Don't Be a Pigeon

Answer 1

I know you're an honest hard-working citizen. But I'm going to let you in on a secret. Not everyone shares that title with you. There are unscrupulous folks out there who'll try to take your money from you even though you've done nothing at all to them.

Today, I want to arm you against a financial scam that you might run into called The Pigeon Drop. The first thing you should note about this scam is that the hucksters are referring to you as their pigeon; a creature with a brain about a thousand times smaller than a human. They're looking for a sucker, or to use their terminology, a mark. They want someone who will trust them. The key to the pigeon drop, however isn't just finding a trusting soul, since they're essentially making the victim think that he or she is in a position to walk away with all the loot. They're asking you to be the trustworthy one, when in essence they're actually walking away with your hard-earned cash.

One variation of the pigeon drop works like this. Let's say that you're working your way through college by tending the late night counter at the local convenience store. Someone walks out of the restroom with an expensive looking necklace that they claim to have found in there. While they're talking about it the store phone rings and a frantic customer claims to have lost the item while in the store earlier. They ask if it is found and you tell them that, why yes, it was just located by another customer. The excited misplacer of jewelry tells you that there is a $200 reward for the return of the necklace. And that they are leaving their house right now to get it and to pay the other customer the reward.

Upon hearing the news about the serendipitous phone call and the reward the customer before you seems to be a basket full of mixed emotions. Sure they're happy to help by having found the necklace, and they'd love the reward but they're late for a job interview (or some other excuse) and must get going immediately. They turn to you and offer that should you be able to give them half the reward now so they may be on their way they will leave the necklace with you and you can keep the $200 when the owner of the jewelry arrives. Sounds fair enough, right?

You've heard it said that 'finders keeper and losers weepers'. Not so in this case because in this scam both the finder and the loser of the jewelry are in on it. Finder walks away with your $100 and you're left with a necklace that, while impressive looking, is probably only worth a dollar to two. The loser who called isn't coming to give you any reward. In fact the only loser in this situation is the honest person behind the counter who is now out $100. Don't fall for this old trick.