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TheNeil

The Nerve of Some People

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Here's a bizarre one (and probably something of a cautionary tale) but I think someone tried to scam me this moring and actually had the cheek to use mental health/autism to do it. Set the way-back-o-meter for one hour ago...

 

I'm on holiday all week (yay) so was mowing the lawn this morning when this rough looking bloke ([posh accent]for 'round here - this is Harrogate you know[/posh accent]) with a clipboard comes up the drive and launches into his speil, holding up a battered photo of some kids in front of a mini-bus (trust me, this is relevant). Did I want to help kids with mental health problems? Well no actually because I already give money to the NAS (sometimes)

 

"NAS?" he replied (looking confused and his 'slurred' voice suddenly becoming an awful lot clearer)

 

"Yes, the National Autistic Society"

 

"Oh I've not heard of them" (Note wary look in eyes)

 

"Well they're there and I happen to be autistic"

 

"Really? Oh I've got that myself. Got diagnosed last year with mild-autism"

 

"Woah" (I actually was surprised)(and pleased) "I'm Aspergic myself - you've probably noticed that I've avoided all the eye-contact thing"

 

"Yeah, yeah - that's a lot like autism that Asp...gic thing is. I had the eye-contact thing too but my boss reckoned I was being awkward so I just stopped doing it. And once this woman said 'Wait there I'll be back in five minutes so I waited there for like half an hour and she didn't come back!'"

 

"Er yeah you do tend to interpret everything literally"

 

Anyway we talked for a couple more minutes (which is a miracle for me) and he asked how I'd been diagnosed (or "So how did you find out?") and explained that he'd been "sent to this place in Wales for a week" and had "filled in some questionaires". Anyway he wanted me to make a donation to help some 'charity' (quotes deliberate) that I'd never heard of and he certainly didn't have any official looking ID with him (or if he did then he didn't bother showing it to me). So I said that I'd think about it and that if he'd leave his details then I might get in touch if I decided to. For some reason he couldn't do this so he shook my hand and headed off (back the way he came as if he'd suddenly remembered something and had to leave very quickly - maybe he'd left the gas on or something)

 

What's riled a bit is that as I was speaking to him I was really pleased that here was another autistic person and that he was doing something good and useful but as my analytical brain starting replaying it all I've started to doubt pretty much all of it. The way his voice changed, the 'mild' autism, having 'cured' himself of making eye-contact at the drop of a hat (that's certainly a neat trick), the lack of ID, knocking on doors in the middle of the day...it just didn't ring true somehow

 

Am I being paranoid or not?

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No you're not paranoid - if he was collecting for charity he should have had official ID.

 

I once had two lads selling stuff for the deaf and dumb. One of them spoke for the other who was disabled and they were signing to one another, only it didn't look quite right to me.

 

I followed them down the street when they left and heard them chatting and laughing to each other whenever they left a house. I told them they'd better go quick as I was calling the police.

 

I was in trouble with the police for warning them and for putting myself in unecessary danger as they said lots of kids carry weapons these days - a good lesson learned.

 

Barefoot

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Sounds dodgy to me to. Think you handled the situation really well. Have you thought of contacting local police to see if there have been any other complaints or reports?

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Yep, that bloke sounded dodgier than a lot of dodgem cars :D

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It sounds as though you did the right thing Neil, as others have said, people can always show their ID or give contact details if they're from a bona fide organisation.

 

K x

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Wow well done TheNeil I am very taken in by these dodgy people and very beliveing to my down fall.Getting wiser tho' now and would say if they don't have ID then no money from me mate.

 

 

Lisa

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whoa definatly not official - good job you didnt donate.

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