit I never considered the obvious elementary school-level joke!

gs17 3y ago

> and the ones that 'tell you where your shoes are from'. Isn't it "where you got your shoes"/"what street your got your shoes on" ("you got 'em on your feet!"/"you got 'em on [current street name]")? Do they actually get violent or is the implication enough for people who fall for that?

stevenicr 3y ago
The time I saw it go down I appreciated the honesty and candor at the end.. it was made clear that 'they preferred to provide value by being entertaining for a time and wanted money for doing a 'fun thing'.. yet they had many times before.. and during the current interaction, had many opportunities to take advantage of the distracting situation to take everything, and would be happy taking less if it was offered.. while nodding to others who were nearby that they could stand down since it appeared a charity/entertainment tax was going to be paid instead of needing to be taken.. That's the vibe I ran into there.. I'm sure it varies depending on who is involved.. Several lessons.. one of which is I carry a 20, a 10, and a couple of 5's in one pocket so I can hand over cash in any situation without pulling out a wallet - which is easy to snatch / grab.. Also be aware of anyone who wants to take your attention to a small place, like staring at your shoes and their hands near that spot, so you don't know what's going on around you.. So I didn't mind handing over a few bucks for the candor, but I can see how it gets worse, and likely also changes upon time of day / night.

titanomachy 3y ago

> the dating app free dinner people This is a lesson that people can learn for themselves relatively cheaply. > the dating app drug and rob common in Colombia This on the other hand sounds quite scary, glad it hasn't caught on where I live.

EVa5I7bHFq9mnYK 3y ago
I learned the dating app Herbalife scam. Ended up with $20 nutritional powder can in hand.
stevenicr 3y ago
dating app -> drugged -> robbed.. I recall at least 3 stories around Nashville with this M.O. the past couple years or so.. I remember at least 2 stories from around Miami that I've seen in the news. I'm sure there have been many more, just seen a few actual stories when not looking for them.. I've seen an interesting revenge video made with one of the Columbia situations - and it's apparently gotten to be such a common thing that the state department has recently warned people (https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/world/colombia-dating-app-warning-deaths-intl-latam/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/21/world/colombia-dating-app-war... ) not to use dating apps when going there.

quesera 3y ago

> new orleans ... the ones that 'tell you where your shoes are from' I didn't realize how localized these scams are. NOLA is exactly where someone tried to pull that on me. I don't know if it was a scam really, he was in no position to collect if I didn't enjoy his joke. I told him it wouldn't be fair of me to take the challenge, because there was no way he could possibly be correct. He kept trying with some rewordings, but I stuck to my position and he moved on. At the time, I wondered idly where the conversation would have gone if I had been more receptive, but I have to admit I never considered the obvious elementary school-level joke!