This one I fell for about eight years ago, at the age of sixteen. I was in town, after school, and there was a pair of jeans that I wanted to buy for a party I'd be attending the following day. I had a R108 on me, the jeans cost exactly R100, which left me with R8 -- the exact amount it would cost for a taxi ride home. Most of that R8 was in coins, however, and when I neared the taxi rank, I found that I had a hole in my pocket, and that two rand was missing. Dammit. Shortly after, a short man with very pink lips (from habitual drinking, no doubt) asked if I'd be keen on making R200 for a quick job. Naive, sixteen-year-old me though this was a blessing from heaven, and that I'd make it home without having to beg strangers for that R2; and I eagerly agreed. He led me around town for what seemed like ages, seemingly meandering. Along the way, he explained that the job was at an electronics store, and that I'd have to surrender my phone; because, if the boss caught me in possession of an electronic device, he'd accuse me of stealing it from his store. I was skeptical; but damn -- I needed to get home. So I gave him my phone. I waited at the spot for about 45 minutes before I realized that I'd be scammed. A lesson well learnt.
First of all, I am quite sorry about your situation. I can't really tell if it's around the world, but conmen from my country have really advanced their tactics. Nowadays, it's even not advisable to greet a stranger, by a handshake because they have applied medicines that would easily make you fall into their trap. Well, I have also drank from the same cup as a teenager too. Only that I was one year younger than you were at the time of my scam. A beautifully intelligent looking woman, found me doing laundry. She happily greeted me, to which I responded with a jovial smile. She told me that her phone had a problem, and that I should help her with mine, so that she could make an important call. I gladly helped. She then sent me to call someone. I obediently ran, but on the way it hit me that I didn't even know who I was sent to. Furthermore, it's then that it hit me too that I had left her my phone. Looking back, to go and get it, she was no where to be found, and mind you it was my first phone. People should be really careful when dealing with strangers as some can really cost you heavily.
Sorry about your situation, too. It was a harsh lesson to learn, but a lesson well learned. It's unfortunate that we live in such a world.
It's really a funny incident but it's something that is very prevalent in our society today. I know it was an awful day for you that day, something I believe that you would never forget in your lifetime. Well, I particularly have my own experience when it comes to being swindled. For day one, I happen to believe in ponzi and networking a lot. I was introduced to one group called Team trendy online. They partake in all forms of ponzi and networking. Form how they were publishing testimonials of people getting payment it felt so real and I was forced to invest my own money. And also as a result of the person that introduced me, I was of the conviction that they are for real. They brought out all sort of site in which you register and you get matched to pay a particular person in which you in turn get some other people matched to pay you. It's pay one person and two people pay you. Before I could realize what was going on and even most people that invested in this, they set up several accounts and match people to pay into their account. We never knew until they started having disagreement on how to share the money, our money. One of them came out and exposed everything and that was when we were all made to understand we had been scammed of our money. It's was a terrible experience for me but I learnt a lot from it.
I am sorry @Heatman that you lost in the Ponzi scheme and considering the fact that you did not even lost to the owners of those sites but actually to people around the hood that you trusted much to help elevate your financial status. I lost just less than twenty thousand domestic currency in Ponzi scheme which hurts, but when I considered the loss of my close friend that used all his returns on his wedding day to invest in the Ponzi scheme, then I notice that many others lost so much to the Ponzi scheme. I experienced swindling at an early age though when mum trusted me to be getting goods for her from a store far away from where we stayed then. So, one of those days as I was heading to the store to buy products for her, I noticed people in a circle like gathering playing the guessing of a particular number in a card and the winner wins one of the phones scattered on the table. I did not know what made me moved closer to the place and the next thing they asked me to guess, even to the point of forcing me to pick, and that was how I lost it and they took the money that was with me. I complained to an army officer around, crying, but he said he can't do anything since I was the person that went there willingly. That event still hurt till today.
I'm sorry about that event, I hope things got better for you. Yeah, I never experienced something like that in real life but online, it is a different story. I nearly got swindled out of me over $150.00 dollars online. I clicked on a link that led me to a page with a pop up saying that I had a virus and had to call a 1-800 toll-free number that said it was "Microsoft". Luckily I got the money back somehow but I still feel foolish to this day.
@NinetyEighty1. I know what you mean about feeling foolish but many of us do stupid things and then wonder what we were thinking at the time . I was once trying to sell a car and put an ad in the local paper. I then got a call from a company which said it specialised in selling cars quickly for people. All I had to do was pay them £70 and send a photo of the car and they would advertise it for me. Because I was in a hurry to sell it I agreed .. what was I thinking!! It turned out to be a scam and I never heard another thing. I will never be conned like that again.
Sorry you had to go through that. Unfortunately for me, the scamming company keeps calling at least once every two weeks with different numbers.
It's very annoying, and it seems like there are even more now, i have no idea how can i sop them from calling me.