The title might sound funny but it's serious. Something happened to me yesterday that reminded me that it's high time I wrote on this topic or.........
Ok, the not so serious bit - I got on this bus and all the men were discussing how a lady had been duped by a guy that was sitting beside her on the same bus. Since I was having a dry day and really needed gist, I asked what happened.
Apparently, the guy had confused her by touching her in 'her' right places ON THE BUS! and she did not cry out, not until he got off at his bus stop - smiling, then she noticed her money was gone. She started wailing "I am finished" (seriously).
So from that point in the day, my antennae rose by 2 more inches, but the height and position of my antennae did not stop THE SHIP MAN. I had alighted from the bus and was on a very popular road - Artillery by Old Aba road, when this guy wearing a faded pair of jeans folded up above his ankle with faded boots to match, walked up to me. He asked if I knew the way to a NOBLE EYE CLINIC and I responded by shaking my head, he asked if he was on Old Aba road, I nodded.
Now the reason I was mute was cos I had been warned in the past to beware of talking to suspicious guys as they moved with charms that only work when you talked back at them, hence my 'deaf and dumb' display. But, on 2nd thought I decided to probe the charm, so I opened my mouth and told the guy to walk down that stretch, that Noble Eye Clinic was on his right hand side. Dude became excited and said "U know, I've been down this road, I didn't find it" and I told him to go again but his reply was "I work on the Ship, I don't really know my way around here" now that got to me. Anyway, I told him to keep walking down the road while walking to my own destination.
Another guy was then passing, and the Ship Man asked him to my hearing if he know where the Noble Eye Clinic was, the guy said 'no' and walked on. Somehow this same guy who acted aloof fell in steps with me and asked me if the Ship man was asking me the same questions and I replied "Yes" so he said "you know all these people that work on the Ship, they don't really know their way way around, help him if you can"
At that point I just walked away from both of them, and just like I guessed, he called the Ship man and decided to help him and the both disappeared and lived happily ever after.
QUESTIONS
- Now, did the 2nd man know that the Ship man worked on a Ship, since I overheared the only question he asked him, which was about the road to Noble Eye Clinic.
- He worked on the Ship, and did not know his way around, granted. Did that also mean that he couldn't walk on land down the road just as I directed him. Maybe he was more comfortable walking on water, as a Ship man!
So here's the deal, I think the actual target must have been my Handbag. If they succeeded in getting me in to the right corner and space, it would have gone, but I held my bag tightly despite the fact that the charm should have been activated by my oral responses.
OR..... Maybe he/they had another story to feed me if only I was willing to go on and show them Noble Eye Clinic.
From the 1st story of the crying girl on the bus to the Ship Man, you can see that some of these scammers can't be avoided. Things have totally changed, one has to be really careful how you go out of your way to help people find their way - there I really pity those who are genuinely looking for directions.
SOME SIGNALS TO HELP US SPOT NAIJA LOCAL SCAMMERS
MOST OF THESE SCAMMERS FEED ON HOW GREEDY ONE IS AND THEY DON'T STOP TILL THEY GET RESULTS. SO OPEN YOUR SENSES!!!!!!
Believe me, I have seen a lot of them.
Ok, the not so serious bit - I got on this bus and all the men were discussing how a lady had been duped by a guy that was sitting beside her on the same bus. Since I was having a dry day and really needed gist, I asked what happened.
Apparently, the guy had confused her by touching her in 'her' right places ON THE BUS! and she did not cry out, not until he got off at his bus stop - smiling, then she noticed her money was gone. She started wailing "I am finished" (seriously).
So from that point in the day, my antennae rose by 2 more inches, but the height and position of my antennae did not stop THE SHIP MAN. I had alighted from the bus and was on a very popular road - Artillery by Old Aba road, when this guy wearing a faded pair of jeans folded up above his ankle with faded boots to match, walked up to me. He asked if I knew the way to a NOBLE EYE CLINIC and I responded by shaking my head, he asked if he was on Old Aba road, I nodded.
Now the reason I was mute was cos I had been warned in the past to beware of talking to suspicious guys as they moved with charms that only work when you talked back at them, hence my 'deaf and dumb' display. But, on 2nd thought I decided to probe the charm, so I opened my mouth and told the guy to walk down that stretch, that Noble Eye Clinic was on his right hand side. Dude became excited and said "U know, I've been down this road, I didn't find it" and I told him to go again but his reply was "I work on the Ship, I don't really know my way around here" now that got to me. Anyway, I told him to keep walking down the road while walking to my own destination.
Another guy was then passing, and the Ship Man asked him to my hearing if he know where the Noble Eye Clinic was, the guy said 'no' and walked on. Somehow this same guy who acted aloof fell in steps with me and asked me if the Ship man was asking me the same questions and I replied "Yes" so he said "you know all these people that work on the Ship, they don't really know their way way around, help him if you can"
At that point I just walked away from both of them, and just like I guessed, he called the Ship man and decided to help him and the both disappeared and lived happily ever after.
QUESTIONS
- Now, did the 2nd man know that the Ship man worked on a Ship, since I overheared the only question he asked him, which was about the road to Noble Eye Clinic.
- He worked on the Ship, and did not know his way around, granted. Did that also mean that he couldn't walk on land down the road just as I directed him. Maybe he was more comfortable walking on water, as a Ship man!
So here's the deal, I think the actual target must have been my Handbag. If they succeeded in getting me in to the right corner and space, it would have gone, but I held my bag tightly despite the fact that the charm should have been activated by my oral responses.
OR..... Maybe he/they had another story to feed me if only I was willing to go on and show them Noble Eye Clinic.
From the 1st story of the crying girl on the bus to the Ship Man, you can see that some of these scammers can't be avoided. Things have totally changed, one has to be really careful how you go out of your way to help people find their way - there I really pity those who are genuinely looking for directions.
SOME SIGNALS TO HELP US SPOT NAIJA LOCAL SCAMMERS
- When you get into a taxi/bus that almost filled up with passengers, one of the passengers feigns ignorance and pays for his/her fare with a dollar bill (usually a scruffy one), just as the driver notices the dollar bill and stops to alert the guy, you get down from the car without uttering a word..... just go!
- When one of the passengers raises a wonderful topic about how his boss died and he got into his room before other people and now he got hold of this big box where he kept his money, but there's no key to open the box..... Get down from that cab and go!
- When you run into people who are lost and just don't want to find their way despite all your attempts at describing it to them, even with a map...... leave them and walk away...go!
- When you receive a text message that you have won a huge sum, don't rejoice immediately, pick up the phone and call your network's customer care to confirm your winning..... hm!
- When you receive an email supposedly from your credit/debit card company requesting your pin code, so they could implement some changes in their system..... DELETE THAT MAIL AND SPAM THE SENDER
- A Director of a certain bank emails you, requesting that you come and stand in for a dead relative whom you never knew left behind loads of money, all for you...... IF YOU FALL FOR THIS THEN YOU ARE------
MOST OF THESE SCAMMERS FEED ON HOW GREEDY ONE IS AND THEY DON'T STOP TILL THEY GET RESULTS. SO OPEN YOUR SENSES!!!!!!
Believe me, I have seen a lot of them.
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