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