Living in Centretown Ottawa for several years I am accustomed to seeing panhandlers on Bank Street and occasionally accosted by fraudsters trying to separate me from my money. Usually, it is while I am waiting at the bus stop on my way to work or walking along Bank Street. The entrance to the Independent Grocer at Bank and Somerset almost always has panhandlers begging for change. I generally ignore them. Does this mean I am cold hearted and lacking in charity? I do not think so. There are social service agencies and private charities that serve the less fortunate. The Independent Grocer has jars out where shoppers can make donations to support local soup kitchens and boxes where you can groceries for the food bank.
As for the fraudsters plying their trade in Centretown, I have no sympathy for them. Some of them are reasonably well known; they ply a myriad of scams with some success. Some years ago I had a visit from the $35 woman. It was late at night when this strange woman showed up on my doorstep with cheque book in hand and her fast talking sob story about having moved in nearby, a migraine setting in and needing to fill a prescription. Her bank card was corrupted so she could not withdraw money from her bank account or pay via Interac. Could I see fit to lend her $35, she would give me a cheque to repay me. I could not get a word in edgewise until she completed the pitch, but all the while stood there listening and wondering "who are you and why are you bothering me at this hour?" I told her "I can't help you" and shut the door. I learned this was one of her varied scams when I stumbled across a news report on her in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper and to my astonishment found that a great many people fell for her scam.
The thing to remember when you are confronted by a fraudster is it is nothing more than a stranger asking you for your money. They appeal to your charity and sympathy in feigning they are in distress: they are hungry, need medicine, bus fare, etc., but they are only after your money. I saw a rough looking woman impeding a man walking along Bronson Avenue haranguing at him that she needed money for a taxi to take her mother to the hospital emergency. I did not linger to see how this drama played itself out. I hope the man told her to get lost. When a stranger stops you and asks for money, just say no.
As for the fraudsters plying their trade in Centretown, I have no sympathy for them. Some of them are reasonably well known; they ply a myriad of scams with some success. Some years ago I had a visit from the $35 woman. It was late at night when this strange woman showed up on my doorstep with cheque book in hand and her fast talking sob story about having moved in nearby, a migraine setting in and needing to fill a prescription. Her bank card was corrupted so she could not withdraw money from her bank account or pay via Interac. Could I see fit to lend her $35, she would give me a cheque to repay me. I could not get a word in edgewise until she completed the pitch, but all the while stood there listening and wondering "who are you and why are you bothering me at this hour?" I told her "I can't help you" and shut the door. I learned this was one of her varied scams when I stumbled across a news report on her in the Ottawa Citizen newspaper and to my astonishment found that a great many people fell for her scam.
The thing to remember when you are confronted by a fraudster is it is nothing more than a stranger asking you for your money. They appeal to your charity and sympathy in feigning they are in distress: they are hungry, need medicine, bus fare, etc., but they are only after your money. I saw a rough looking woman impeding a man walking along Bronson Avenue haranguing at him that she needed money for a taxi to take her mother to the hospital emergency. I did not linger to see how this drama played itself out. I hope the man told her to get lost. When a stranger stops you and asks for money, just say no.
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