Mrs Williams - Stroud Green Confidence Trickster

edited March 2008 in Local discussion
A woman knocked on my door and introduced herself as Mrs Williams from down the road. She said she’d locked herself out and needed money to get to work. I gave her some money (£6.20). She said her husband Steve would drop it round later. Steve never came. Should I call Crimewatch? Or would they just laugh in my foolish, trusting face?
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Comments

  • edited 11:48PM
    Keep us posted whether Steve turns up. What did she look like?

    By the way, I need ten pounds to keep the servers on. David will pay you back when he gets in.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Was she really a man? They often are apparently! She/he might pop round again in a week or so to ask for some more.
  • edited March 2008
    @ Andy - do you really live with David or was that just artistic licence?
  • edited 11:48PM
    Oh no, how horrid. Was is Shirley Williams?
  • edited 11:48PM
    Drag tricksters? Wigs from PAK?
  • edited March 2008
    Yay. 3 for £10 for a £18.60 return - not bad eh?
  • edited 11:48PM
    Do they do large sizes? Just wondering, as I know someone who has a large head.
  • edited 11:48PM
    I knew it! Ah - the intrigue!
  • edited 11:48PM
    That's strange, I also know someone with a large head.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Most wigs are adjustable I think.
  • edited 11:48PM
    She looked pleasant and normal, in nice boots and a chunky Monsoon style skirt. Now I know where she gets the money to buy her nice boots. Would anyone else have been so stupid as to give her money?
  • edited 11:48PM
    HELLO TABBIE
    MY NAME IS KWANKIE AKEYOBOA. MY FATHER WAS A RICH GOLD BARON IN ZIMBABWE. HE HAS BEEN THROWN IN JAIL FOR SUPPORTING THE OPPOSITION PARTY. THROUGH VARIOUS CONTACTS, YOUR NAME HAS APPEARED TO ME AS THE BEST PERSON TO HELP IN THIS SITUATION. I REQUIRE £6.20 SENT IMMEDIATELY TO THIS ADDRESS SO I CAN CATCH THE BUS TO TRANSFER MONEY INTO A SWISS BANK ACCOUNT. I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE REWARDED WITH $3000000.
    YOURS
    "WANKY"
  • edited 11:48PM
    Yes. Nearly a year ago she knocked on the door with a sob story that she had just moved into a flat ( there was a to let sign outside ) and needed to top up the electricity and her baby was ill. Gave her some money and immediately felt very stupid ( and angry ).
  • edited 11:48PM
    No but I never carry cash.
  • edited 11:48PM
    @Giles - when you say "she", do you mean Mrs Williams? Was she wearing something chunky?
  • edited 11:48PM
    @Pete - that is well funny. But I'll never trust anyone again. I feel like part of me has died.
  • edited 11:48PM
    We forget that the sarcastic remark "Well, it's on the Internet so it MUST be true" also has a real life opposite.
  • edited 11:48PM
    @Tabbie, it was about 9-10 months ago so the weather wasn't as bad as now. I can't remember her name but she had shortish straight black hair and glasses - hardly enough for Crimewatch to go on.
  • edited 11:48PM
    @Katiejane
    Officially, it's called a Love Nest
  • edited 11:48PM
    You really can't win here. If I had locked myself out of the house, I might think of going to a neighbour to borrow a couple quid. I'd like to think that they wouldn't slam the door in my face.

    If you give the person money, then you're a sucker. If you don't, then you are a cheap bastard who doesn't care for his fellow man.

    In the ideal world, we'd all know our neighbours at least well enough to recognise them. However, having lived in this flat for 6 years, I only know the girl who lives beneath us.

    On a slightly different topic, does anyone else get annoyed when a courier leave your parcel with a neighbour? He might as well be handing it to a random stranger in the street. We had some squatters living next door for a while. The courier gave them my Amazon order. Three days later, one of the squatters handed it to my downstairs neighbour, who gave it to me. It had been torn open. I guess they didn't want a book of Factory Records cover art.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Back to Tabbie, a few years ago I opened the door to a similar tale (from a bloke) who knocked at my door (living on Stonenest St at the time) it was early evening and he claimed to live round the corner with his sister, and needed to get to hospital to see his son, and yet it didn't quite ring true... why would you knock on a random door on the next street... I think he tried it again about 3 years later... to no avail!
  • edited 11:48PM
    When this happened to me (a few years back), the thing that really threw them was when I offered support in a non-cash way. "Can I make a phone call for you?" quickly flushes out the chancers from the genuine requests. I was also once stopped by a chap asking for money to get to Heathrow. He said he urgently needed a train fare in order to get his flight. He then showed me his flight details. The fact that his "ticket" was for Stansted didn't seem to bother him. The bigger flaw in his plan was that we were standing on a Piccadilly line platform, so I suggested he just get on the next train.
  • edited 11:48PM
    A few years ago, we had a visit from a woman who claimed to have locked herself out and needed money for a taxi to get to work - quite well dressed and plausible. She claimed to live "just round the corner" in Victoria Rd. - but just far enough away for me not to know the names of the people she claimed were her neighbours.

    She turned up again a few months ago with a different story.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Shall we use cameraphones to identify this person for next time?
  • edited 11:48PM
    That's exactly what I thought after she came round - I'll let you have the money if you let me take your photo ( and show me into your flat and leave me your passport etc etc ). If you're genuine you shouldn't have an issue, if not your picture's going to the Police.
  • edited 11:48PM
    A bit ago, in Highcroft Road, a young woman rang our doorbell and asked me to lend her some money for some milk and nappies for her baby. I had a spare pint and reckoned our babies were a similar size, so offered her both. Funny - she didn't want to know.

    We're always being tapped up nowadays for money by our neighbours. It comes with the (council estate) territory.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Me too, me too! She said she lived round the corner at no. 70 and that she needed a tenner to pay the cab, i refused. A few months later she came back with the same story except she said she lived at no. 72. Duuurrr! Needless to say I closed the door.
  • edited 11:48PM
    Having just watched There Will Be Blood, I can't help but feel that the only way to deal with people coming to your house and asking for money is to shout "DRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAINAGE! I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!" at them. Then close the door. Or throw bowling balls at them for extra authenticity.
  • edited 11:48PM
    I've never had someone come to my house, but I was ripped off once while visiting San Francisco. We must have reaked of tourism, because he spotted us immediately. Mind you, I was a young stupid college student. Still...

    He told us that a bunch of rock stars were in town to do some charity concert for South Africa...God, the more I say, the stupider I feel. Needless to say, I was a naive 18 year old.
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