Con Artist at Work

This morning I got up at around 6 to get to yoga class at 7 with 2 other girlfriends, Joy and Alma. BEST IDEA EVER. We had breakfast at Joy’s in East Village, which was closeby. Then we got coffee on the way to work. The point is — I was feeling super good.

After I left the 2 of them, I had about ten short blocks to go. On the way, I got stopped by this man who seemed desperate. “I need $ for gas! I have a 2 year old, and we’re stranded. I’ll give you anything — drivers license, a bracelet, my keys, in exchange for money. I’ll pay you back when I come back” — that sort of thing. I wasn’t completely alert, just in my feeling-good haze. The caffeine hasn’t completely kicked in yet. I agreed. Gave him $40. Emptied my wallet and gave him more JUST BECAUSE HE ASKED. He gave me a bracelet that’s on his wrist. I wrote down my work address and number. He said he’ll call me and return my money.

Now, I don’t know why I didn’t question him further. Like I really wanted to trust him and pushing him for more details destroyed that? I think I could have been smarter than this and I might have seen signs that he was trying to con me. The problem is that you could never be SURE that they are trying to con you even if they may appear suspicious.

This is, unfortunately, the first of the 3 incidents of being robbed in a 3-month span.