We found this interesting video while cruising through You Tube. It demonstrates a new type of scam that is pretty ingenious. I could see a lot of people falling for thing one–unless you know about it before you get hit.
The Good Samaritan scam requires a small team of only two or three people. There can be endless variations, but like many pickpocketing and purse thefts, a simple diversion puts it all into motion. This scam can be pulled off by almost anyone who puts themself in a vulnerable situation.
The way that the victim, also known as the “mark”, falls for this is almost comical, but similar scams are successfully pulled off every day. We’ve seen similar purse snatching scam in Europe where thieves in some cities tend to be sophisticated and very good at what they do.
In order to be successful, the scam requires:
- A lone female mark with a purse.
- A diversion so that her purse can be stolen right behind her back.
- An apparent Good Samaritan.
- A simple recording.
The goal here is not to get the purse, but rather to obtain access to the mark’s credit card account information. Once they have this information, there isn’t anything to stop them.
Watch the video and learn–and don’t let this one happen to you.