Leather scam alert - Calgary

[Randy]

FYI - Knew it was a scam...and these confirms it:

http://www.ireland.com/blogs/pricewatch/2008/01/14/leather-scam/
http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Number=12317593

Story is very similar to what happened to me today at the Home Depot on 16th Ave, across from North Hill mall (11:30am).

Italian man in a rental Ford SUV (H-14995) drove up asking for direction to airport. His english is poor, so gives you a note pad to draw a map, and parks in the meantime. After you give him direction, he tells you how kind you are and that he is a rep for some designer company. Has a bunch of suits/jackets (armani) that he wants to give to you. Proceeds to show you a bunch of items and gathers them in a bag and hands it to you.

Then he goes on to the second part of the story in that this is a rental car b/c he is only here for a week and needs to go home asap b/c of something (couldn't understand him)...then that is when he pulls out his passport and airline ticket saying he needs to change the date, blah, blah, and more blah blah which I couldn't really make out...and then "Western Union"...

Then it was ok..bye.


So, just a heads up....everything was reported to the non-emergency line.....be interesting to see how he makes out!

[dj_rice]

Had this happen to me already...at the Sunridge Futureshop a few years back

Same memo, asked for directions, after I gave it to him, said hes a sales rep in Canada for Giorgio Armani and etc....and hes going back to Italy soon and etc....


But hilarious you called the non-emergency line....


These guys are almost as old as the white van speaker guys, they've been around for ages


In fact I found the thread, 2nd post, in 2006 of my encounter along with many other peoples if you read on

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/136953/selling-speakers-from-the-back-of-a-van/

[TomcoPDR]

Me too, reporting in...

It was 1.5 years ago... I was in my 2004 Chevy Avalanche, fully loaded Maroon red.

Walking out of Shawnessy Canadian Tire, corner of my eye caught a big SUV driving behind me but I kept walking (it was a Jeep Grand Cherokee), as he saw me walking up to my vehicle, he pulls into the stall to my passenger side.

Got in my ride, sees him yelling over, so being a "nice guy" that I think I am, rolled down pass. window... exact same mofo speech: (chessy Sopranos accent): "excus me, u no art-part?"

Being the dumbass "nice guy", I actually hopped outta my ride and took out my road maps for him... what a mother fucker.

I even OFFERED this crack-douche my $20 Calgary map to take with him :banghead: FUCK (like after pointed out all the roads and shit to him)... then he's like: "non non, I should be fine now, fanks a lot"

Before we parted ways from each other (standing between the 2 vehicles) he's like: "Hey, u nice guy, u know.. I work for you know da Gerogio A-man-no" "You know I just here do a show, and we thinking setting up store, but now my luggage too much to travel... you a nice guy helping me, I give you discount for some very nice jackets we had for demo"

Being a dumbass I thought he was for real and I was getting some threads for FREE (I wouldn't had accepted anyways)...

Fuck, thanks for being this story up OP. :(

So he opened his tailgate (that's when I realized rental plate, I later called my connections, plate was owned by National Car Rentals)... he's like: "dis in store you know, $500 each... but I no need them no more, just the only $300 for everything"

I finally caught on, says: "Naw man, I don't need no jackets man, summer's coming dude, I don't got no money"

Scammer: "You got da plastic cards?"

Me: "What?"

Scammer: "You know, the credit card or the bank card to get money?"

Me: "Naw man, I left it at house, I only came to grab something from C.T. really quick"

Scammer: "How far is your house? Maybe we go get it, you sure you got no cash on you?"

Me: (think WTF): "naw I live outta town, I'm like 45 minutes away"

FUCK, I should had got him to follow me "to the house" and drive to District #8 down the street... I did report it right after @ District 8 to officer Hartwell (possible spelling) but he didn't seem to give a shit... even gave him the plate # (that's when I did my own research that week to know it's a National car rental)

What a piece of shit.

[pinoyhero]

Buying sweet leather coats from a dudes car = FAIL

[max_boost]

I wonder how many people have fallen for this thing or how many people who have but aren't willing to admit it haha

[badatusrnames]

Sounds like Romanian/Gypsy scammers...

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by Randy
FYI - Knew it was a scam...and these confirms it:

http://www.ireland.com/blogs/pricewatch/2008/01/14/leather-scam/
http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Number=12317593

Story is very similar to what happened to me today at the Home Depot on 16th Ave, across from North Hill mall (11:30am).

Italian man in a rental Ford SUV (H-14995) drove up asking for direction to airport. His english is poor, so gives you a note pad to draw a map, and parks in the meantime...!

LOL. same thing happened to me 3 years ago or so, there is another ancient thread about this on beyond, funny that this is still happening. THe guy said he was going to the airport, on his way back to Italy and wanted some cash to buy presents for his kids back home.

[JAYMEZ]

Weird.. Guy from my work on Friday said he got asked by some Italian guys trying to buy a ticket back home.... It was 4 jackets for $200 or something.. To funny

[signature7]

did they do the lighter trick for you guys too?

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by signature7
did they do the lighter trick for you guys too?


Umm no, they were just trying to sell us leather jackets/suits...




I think he was trying to pick you up....

[GQBalla]

lol i bunch of guys that worked at sushi boat got scammed by these guys

[signature7]

Originally posted by dj_rice



Umm no, they were just trying to sell us leather jackets/suits...




I think he was trying to pick you up....

genuine leather will not readily burn or melt.

[dj_rice]

Went right over your head...

[Supa Dexta]

I got stopped by the white van home theatre sellers a couple times now. "Hey buddy you want a great deal on a home theatre?"

.. No I want you and your fucking garbage away from my car.

.. does the trick every time.. :thumbsup:

[ZorroAMG]

Originally posted by dj_rice

Same memo,

It's actually "same M.O." as in Modus Operandi...:)

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by ZorroAMG


It's actually "same M.O." as in Modus Operandi...:)


Don't use your fancy Latin words with me, I'm Nammer okay....:rofl: :rofl:

[ZorroAMG]

:D

[Kavy]

The scary thing about these leather jacket guys is that a lot of the jackets are actually stolen from stores around town, they just pull off the manufacturer tags and replace them with shit they buy on ebay.

[Brutucus]

I experienced the same thing, two Italian guys in ford rental suv. They came up to me and were I'm from Italy and I don't speak much English. But I thought you look Latino lol...( oh brother I'm viet). I recently done a fashion show for Giorgio Armani. They gave me free jackets to promote them and you look the right size for the jackets. I would had kept them but they are too small for me. shows me 3 jackets , these are for you as a gift , they are worth $22,000. But you got to do me a favor, you have to pay for my taxes on my airport tickets I want to go home today and not May 18. Shows me his passport and HERTZ paper and airport paper. I really miss my family and I don't want to live on the street. I have no money because I was at the casino and I lost $50,000. Told him bad luck for you but I got to head off to work, call me something in Italian and sped off.

Supervisor vision: same deal, you look latino etc
But this time you get 2 jackets free but the 3rd one you have to pay little bit extra... ( supervisor was like why don't you say, buy one and get 2 free lol)

[DNSRadio]

Just happened to me on the weekend.

Down @ Southcentre on the weekend.
as me and my wife were walking up to our car, these guys pull up and start yapping about how we look cold... ( yeah right it was like + 30 ) and that they have some Armani and Gucci leather jackets for sale.
They need to get rid of the stock before they head back to Italy otherwise their boss is going to fire them and etc.
We just kept walking and they just talking. Just as we got to our vehicle I told him to come back in the Winter and try and sell his fake jackets then.
The guy rolled up his window and drove off..

Funniest thing ever is that they had a White Astro and they said it was a rental..... which rental company carries Astros now?.. LOL




on a side note, a former friend of mine fell for the speaker scam.
went and paid these guys $2500 for some no name speakers and when he brought it home, nothing worked.
he tried to sell them on ebay and etc, but dont know what happened.


just some funny shit, its hilarious how many people fall for these scams... thats the only reason they are still around is because people buy their stories and dish out the cash for these losers.

[DJ_NAV]

i fell for this.. got a suit for $15!!!..hahahahaha
im pretty sure the cloth, finishing and labor work was more than $15.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Not really a scam if youre in the market for some new clothes. :)

[B17a]

A fool and his money........

[ottamania]

couple years ago, this happenned to me as well. :)

This guy with a rental car comes up. He is wearing a suit , dont remember what kind of car but for sure it was a rental car. He asked me directions to airport with his poor english with the italian accent. I mean my english is not perfect but i barely understoo wtf he was talking about and he is like on my face. proly a 1' away. Anyhow as i told him the location, he pups his trunk and i saw leather jackets :) he is like i am asking $500 for ea. i need to change my flight and blah blah blah. By the way, it was summer time as well. I told him i wasn't interested and i already have winter jacket. After that he gave me his card with a armani logo on it. And he took off.

god damn scammers.

If this happens to me again, I ll try to scam him.

[2.0turbo]

When this happens to me and they hand me the jackets to check them out, I'm gonna punch them in the head and run off with the jackets.

[gqmw]

Originally posted by 2.0turbo
When this happens to me and they hand me the jackets to check them out, I'm gonna punch them in the head and run off with the jackets.

:rofl:

[Speedy]

I bought my first wife from a white van but as soon as she got home she ran away...I went back to the mall to get my money back but they were already gone :cry:

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by Speedy
I bought my first wife from a white van but as soon as she got home she ran away...I went back to the mall to get my money back but they were already gone :cry:


WTF??Whatever your smoking, its some goooood shit, hook it up

[Speedy]

Pain Killers + off work for a week with back pain = trolling beyond and posting weird shit!

[JordanAndrew]

Originally posted by dj_rice



Umm no, they were just trying to sell us leather jackets/suits...




I think he was trying to pick you up....

Actually the same italian guys did the same thing to me. They tried selling their jackets and started lighting the jackets off with their lighter to prove to me that they were real leather. I didn't buy any of it as I knew these guys were selling me fake shit. The jackets were fugly as well! :barf:

[Ihatetowait]

This happened to me at centex car wash on centre st.

I was dryin off my car out back, he pulls up and gives the same story. How to get to the airport, ect. I get two words in when he interrupts me about a fashion show downtown, how he had extra clothes and a whole bunch of crap I didn't understand.

At this point, I was a little weirded out, and couldnt understand a thing he said. So I gave him directions, smiled and nodded at the rest of his crap, and just continued drying car until he drove off.


Was this ford SUV white with a tan interior by chance?

[Randy]

LOL...so they are still making the rounds! I think these guys just keep renting different cars, the guy in mine had a grey one.

I wonder what the chances are of running into these guys twice! Seems like there are a few of them.

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by Randy
LOL...so they are still making the rounds! I think these guys just keep renting different cars, the guy in mine had a grey one.

I wonder what the chances are of running into these guys twice! Seems like there are a few of them.


I've only ran into them once, but those white van speaker guys, too many times

[stellerGT]

:rofl:
This happend to me two days ago at the marlborough mall parking lot. I was walking to my car and this guy stopped by me with his window down. He was talking about how he was going to the airport and how hes a dealer for armani. He asked if i was interested in his excess of inventory. He reaked of a scammer, I was politely waiting for the right time to tell him I'm not intested. His english was terrible and he was driving a silver Jeep Patriot.

[kevie88]

Word for word this happened to me at Sunridge a few years back... He seemed to be surprised that I had already heard of them haha

[prelude98h22]

Ran into one of these guys with a silver Jeep and a rental plate on the back just outside of Shawnessy CIBC. Exact same story saying he needed directions to the airport and wanted to give me a gift for being so nice. Showed me the jackets and then proceeded to talk about his rental car and how he needed me to pay for it was when I left.

[dj_rice]

Almost 10 year bump! LOL

[blownz]

Best part is I got to the 4th post by TomcoPDR before I noticed how old the thread was. He posted that he took out his paper maps and I was like WTF who still has paper maps? lol

I haven't had one of these guys approach me in years. I think they mostly prey on young guys. I remember the speaker guys always stopping me. Good times.

[Brent.ff]

Almost 10 year bump! LOL

best part was 'same memo'

[TomcoPDR]

Best part is I got to the 4th post by TomcoPDR before I noticed how old the thread was. He posted that he took out his paper maps and I was like WTF who still has paper maps? lol

I haven't had one of these guys approach me in years. I think they mostly prey on young guys. I remember the speaker guys always stopping me. Good times.

Yup 2007-2008. Worked on the road, couldn’t afford the latest greatest iPhone/smartphone.

Carried those Alberta, sask booklet maps on the holder pockets on the backside of the truck seats. Wonder what happened to that company that printed those really nice laminated maps and binded them. They were like $25-40 bucks

Can’t believe scam still running. So pissed wasted 30 mins with fuckin greaseball there trying to be a nice guy.

Just the other day I was dt, volunteers for Doctors Without Borders did the same shit. Offered her change in my pocket $1-3. But she actually wanted me to sign my info away and make some bullshit contribution pledge.

[Darell_n]

Best part is I got to the 4th post by TomcoPDR before I noticed how old the thread was. He posted that he took out his paper maps and I was like WTF who still has paper maps? lol

I haven't had one of these guys approach me in years. I think they mostly prey on young guys. I remember the speaker guys always stopping me. Good times.

I’m using white van speakers in my living room still today. Totally worth the $40 or whatever I talked the guy down to.