Washington DC fraud warning

[Prof Steven P Hill]

Dear SEELANGS colleagues:

Forwarding a "fraud alert" tonight about Hyatt Regency hotel guests, 
I am reminded about a totally different type of fraud that happened 
to me in Washington DC in December 2005, during the MLA-AATSEEL 
conferences.  I lost "only" $60, so it's not in the same class with what 
happened to Profs. Brasky and Dunlap.  But in any event don't let it 
happen to you.

One evening appx. Dec. 28 or 29, 2006, as I was walking down the 
crowded sidewalk toward the DC subway, I was approached by a little 
old lady, age 65 to 75, Caucasian, slight southern accent, who was 
very well dressed and proved to be very articulate. ( Just the opposite 
of a mumbling derelict or "bag lady" or addict. )  She claimed she'd 
locked herself out of her own expensive car nearby and needed taxi 
fare ( I foolishly "loaned" her $60 ), to go to her suburban home 
(prestigeous suburb) for a 2d set of car keys, thence to return to DC 
to get her car and to pay back my "loan," with generous added interest.

This lady was not only extremely articulate, she also had an immediate 
and completely credible answer for EVERY challenging question I put 
to her -- and I put several. (Anyone who knows me knows I tend to be 
a tad skeptical, to take nothing on faith, and to raise probing questions.) 
The lady even left with me a piece of "precious family jewelry" as a 
pledge until she could return to DC for her car.  And she gave as 
reference a law firm and its phone number right there in downtown 
DC, where she or her husband were a "partner of the firm."
(Both firm & phone proved to be 100% accurate--the lady had a 
phenomenal memory!) Even an old skeptic like yours truly was finally 
convinced the smooth lady was 100% genuine, so I "loaned" her $60 
for taxi fare to get her 2d car keys.  She was inclined to try for twice 
that sum, but my skepticism warned me to go no higher.  

The next day, when she didn't reappear, I learned the jewelry was 
worthless junk, and when I called the referenced law firm and talked 
to their security officer, I learned that the articulate Little Old Lady 
(name unknown) had previously worked the very same swindle on 
several other gullible folks in the DC area.

Here's hoping you good folks going to DC won't be as gullible as I was,
Steven P Hill,
University of Illinois.
__ __ __ __ __ ___ __ __ __ __ ___ __ _   

  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------