Dear Editor,
In another section of the media, I read an article captioned, “Beware of scammers and imposters”. In this article, persons are being warned of a type of activity that is currently taking place on the lower East Coast area. I would also like to warn the public, especially elderly people, that there is another type of activity involving scammers and imposters taking place in the city. What I am about to reveal is from a personal experience.
One morning as I was about to pass a taxi that was parked at the side of the road, a guy who was sitting in the back seat of the taxi stopped me and started a friendly conversation with me. From the way the guy was speaking and the matter discussed, questions asked and comments made, it was very difficult for anyone to doubt that this guy was an old time friend from back in the days.
Questions asked were related to the wellbeing of your family, your present work situation and even a little politics were discussed. He said he remembered the good old days and even told the taxi driver how good buddies we were. However, as the conversation was going on, I still was trying to remember who this guy was and where I knew him from.
He continued by saying that he had come into the country the night before to do some business. When I said I was leaving, he said that he could not make me leave without giving me a raise because the two of us came a long way together. He opened a Bible and gave me a $100 US currency from a quantity he had in the Bible. He said that I must give him $5,000 and keep the $15,000 for myself, as I would have received $20,000 after changing the US $100.
I looked at the money and asked him if the currency was a genuine one. He told me not to insult his integrity for he is a preacher. I told him I did not have $5,000, so I gave him back the US currency. I suspected these currencies he had in his possession were counterfeit notes. I related this to a workmate, who told me that his uncle fell victim to a similar scam. I am therefore warning people, especially the elderly, to be careful and not be fooled by any friendly engagements with anyone.
Yours faithfully,
Colin Gill
