Hey man! Can I borrow your cell phone?

[jpIII]

I was at my insurance agents office this morning, when I was approached by a young man about 19ish. He was dressed somewhat sloppily and had several tatoos and bandanna with baseball cap over it.

I was standing in the passenger side door of my car bent over digging for the insurance papers I needed, and didn't see him approach me. ( I know, I know)

He asked me if he could borrow my phone as it was an emergency. I asked him what was wrong, and he said that he needed to call his mom because she was supposed to pick him up, but she was looking in the wrong location. (smells fishy, I know)

I didn't tell him no, instead I told him that there is a telephone in the receptionist office, that I was sure they would let him use if he asked. He seemed put off, and said just to forget about it, and don't worry about him.

I watched him walk around the corner, in 2-3 seconds he returned from around the corner walking away from me carrying a softdrink, which leads me to believe he had been there long enough to put down his drink.

When he said it was an emergency, I was prepared to call 911 for him, but when he said his mom was looking for him in the wrong place something just didn't seem right.

What do you all think? Was I being sized up, or did his mom just loose her son?

 

[R.H. Lee]

Who knows? I'm beginning to be sure that everyone under the age of 30 is severely retarded, like the environmental pollution reached some toxic peak in the mid 1970's.

 

[logical]

We'll never know. He either was telling the truth or he was going to steel your phone. I guess if you were willing to make a call, you should have asked for his mother's number and called her for him.

 

[walking arsenal]

probably Rileymc, but we put the blame on the people that screwed everything up before we got here, and that want us to fix it now.

 

[joab]

How did he know that she was in the wrong place if he had no phone to contact her.

If someone had called and told him where she was, then why could they not call her and give her the correct location of her phone thieving son.

 

[dev_null]

The tattoos and ball cap prove that he was a lying scumbag. After all, cleancut types never rip you off.

 

[RiverwinoIA]

dev_null,

if your implying its wrong to stereotype or profile based on appearance... well, your a nice person. i hope that doesnt get you in trouble someday.

the "borrow your phone" trick is old. he gets on phone, wanders a bit while "talking", once hes got a good jump, hes gone. not sure why phones are targets, as you can cancel it almost immediatly, i would assume because its the one thing of value that they can "expect" someone to borrow to them.

 

[thorn726]

LIAR!!!
if the guy really wanted to use the phone, he would have went into the office.
COME ON!

guy wanted to take your phone, or worse.

 

[mete]

I don't have a cell phone ,they don't work in this area ! Yes it's phony ,he could have asked in the office and they should have been suspicious too !

 

[captain obvious]

I swear, i'm loving the fact that I don't have a [working] cell phone more and more with each passing day....

 

[Browns Fan]

The more my 14 yr old daughter insists that she *needs* a cell phone, the more I like the the idea of cancelling the service of the only cell phone we have.

 

[grnzbra]

Stereotype and profile! Stereotype and profile! Stereotype and profile! It may save your life. If it turns out the guy's intentions were benign, nothing's lost. However, if he intended to do evil, you might just be ready to save yourslf.

Does this mean that you should go to sleep in the presence of a clean cut guy? Not at all, but if the alarm bells are going, don't ignore them.

 

[Alex45ACP]

Just say you don't have a cell phone, that's what I do

 

[jpIII]

I agree with grnzbra.

On the one hand, I really hated to be rude to the guy. I really do like to help others when I can.

But this guy just didn't seem right. The way he was acting and looking at me made those little hairs stand up. His story didn't seem straight, and I was just picking up a bad "vibe" (for lack of a better explanation).

By denying him my phone, the worst is case is that he had to ask someone else for their phone to get his mother to pick him up at the correct location. I figured that wasn't too bad. There were plenty of shop/stores within the area, including service stations with pay phones.

I don't exactly know what one could do with a stolen cell phone, as it can be deactivated pretty easily, but I guess you could sell it on ebay or something.
It would only be worth about $80 or so.

Thanks for the input guys, it's nice to see what others think.

 

[jpIII]

Alex45ACP,

Just say you don't have a cell phone, that's what I do

That's kinda hard to say, when it's in plain view on your belt.

Maybe I should consider concealed cell phone carry instead of open cell phone carry?


(Note: in the state of louisiana open cell phone carry is legal with or without a permit..... )

 

[Alex45ACP]

^ lol

 

[Dave P]

" I really do like to help others when I can. "

That is a good attitude, but any slimeball worth his salt will pick up on this and use it to his advantage! Suggest you be very wary when a stranger asks for help! Ask me how I know ...

 

[Sinsaba]

what about concealed cell phone carry ??

 

[Brrlgrrl]

I realize that this will make me sound like a bi#%$, but it has always been my practice to just say no.
Spare change? No.
Phone? No.
Cigarette? No.
I don’t care if I’m dialing, rattling change and smoking at the same time!
Best defense is to not engage in conversation with strangers, a simple “No” and continue going about your business. Yes, I may be called a bi#&*%, but I am able to continue on, unharmed.

 

[RiverwinoIA]

Dave P,

just curious, but how do you know? i'm always looking to learn a new scam/con tactic to avoid.

 

[WT]

Never share a cell phone or a tooth brush with a stranger.

Learning to be rude can be to one's benefit.

 

[RaggedClaws]

That story would've been funnier if the guy then went into the office to "call his mom" and then came running out a few seconds later with the office phone

Please excuse me, I'm operating on very little sleep and I'm feeling a bit punch-drunk.

 

[odysseus]

Brrlgrrl...

It's sad but true, but basically yes you just have to tell people "No.", even nicely. The minute you give them time, it opens up a can of worms these days. It's all mostly crap, and you usually will know when someone really is in need of help.

This goes back to all those incidents when I worked in the city and the usual panhandler would asked me for money so s/he could eat. I would always come back and say, let me buy you some food then (since there usually was a place right nearby) - and 90% of the time, they would just get frustrated since all they wanted was booze/dope.

 

[TonyB]

Better To Be Safe Than Sorry

Like the time someone asked me for the time..while he was wearing a watch..now maybe his stopped but I doubt it......so I just looked him in the eye and said"I don't have a watch."He of course saw mine too.....he just walked away........hey rudeness works sometimes...of course so does a well placed double tap COM

 

[38SnubFan]

Sounds to me that the odds are this kid was looking to steal your phone. It IS an old trick.

Also, a lot of GSM-type phones (SIM Card) can be easily "unlocked" to work on any service carrier, and all he'd have to do is slip in another SIM card that works, and he'll be on his way.

As for being rude: I've noticed that even though carrying has made me calmer and more soft-tempered, I have gotten ruder. I used to say, "Sorry, I don't have it to spare," or just give them a dollar or two. Now it's simply, "NO!".

I quit giving out cigarettes for the simple fact it's too expensive.

The phone? Unless I offer to let them use it in an emergency, the answer is also "No." I pay enough already for the service, which I need as an everyday part of my job and life.

-38SnubFan