photo by Diane Krauthamer
“Dear PoPville,
I just wanted to let you know about a scam that (I am ashamed to say) I fell for on the corner of Corcoran and 17th NW yesterday near Dupont Circle.
Two people in their early thirties, a white woman with dark hair and a clean-shaven man with light brown skin and a yellow beanie, approached me. They seemed very embarrassed and frazzled and came up to me as I was passing Annie’s Steakhouse. They introduced themselves and said they were husband and wife. They told me that they had just moved to Dupont Circle a week ago and their car had gotten towed by District Towing, and that both of their wallets/keys/phones were in the car since they had just left the car to run a quick errand or something (which, in hindsight, red flag). They provided a lot of details — they said they had just moved from Minnesota or Michigan (I can’t remember which) that they had out-of-state plates, lived on 17th Street, mentioned that they had tried to call the Mayor’s Office and their folks using other people’s phones, etc. We had a bit of small talk about where we were from. They introduced themselves but I have since forgotten their names.
I can’t express how genuinely friendly these people seemed. I never give money to anyone on the street but I just felt so bad for them; their distress seemed genuine. I recently had my car towed so I knew how they (seemingly) felt and it’s an awful feeling.
They were essentially asking for money, which they insisted they would pay back, to help get their car out of the storage lot; since they didn’t have their wallets/credit cards so they were hoping to pay in cash to get their car out of the lot. The woman said that they were trying to get $60. The man mentioned there was an ATM nearby, to which I said that I didn’t have my debit card (plus, even I would have drawn a line there). I gave them $12, which is the cash I had. He said he would Venmo me the money back.
It’s only $12, so I’m not mad about losing the money, but I’m angry at how they took advantage of my willingness to help a neighbor in need. Someone easily could have given them a greater sum of money; I perhaps would have if I had had more cash on me.
I just wanted to share so that I can potentially prevent the kindness of others from being taken advantage of.”
and
“Dear PoPville,
“Hi!! This same thing just happened to me today where a couple approached me on T St and New Hampshire. Nearly identical situation. Just wanted to say thanks for posting these stories because I immediately remembered that I had read about this scam on PoPville!”