Tell us your stories of being 'scammed'

[Earlybird]

Earlier this week, I drove to an invited event. I pulled into the parking lot, and as I was getting organised to get out of the car, a man approached. He said the parking machines weren't working, and that the event organisers had hired him to collect parking money from attendees.

He was wearing black trousers and a black shirt (which I took as a 'uniform'), and had a 'badge' in a plastic pouch on a chain around his neck, which he flashed in my direction. I paid him the money (he had the cheek to ask for a tip, which I declined!).

I got myself together, got out of the car, and then noticed people queuing at the machine to buy parking tickets. I realised I had been scammed, but of course, the 'attendant' was long gone.....what a mug I was!

Have you been scammed? What was your experience?

I had one happen in New York, going into a club I was approached by a guy that said he'd been stood up by his date and as this club was hard to get into/expensive etc, muppet that I was I took the ticket, only to find when I reached the ticket desk, he had in fact given me a 20$ voucher. I'd gieven him 20 plus had to pay an exta 30 to get in.

MJ - your story reminds me of the time an English boyfriend came to visit me in NYC. He took the bus from the airport into Grand Central Station in Manhattan. As he was queuing for a taxi to my apartment, he was approached by someone. This person told my bf that taxis were paid for in advance, and my gullible bf handed over $20....to someone who promptly disappeared into the night. What a welcome to America...it was an expensive lesson.

I was working in a shop a few years ago when a woman came in very distressed saying she had her children in the car and they had run out of petrol. She said she had come out without her purse and asked for ten pounds to go to the garage.

She kept saying how she would return the money in the next few hours. I wasn't concerned about it really as as far as I was concerned she was a woman in distress.

I handed the money over and she ran out. I chased after her to see if she wanted use of the telephone. That's when I saw her jump into, who I assume was, her boyfriends car laughing.

I was gutted, not about the tenner but that I had been taken in. I didn't think for a minute she was lying.

We had just got home from a holiday when a guy knocked on the door and said he was repairing the guttering opposite and he had noticed ours leaking terribly (it was and needed fixing). DP showed him around the outside and asked for a quote. Man said he would drop it in next day and left.
Next Morning at about 9.30 DP was woken by men on ladders tearing down our gutters
Guy obviously thought we were both out at work.
He told DP he had agreed for him to do the work and wanted paying £1000.
DP called the police and they legged it. Left a right mess!