Hi, I just had a bit of a scary encounter coming back from Hampstead Heath. I am visually impaired, and I look very young. Anyway, a lady came over when I was alone and asked me if I had seen any boys, they had just robbed her. She said they took her oyster card and everything else, and kept going on about how they had taken her money. I was on my own, and I just said I would help her, but we needed to walk to the train station. we were walking, and anyway she kept going on and on about they had taken her electricity key or something. I was very suspicious, so I was trying to think of what to do. Anyway, at one point she said she had asthma, could I pay for her taxi. I said let’s get to the station. She then called somebody on her phone, even though I doubt she called anyone. And she was asking them if it was cheaper to buy a ticket then buy a new oyster I kept saying to her let’s go to the station and talk to somebody. Anyway, when we reach the station, of course she found her oyster card and was telling me it had nothing on it. I insisted we found a member of staff, and the member of staff said she had 10 pound 50 on her oyster card. She then asked me if I could buy her a drink, give her money for her electricity. Both of which I said no. So she left.
sometimes, it’s very difficult to see when people are genuine or not. I have to guess, and today, since I was on my own, and nobody was around, I didn’t know what to do. I could have gone back to the café that I had just left, and I did think about it, but I didn’t know how I could have asked for help discreetly. I also didn’t know if she was genuine or not, so I didn’t know what to do
Is there a way I can handle this if it ever happens again? By the way, I am OK, she didn’t take anything of mine. I really really was very careful not to open my bag, take out my phone. Anything like that.