What kind of a scam was this?

[randome]

In the grocery store parking lot a couple of days ago, as I was getting out of my car, a guy hails me from his own car, asks the meaning of my license plate. It says 'DRM LRG' (because 'DRM BIG' was already taken.) I told him it had no meaning, it was just my way of trying to inspire people. (I bought the new car in July, a Mustang convertible.)

He gets out of his car and engages me in a discussion. He's in his fifties, crisply dressed, not formal or anything, just...crisp-looking. He wears a baseball cap and has something sewn into his jacket that says 'VET' or 'VETERAN', I forget which.

He says he's from Iowa, starting a new business in the area and is looking for two or three smart individuals to help him manage it. He gives me an address, which is about 2 miles away and wants to know if I can be there to hear what he has to say.

I tell him I have too many other things going on and I'm not interested. He doesn't try to talk me into it, he just says 'Okay' and leaves, which to my mind means he saw during his spiel that I wasn't going for it.

So what do you think this was about? Something sinister, I would think, but what?

And what about me might have made him think I was a good 'mark'? The car itself? My bearing? My attitude as I was getting the bag out of the trunk? The license plate?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[Sedona]

1. network marketing troll

[unblock]

2. most of a con is selling the mark on a big dream.

so "drm lrg" would certainly do nothing to discourage a con artist!

that said, any vanity plate suggests disposable money.

mostly, though, it's an easy ice-breaker so he can start talking, quickly appear friendly, then launch into his scam story.

[randome]

12. $17 for the vanity plates. Maybe he really WAS from Iowa and didn't know that.

But what the heck, I guess it wasn't as 'sinister' as I thought, other than a marketing scam of some sort.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[John1956PA]

3. As for parties I do not know, I delete their emails and reject their in-person offers.

There have always been smooth-talking con-artists looking to get a foothold on innocent victims' assets. Their first step is to gain trust by striking up a friendly conversation. This particular individual saw your new sporty car and felt you matched the profile for a financially secure mark. His wearing of the veterans indicium on his sleeve, so to speak, was part of his design to instill in you trust in his intentions. I doubt if he ever served in the military. You did the right thing by dismissing him.

[randome]

10. It's not 'that' new. It's a 2013 Demo car, so it doesn't have much in the way of extras.

And therefore I got it at a good price. But yeah, I guess 'Mustang convertible' implies something more.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[pipi_k]

4. Yeah, I agree with the

"ice breaker" thing in the post above mine.

I think many of these people are trained to look for something...anything...that stands out about a person that they can approach him on and get the spiel going. Doesn't matter what it is.

Color/make of your car. Shoes. "Mistaking" you for someone else.

lots of ways


Call me a cynic, but I have a natural suspicion toward anyone who comes up to me out of the blue and tries to start a conversation or give me a compliment.

[randome]

7. Oh, I was cynical enough to not test the waters of whatever he was selling.

People do start conversations with me sometimes but I can tell from the start if it's sincere or not. And it's never in a parking lot!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
Leonard Cohen, Anthem (1992)[/center][/font][hr]

[pipi_k]

13. Yeah, I'm not totally

cynical/suspicious.

Like if we're in a shared space, such as a checkout line or something. Although a small part of me wonders if the person is trying to divert my attention so s/he can pick my pocket or purse. Hah! There I go again!

Anyway, I'm glad you didn't fall for the spiel. I started getting a bit concerned for a bit there, though, wondering if he might be trying to lure you over toward his vehicle so he could push you inside.


PS...saw a surveillance video on TV the other day where some guy tried to kidnap a woman off the street. Mr Pipi, a retired cop, turns to me and says, "Did you notice something she shouldn't have done?"

Because I've already thought through these types of things, I reply, "Yeah, she ran with the guy".

So here's the deal...I've decided that being a bit...Zaftig...has its benefits. Anyone attempting to kidnap me off the street will have a huge problem. Number one...I am overweight with bad knees. I cannot run. Number two...force me to run and I will fall on my face. Try to kidnap me from that position and it would be like dragging Shamu the killer whale across sand dunes.

Anyway, getting back to the point.

Good for you for not falling for the scheme!

[Orsino]

5. Didn't want to describe his business?

Not necessarily a serial-killer alarm bell, but it could be something worse, like HerbaLife.

[randome]

6. Or maybe he bought the rights to Avon and is looking to start it over!

It was just a weird experience.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[ChazInAz]

9. Familiar method.

Sounds like World Ventures, a travel "service" that is more of a glorified pyramid scheme. "For $300, we can get you into this booming travel business! Within a month, you'll have earned that back, and be on your way to real wealth. See the silver BMW that the company gave me?"

[randome]

11. That sounds like a good guess.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]A 90% chance of rain means the same as a 10% chance:
It might rain and it might not.[/center][/font][hr]

[Brickbat]

8. Typical multi-level marketing stuff.

[Nay]

14. The license plate. He thought you were a good mark because of

the "Tony Robbins" type saying. He's a multi-level marketing guy looking for rubes to buy into his thing.

[Odin2005]

15. Amway-style pyramid scheme.