Dimond Message Board
Swindler Targets Dimond-Area Neighborhoods
By David Raich, Andy Norton, and other area Home Alert volunteersBeware of a swindler who for the past several months has been knocking on doors in the very late night or very early morning hours around the Dimond area.
He claims to need a small loan immediately -- only a few tens of dollars -- because of some unfortunate personal circumstance such as a car breakdown or medical problem. He might say his car is about to be towed, his wallet is at home or was impounded in the car, and immediate cash would avoid much larger fees; or perhaps your help could prevent him from being late to or losing his job.
To gain your confidence, he initially implies that he is a close neighbor from up the street or around the corner. On further questioning, he becomes more vague -- he lives nearby or has been referred by a neighbor. But in any case, he assures you, he is good for the money; he can come right over to repay you tomorrow or the next day. He may leave his name, address, and phone number to prove his sincerity.
Do not be taken in by this con game! If you give him money, he will never repay; but he may well return with an embellished story, asking for more. Instead, you should tell him the police are the proper authorities to help out in his particular circumstance, and you should call them right away despite any protest he might make.
An interesting aspect of this con is that the perpetrator apparently sometimes uses his real identity, and it might be possible to reach him at the phone number he leaves. (For example, he may identify himself as "Larry," living in the 2800 block of Nicol.) Unfortunately, such knowledge is of little help in obtaining repayment of any "loan."
We do not describe "Larry" in detail since the purpose of this notice is to forewarn and help readers respond to the scam itself rather than to the race or gender of a specific perpetrator.
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