Several scams of this type are rampant in the streets of Lyon. A student recounts how he was approached in the street, very gently, by a very presentable man.
Scams of all kinds are increasing in France, and no matter how much we hear about them and be wary of them, no one is safe from falling for them. This is the case of a student, although informed, who had cash stolen by a passer-by who was quite good in all respects. In Lyon, this well-known scam has been rampant for several days already. There is also another victim, who was robbed of 1,000 euros in cash on September 17, in the 7th arrondissement of the city. The procedure is identical, and if you know a little English, you could well be a prime target…
On his Twitter account @tzct74, the young student tells how he was “stupidly” fooled, to allow others not to fall into the trap in turn. When he returns home after a day of classes, he is accosted at the metro exit by a man: “About forty, short black hair, glasses and a little chubby. He was well dressed and clean on him. He starts asking me if I speak English” he describes. The man explains to him that he was on vacation in France and that his bag was stolen in a restaurant, with his computer, his wallet and all his papers… The latter explains that ‘After filing a complaint, the police can’t do anything for him. “He tells me that he needs cash to get on a train to Paris, where he is expected at the embassy which he was able to contact“. The man does not directly ask for money, but offers to make a transfer so that he can withdraw the amount he needs. “He then takes out his phone and opens his banking app, and I see that he has a big number in his account, which doesn’t surprise me given his style“, says the young student, who was never suspicious of the scale of the scam.
Fortunately for him, he remains cautious by pretending to only be able to withdraw 100 euros with his card: “I could have withdrawn much more, but I wasn’t necessarily comfortable with the idea of advancing a larger sum to a stranger (my only good feeling in this story)“, he says. The two men headed towards a Crédit Agricole bank, but again, the young man remained confident. “I tell myself that if he was a scammer, he wouldn’t go to a bank with cameras, but simply to an external ATM“Once they arrive, the scammer who presents himself on Lewis’s behalf asks him for his RIB.”I enter it myself into his banking app, I see him make the transfer (…) On my own, I withdraw the money and give it to him, telling myself that in any case, he had shown me that the transfer was gone and that it would happen. I give him the money. He thanks me with a big smile and even asks me a few questions about my studies as I leave the bank. He gives me his number and tells me to contact him as soon as the transfer arrives. He seemed like an honest and very nice man.“.
Seeing nothing in his bank account the next day, the student became suspicious and then contacted Mr. “Lewis”, who, against all expectations, answered his call. “I told myself that if he had scammed me, he was already far away and wouldn’t even bother to respond. He told me he called his bank and that the transfer would arrive in 2 to 5 days, and I believe him (and thank him!). Finally, after making inquiries, the young man realizes that it is indeed an Irish scam which has already claimed several victims.
This sneaky technique puts the person in confidence, in the street and everyone can easily be fooled. After this bad experience, the young man advises Internet users to categorically refuse to give or “lend” money to a stranger. “Just refuse”, or if you are afraid to say that you know about the scam, “just say that you don’t have your card with you or that you are in a hurry“.
