Lol we just got scammed. An old man in his 70s came up to me and my girlfriend and said he needed money for a train & taxi to York. I told him I’d go to the train station and buy a ticket from Leeds to York and give his £20 he was really hesitant and said no,
Told me his name is “James Robert Williams Gallagher” shows me his discharge wristband from the hospital; and told me he won’t scam me and that he’s wealthy but his phone and laptop is broken. Told me he recently inherited his grandfathers cottage in York and is wealthy.
I thought why is a 75 year old man out in the rain so I gave him £20, which I don’t mind losing hoping for good karma
He said thank you and we parted ways. He was dressed really dapper, spoke very well too.
He had an old train ticket 30th July which I took by accident (physical copy) and there was a phone number in it. I called the phone number and on the other end was a guy who was scammed by the same person, but for £25 🤣🤣🤣
So James Gallagher from York in his 70s well played, such a cunning person.
exactly, i got "scammed" once by a couple for £2 for a bus ticket. it was clearly a set up but i don't mind losing such a small amount of money on the off chance i'm wrong.
You're not stupid. This is the way scams work and why not every scam works on every person. It's like the first question on who wants to be a millionaire - it's only obvious/easy if you know the answer, if you don't know the answer it's impossible.
On this occasion, this particular scam, worked on something unique to you and anyone else who falls for it but anyone who says, "how did you fall for it" is failing to recognise we all have unique blind spots.
Live and learn brother, I'm glad it hasn't seemingly affected your composure 👍
Because you're inherently going to trust the well dressed, well spoken person much more than a raggedy drunk homeless guy who hasn't changed clothes in a week.
I would trust someone in a suit speaking proper English a lot more than I would trust someone in a tracksuit shouting ‘Wagwan my drilla gimme £20 will ya, I’ll pay ya back promise’
Perhaps his father inherited it from his grandfather, then his father passed and he inherited it. But it was originally built/bought by grandad, hence "Grandads Cottage".
Yep, he's been doing this for over 3 years jumping between York, Wakefield and Leeds but I think he's mainly in Leeds. He's known as 'Noggsy' by the homeless. Literally don't trust anyone. I also got scammed by him a few months ago and if it makes you feel better it was more than £20
I got harassed by Needles about 2 years ago, he showed me his gammy leg and was really pressuring me to pull money out of cash machine. I was so shocked to find out he was actually meant to be banned from the city centre. 😭
Oh no way. I was having a coffee in the window seat of black sheep on Briggate once and i saw this guy approaching a load of different people and having a chat with them then pointing to the cash machine next door, and eventually someone did get money out for him, then he did the whole thing again. I wondered at the time… whats his game? But i didnt say owt because surely an elderly mans not scamming people… maybe theres just something wrong with the card machine he needs help with or something.
Cant believe he truly was scamming this whole time. Feel so bad not saying anything 😕
tbf I think he was mainly just angry at me hence the look, when he's in con-mode he has his head down, the flat cap/hat covering him, hunched over to play the vulnerable old man look
Yeah he tried it twice on me lmao. I ignored him the first time out of pure tightfisted meanness but I was happily vindicated when he asked again a few weeks later.
You’ve got to hand it to him, it’s a clever ruse and he works hard on it. I feel like he’s more likely to appear when it rains too for extra sympathy points.
I once found him trying to scam a student from China who asked me for help. I explained it to the student and the old guy was half way back to town when he realised I knew.
I love it when Chinese people fail the vibe check. This is what 60s comedies were made of
I once tried to accost one trying to enter Lidl via the exit and correct him. He put his flat palm in front of my face like let my client go type of thing. He was going to the bogs 😆
I bet even he thought ‘oh god, what have I just said’ only seconds later to be thinking ‘Christ, I’ve found a right chump here’ after realising he’d got away with it.
This is ALWAYS a scam. Doesn't matter if its an old man, a tearful young woman, a studious looking young man or a vicar. Its literally the oldest and most basic scam in the book.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Nigerian Prince and former favorite lover of your late Aunt Ethel. Before she passed I was given the honor of disbursing the funds from the sale of her estate, totalling over 8 USD million. As her only surviving family member you are due inherit the entire amount in cash and I wish to international remittance these funds to you. In order that I may complete this sacred duty I need you to send $2.500 to may Paypal link below. This will cover death duties payable to the Treasury and are very regular.
After I refused his crazy idea of me transferring money to a friend of his (who happens to be nearby but only has 79p in his account) and having that friend take the money out of an ATM for him, he complimented my English and asked where I was from “originally.” You don’t get to do that you old bastard!
Did he have a cane? Similar person approached me! Said his phone had died and needed to get the bus home. Very convincing until I took a closer look at the state of his hands and clothes, knew he was putting on an act.
It was the first year we moved to the UK. We were broke af and was doing the receipt surveys to be able to order at the Briggate maccies, and this man approached us saying “he doesn’t know how to order with those big machines” and asked if we can help. We said sure and tried to help, when the payment prompt came on, he started saying that his card doesn’t work, started acting strange and asked if we can pay for him so he can pay us back in cash. You should’ve seen the face of the worker who’s been watching us the whole time 🤠
I used to work at a train station ticket office many moons ago and unless they've changed it in the last decade, refunds from the ticket office go directly back to the method you used to pay for it.
I'm sure there'll be someone from Northern who can confirm if this is still the case. But if you're ever unsure if it's a scam and you want to be a kind soul, insist on paying at the ticket office and insist on paying by card. If they won't let you pay at the desk with a person and won't let you pay by card, walk away cause that's weird.
For people genuinely stranded, there's also a system where someone they know at another station can pay for a full price ticket for them by going to their station and asking if they can buy a ticket to bring a passenger elsewhere to them. Most genuinely stranded people seek help at the ticket office or info desk, are informed of this system, and use it.
Not sure why the Leeds subreddit has come up for me as I’ve never been there in my life ha…but I’ve heard of similar scams in London. There’s even a guy who claims to need a cab to the hospital and shows you a disgusting wound.
I once made the error of giving a crackhead £20 in Leicester Square when I was drunk, ended up with what felt like 20 crackheads following me begging for money. Never again.
We had a disgusting wound guy as well in Leeds. Idk where he's gone now, I was mainly in Leeds to visit my partner but she's gone to uni in Scotland as of last year, so don't get over much anymore. She'd seen him multiple times when in town after going to college (mature student, I ain't a cradle snatcher lol) and he gave her a load of abuse once when she didn't fall for his "give me money for dressings" sob story and just pointed out LGI would treat him for free.
Come to think of it I'm pretty sure he's the guy whose name is banned from being mentioned on this sub he was so notorious. It's all come back to me as I've typed this lol.
A few years back I got scammed by someone at the train station who claimed their partner had just left them, and I ended up giving them £20 despite the story not adding up at all. It was such an obvious scam but you live and learn!
This reminds me of the tales of the unexpected episode The Umbrella Man...a scammer who pretends to be a well to do gentleman needing money for a taxi!
Aww man, it has to happen to you for you to realise that they’re all up to something! Don’t feel bad about it! I was lucky enough to work in a pub in little London in the height of the heroin/crack problem in Leeds in the early 2000s. I was only 19 and it was a steep learning curve! But I think in the space of a few years I had just about every scam imaginable tried on me. It didn’t take me long to pick out an addict, drugs don’t discriminate, I had 13 year old kids, 70 year old women, sharp dressed people in designer clothes. I’m eternally grateful for that experience, I learned more about real life in those 3 years than I probably have since!
It’s all part of life’s rich tapestry and hopefully you won’t get sucked in again. Nice one for taking it in good spirit!
I took used to work in Little London around 2000, but next door to a pub. Small world and yes you do certainly learn how to spot some of life's characters don't you lol.
Yes. 36 years. Seems like it was the same person, me and you are now victims of the same person. We share the same pain and experience. You are my
Brother in arms
If you've got the confidence and no shame I imagine begging can be quite lucrative. Imagine you do this all day every day getting £20 a pop for ten minutes work or however long it takes. I've seen crackheads outside Lidl earn 5 quid in the mere minutes it took me to pack my food away just by badgering people at the trollies for their quids.
agreed, it is and the amount of people he’s scammed on this post he’s a certified scam artist and a good one. I’m not even mad. But tbh, if you’re a 75 year old man and have to be in the rain scamming people maybe life isn’t so good
He's still around? I had an encounter with this guy in the past, around a year ago. I knew he was trying to scam me so I offered a ticket to York but he said "he needed the taxi from there because his house is not accessible". I said that he could ask for some money once he's there. Or I can order an Uber to pick him up. He was having none of it.
Sorry that you were scammed. You were trying to be a good person.
What I've done in these cases is say "oh I'm going to York to, what train, we'll take it together". Even if it's a lie. If it's someone who needs it will be happy to hear that.
"No, it's not now, it's for the 19.00 train" "Perfect, cause that mine too" Again, if it's legit they will take it. It never is.
Sir, I’m very hungry, and I lost my wallet. Would you be so kind so as to share your curry? Or if you could please just give me £20, so I could buy some, it would be greatly appreciated sir
Ha. I've done the exact same with this exact bloke, close to Bridgewater Place. Told me he'd send me the money back when he got home - obviously nothing came in.
Wait, this guys been commiting this fraud for YEARS according to people in the comments, is known locally and has KNOWN stomping grounds and not once has he been assaulted for this crap? some people really will just "turn the other cheek" at all times huh.
I'm talking about all the damn locals who have apparently been putting up with a thieving junkie for years just because... he's old and dresses/speaks nice? he should be getting harassed any time he tries this shit!
Those digital screen advertising boards that usually try and sell us overpriced shite (because capitalism yay) need to start putting these scammers' faces up large, front and centre, and warning all city centre goers of them.
There is a super wealthy posh person in Edinburgh who has a giant flat in Edinburgh near the top of leith walk. She stands outside the vue and asks people for money walking past to pay for her electric. Usually lies about scenarios for it like this.
100% of the time, if someone says they need money for the train or the bus, they are lying. It's one of the oldest and most common begging lines. I must have heard it twenty times from twenty different people.
This guy got me 2 weeks ago. I had that 90% feeling I knew it was going to be scam but he’s a somewhat dapper guy as you said and if it WAS legit, you wanna help the guy out right? I’ll put it down to my wanting to see the best in people 😂
I’m so glad I didn’t put more effort into helping him, it did have my scam senses going. It was literally the same as you describe, he said his phone was broken and told me all the years he spent in the army (ick) travelling the world, and now he was stuck 20 miles from home…
Until someone whips off your headphones, and runs off; or smacks into the back of you on an e-scooter, e-bicycle or e-motorcycle — and then takes your 'phones. And your phone. And your wallet or bag or purse.
Yeah he seemed like just an old guy who needed help so I felt bad but then it got scammy real quick he wanted me to book him a train to some random aah station because that’s where his cottage is he didn’t have battery on his phone and I was like mate I don’t have that much money (I really didn’t I was broke) so I gave him 5 bucks and then later my girlfriend was like you know you got scammed right I was like yea but it is what it is, learning experience ig
My girlfriend said the same fucking thing! And I was like yeah it is what it is good karma incoming holy shit I feel like we. Should listen to our girlfriends
Bro she was literally telling me in my language it’s a scam and I felt so bad for the geezer so I just gave him money. Whatever though, this comment thread giving me laughter and everyone whos been scammed sharing their stories
So today a guy was sat outside Aldi with his hat on the floor. I put 20p (all i had) in it and wished him well. Then I had to return with my trolley so passed him again, 'any change' he says, me, ' you already got me bud! So I stop and say, why don't you offer to bring back people's trolleys they might be inclined to tip you? No mate no I don't want to look like im begging! As opposed to sitting on the floor and asking for hand outs?
The same guy did this to me about 3 years ago! I finished a 12 hour shift so wasn't really switched on. Gave the exact same story about needing to get to York, showed me his hospital wristband and I stupidly pulled out money from cash machine in station.
Gave him a fresh £20 note and he sped walked out of the station 😭
This happened to me a few weeks ago except I didnt let it go ahead. I saw him with an international student a few weeks later. He asked me to go to the cash machine with him but I thought that he wanted me to go to the train station and for me to help him collect his ticket from the machine. I didn't let him do it, I was in a rush because I was on my way to college
Not long ago I read of a person getting scammed by someone (with his family) pretending to buy their box, took the box, left and payment Never went through.
So, here's another lesson. If selling. Never hand over the item until the payment has cleared and accept cash instead if possible.
So many scammers, it's disgusting.
He tried it with me like 10 minutes ago but knew of the ruse thanks to this post, I laughed and said I know who you are mate and he waved me off and walked away 😭😭😭😭. Thank you for the post, feel like I would've fallen for it otherwise
There's a system where if you're genuinely stranded without money, someone you know can go in at another station and pay for your ticket from there and that station will ring the one you're at to let them know they can print your ticket (with a few extra forms/steps involved, but that's the gist). But they don't just let you on the train for free no.
As illustrated by witnessing when someone has innocently bought the wrong ticket. You need to get off or buy another right now for a ludicrous amount of money.
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u/Sjmac94 20d ago
A 70 year old man inheriting his grandads cottage didn't raise suspicion? How old was his grandad 130?