Re: 'Car dent repair', got scammed.
 

On Thu, 17 Aug 2006 17:00:20 -0700, Michael Pardee <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:
> "user" <Rich@iwantnospam.com> wrote in message
> news:slrnee97h4.72s.Rich@zippy.mulveyfamily.com...
>> On Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:23:37 -0700, Michael Pardee
>> <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:
>>> "Fred Fartalot" <langstonf09@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:nouCg.6617$0e5.2013@newsread4.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
>>>> Are you ever stupid LOL!
>>>>
>>> It's easy to say that when not there. Professional con men are very good
>>> at
>>> what they do.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Right. Because, after all, good auto body repair guys are well known
>> for
>> walking up to random people and offering to fix their dents for a few
>> bucks.
>> Especially the ones toting around cans of black spray paint.
>>
>> (*rolls eyes*)
>>
>> The absolute stupidity of some people never fails to amaze me.
>>
>> - Rich
>>
> But the "some people" probably includes us. It's easy to sit back and say,
> "I'd never do that" - probably just about everybody says that - but when it
> is happening real-time the pros can con most people. That's how they make
> their money.
>

No, the pros make their money by scoping out the potential victim,
evaluating whether or not they appear distracted, vulnerable, or just
plain stupid, and work from there. The vast majority of the time,
they don't bother with anyone who looks or acts like they have their
heads screwed on straight. But sometimes they screw up. :-)

It's rather like this guy who came up to me on the street way
back when I was in college, in the dark ages. He told a sob story about
how his car had broken down, and was down the street at a garage. He
just needed $25 to "get the fuel filter replaced.", and then he'd be able to
drive to his job, "Or else I'm going to get fired."

So I told him, "Hell, I doubt you even have a driver's license!".
He whips out his wallet, and shows it to me.

My next step was to walk to the payphone in front of the library
next door, and call the police with his name, address, and description,
while he ran like a bat out of hell. I wonder what Jim is doing, these
days? :-)


> A few months ago in the Yahoo Prius forum somebody noticed the silver
> restrictor was missing from the neck of their fuel tank. Somebody else
> posted there never was a restrictor. Others swore there was, but they
> checked and theirs had fallen into the tank, too! It was several days before
> it became clear there was never a restrictor... in fact, there was no place
> for the restrictor to be anchored. But we believe we know what's going on,
> and we act on that without giving it much thought the vast majority of the
> time.
>

That only illustrates that there are a lot of stupid people on
the Yahoo Prius forum, apparently. :-)

- Rich