Here is another thing I can remember from past recessions. The scam artists get busy

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/2152402,CST-NWS-scam11.article

As you head into the spring, watch out for scam artists

April 11, 2010

BY MARK LAWTON Pioneer Press

It's springtime, and arriving along with green leaves and budding flowers are the con men of the season.

Cons or scams tend to take three forms. One is the gypsy scam, or ruse entry.

"It's normally two or three or four in a crew," said Northlake Detective Chris Mowinski. Con men spot targets by looking for ramps for disabled people, longer and bigger cars and only one garbage can out on garbage day.

"One guy will act as the door man," Mowinski said. "They'll try to convince {the victim} they're with the power company, cable company or that they are a contractor. Then they try to get the person out of the home and into a backyard or garage or around the corner."

If successful, the other members of the crew enter the home and burglarize it.

[Orrex]

1. There are far worse scam artists working out of posh offices on Wall Street

Certainly it's worthwhile to be cautious, but in the grand scheme I'm more worried about the scammers whose scams can be measured in hundreds of billions of dollars.

[3waygeek]

Another set of scam artists is

meeting this weekend in New Orleans.

[Orrex]

4. Shame on you.

I'm sure that they're meeting there to discuss ways to improve life for people still suffering the effects of Katrina and the levee breach. Heck, they'll probably be working to hand out aid packages and the staffing of soup kitchens.

How dare you impugn their obviously noble motives?!?

[hobbit709]

2. If someone tried to get into my house while I'm not in it.

The Gang Of Four would be waiting with bright shiny teeth.

[timo]

3. gypsy paving

Down here in south Texas we get the trashy fuckers with new jersey and other northern states who want to "seal coat" your driveway, or " I was working down the road (lie) and have just enough asphalt(liar you have black paint) left over to fix your driveway i will give you a really good deal" which really means I will come and paint your drive way black while my buddys look for shit to steal!!!

They come down here from up north especially if its a bad cold winter and take advantage of the old and not so bright, my drive way is a quarter mile long and I paved it using left over batches of real asphalt that i traded trees from the nursery for with a friend of mine who is a real paving contractor it wasnt free but theres no real cash outlay, so I could give a rats ass if its different colors, I always tell them that I have a friend who reeeaaaalllllyyy needs their help and give them(my paving buddy) Jarrods phone # he hates gypsy's more than I do and has a really trashy mouth!! one fella came back with a look on his face and asked if I mightve given him the wrong number!!!