Perverse marketing
Twelve years ago I spent some time in the city of my birth, London and decided to take a look at some of the shopping areas I had not visited since childhood.
That is how I came to be walking along Oxford Street, window shopping, people watching and absorbing the energy of the place on a busy Saturday afternoon.
As I reached Selfridges the throng suddenly thickened and I realized I was caught up in some kind of queue. There was no escape, i had to edge forwards with everyone else. After five minutes or so of acute claustrophobia I managed to wedge myself into a narrow corridor of space and, hugging the store frontage, I made my bid for freedom.
The cause of the congestion became apparent after some fifty yards. There, in the centre of the wide pavement, was a street hawker with a large suitcase lying beside him containing various items of jewelry. The handwritten sign stuck crudely to the opened suitcase lid proclaimed
Genuine jewelry - guaranteed stolen
Crime, it seems, does sometimes pay.
Cris
Recent Comments
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It's fake rubbish Hal - in my experience it is greedy people who get scammed most. Scammers know this.
I hope you know I was joking about eBay. I know it really isn't funny one bit and I shouldn't have made light of the matter. It's epidemic and tragic that scammer have woven themselves into the fabric of society to the point where the masses just accept irene ass the status quo.
I guess - they have little to fear from the Metropolitan Police who are way to busy to deal with a minor infringement (the jewelry is definitely fake and not stolen). They are more concerned about Council Enforcement Officers who can swoop and confiscate their props.
I remember seeing those guys on Oxford street, they'd ask one of the crow to look out for the Old Bill. Last time I was in London four years ago, walking up Park Lane, a Polish guy came up to me and said,
"sir you've dropped your ring" and pressed this chunky gold ring into my hand.
I said, "no not mine"
"oh yes I saw you drop it", he came back
This went on for several hundred metres until finally he decided I wasn't going to play.
I'm not sure what the game was but didn't feel like getting jumped by some angry Poles making out I stole their mates ring.
Probably the same guys still doing it - every word, every body movement, every facial expression is carefully premeditated and rehearsed to deceive. And yes they recruit their victims to keep lookout. Drama students should study them and learn. I know one thing - they wouldn't dare look that furtive in Miami Airport.
Not sure what the ring scam was about, you are probably right.
There's a scam every 100 yards in London.
Wow I never heard of anything like that before it just goes to show some people will buy anything no matter if it is legal or not all the best Max
Yes - I've never seen stuff sell so fast. The fact that it was 'stolen' convinced the customers that first, it was genuine (who would steal fake jewelry?) and second, that it was a bargain. The basic ingredients of all scams I guess.
Good point about the basic ingredients of a scam! And, as you mentioned, everything was carefully choreographed. I have been the victim of smooth-talking salesmen before, and it certainly tarnishes the reputation of those who have something legitimate to offer.
I got caught in a crowd like that in NYC one Saturday night. It made me paranoid. It was almost impossible to get from the street side of the sidewalk to the inside near a restaurant door. I kept my hand in my pocket wrapped tightly around my cash, because if someone took it, they could disappear in a flash (New York Minute).
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