Another scam (Begging at it's finest) ?

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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While home today I noticed a stranger on the street via one of my security cameras.

I zoomed in on him as he had stopped and was smoking a cigarette.
After finishing his smoke, he walked to the middle of the street and conveniently collapsed as if in a epileptic seizure. (Note there are vacant area on my street, this happened as he approached neighbors that were in sight.

I watched as neighbor after neighbor came to his aid (But I stayed inside).
I advised my sister-in-law and mother-in-law via Intercom to the other house.
After a few minutes they got him to the side of the street and sitting up again.

The following was translated to me when my wife got home.
His story was that he was an epileptic and he needed $1,900 pesos for medicine.
He said he had $250 pesos, how much more did he need.

Now here's the good part:
One neighbor offered to get him the medicine.
He said no, he needed the money because he had to buy it in Moca.
This should have been a RED FLAG to anyone!

But no, they gave him a total of $450 pesos and sent him on his way.

We live up on a hill out of sight of the houses that come half way up the hill.
I watched and followed him on the security cameras.
As he went down the hill, out of sight of the neighbors, but not my cameras, he again when near the people, collapsed in a perfect re-enactment of the previous collapse.

I called over to my sister-in-law and we went down the hill.
We got there just as everyone was taking up a collection of $100 peso bills.
I yelled: Espera! ... as we approached.

The sister-in-law then explained that he did the same thing up on top of the hill and the neighbors gave him money. As I was telling the neighbors that I had it all on video, I saw him turn his head towards me and roll his eyes.

We left, not sure what all happened after that, but one neighbor looked at me and shook his head as to say YES, it's a scam.

We live on the far side of Santiago from Moca.
What was he doing here besides running a scam?

When offering to help:
If they say they need money not other help, "because".....
This should be a RED FLAG!

The mother-in-law laughed when I played back the two "collapses" from the security video.

Don
 
Nov 25, 2008
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I had the same experience in Santiago with a man claiming to be the child's [4 yrs] uncle, trying to get money for the boy's operation [enlarged testicle, very enlarged].
I told him I had doctor friends who can perform the operation at no cost... he never appeared on the corner again.
POOR KID
 

El Tigre

El Tigre de DR1 - Moderator
Jan 23, 2003
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Nicely planned scam. Drug addicts in the barrio I grew up in try to scam me by saying they need money for food. I tell them, stay right there, I'll be back with food and they tell me...NOOOO I want to go buy it myself hahahahahaha. Then on another visit, same individual told me...you ain't no fool you know I want to buy some crack to get high hook me up with something. Because he was honest I gave him a 100 peso bill. He went and got high and came back to the spot I was in and threw himself at my feet saying I was his father all drugged up. I kicked him to the curve and off I went. This is the reason I don't like to visit the barrio. But unfortunately, I still have relatives there.
 
Last edited:
Jun 18, 2007
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www.rentalmetrocountry.com
People become very resourceful;) This one time in Panama while waiting in my car for a friend I was approached by a man carrying an infant and accompanied by his woman and a young boy. His story was that his child was sick and that he had to to take it to the children's hospital, he had no money and he asked me if I could take him which I couldn't but I gave him $3,- for a cab. A week later at the same spot I was approached by the same guy with the same story. I replied asking him if he had Alzheimer since he did the same thing a week before so I confronted him and while doing so I was yelling for the cops. Wow did they take off much faster than Bolt;)
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Another scam? - You be the judge!

The following is the "short" version of the "long" security video.

Notice how he moves to the center of the road after his "smoke" and whatever it was he puts in his mouth and chews. Then he moves the backpack to his right side before doing the collapse on his left side. He checks over his shoulder while doing the "smoke" for anyone around.

I guess even the scammers are due a smoke break.

The original security videos are in .avi format and was converted to .wmv format, losing a lot of quality and crispness. YouTube does not accept .avi format.

Does anyone know of a good conversion program where I would not lose the quality?


<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_v4MAI24MiA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_v4MAI24MiA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Don
 
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May 8, 2009
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nice camera work

That's quite the security system you have there done. Nice camera work too, I might add.:squareeye
Thanks for posting the video, very entertaining. Now if he only knew he was on youtube :smoke:
 

minerva_feliz

New member
May 4, 2009
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Obviously a scam...

That's funny, nice work. It makes me want to get a security camera just for the potential entertainment value!

I like how when he "falls" down, his backpack stays perfectly on his back...wouldn't want to get it dirty! :cheeky:
 

jrhartley

Gold
Sep 10, 2008
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he hasnt seen anyone have an epileptic fit before has he ? if only he had seen a couple of episodes or ER it would have been so much more convincing
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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Well it worked once!

So let's try again, this time about 300ft down the hill from the security camera.

Note at the beginning of the video that he looks back up the hill, probably to make sure no one from the street above is watching. He also waves to the neighbors to get their attention on him.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CBW8pVFv8Vs&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CBW8pVFv8Vs&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
 

J D Sauser

Silver
Nov 20, 2004
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www.hispanosuizainvest.com
It's an all over strange guy. On the first video, just his cigarette smoking alone is strange, almost like he is trying to asphyxiate himself. Also his hands, long before he lays down. He is obviously trying to scam people... but, could he be on drugs or otherwise a bit deranged?

... J-D.
 

SantiagoDR

The "REAL" SantiagoDR
Jan 12, 2006
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It's an all over strange guy. On the first video, just his cigarette smoking alone is strange, almost like he is trying to asphyxiate himself. Also his hands, long before he lays down. He is obviously trying to scam people... but, could he be on drugs or otherwise a bit deranged?

... J-D.

And he pops something into his mouth and chews on it immediately after the smoking.

In both instances I found it interesting to watch the women neighbors, they stayed back and just watched him. Later in the first episode, one woman neighbor goes and gets a stick and sorta pokes him around the head with it. I don't know what she was doing, maybe checking to see if he was still alive.

He put on quite a show when they had him sitting on the side of the road.
You could almost hear his heart bleeding as he acted it out.

Between the two partial videos as he was going down the hill, he took all the money he was given from his pockets and put it in the backpack.

Darn, the backpack (the only clean thing on him) may have been packed with money.

I have had some very strange security videos at times.
I have one recording I labeled: "The Pervert" - A young guy and an old lady.
Another of a young girl acting it out with a guy, but with clothes on, a very sexy performance.
People making 10-12 point "U" turns instead of the normal 3-point "U" turn.
Enough footage if saved, to create a "How to take a P" in the street video.

Don
 

alicious

Bronze
Oct 2, 2007
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Wow - I dont know what to say but WOW!

I could have done a better job on an epileptic fit than him!

He didn`t even fall, he just sort of laided himself down comfortably. LOL!
 

Yayow

New member
Sep 4, 2007
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Astute business man

He has quite a business model, how many times a day do you think he makes that performance, there is a spot for him on the broadway stage. I bet you that backpack is full with pesos.