‘Watch’ out for this scam, folks.
A man walks into a store, and tells the clerk he is locked out of his car and needs to use the phone.
It’s urgent, obviously, because his dog is in the car. In fact, his dog is the one who locked him out. So, he calls a tow company, argues with them, and gets upset.
He’ll need $50, or maybe it’s $300, for the tow guy to open the door. He doesn’t have that kind of cash — it’s in the car, you see. But if you give him some money, he’ll leave you his watch.
As far-fetched as it sounds, the scam has worked on a few downtown business owners in the past. Many of them have taken to social media to warn other businesses.
And this week, the ‘watch guy’ was back at it again in the downtown area. Jessica Pope, an employee at a Subway downtown, said their store managed to get surveillance video of the man. She had heard of the story before, and was wise to his lies so she turned him down.
But she wants others to know he’s out there, and to be extra cautious of people entering businesses and asking for money. Brenda Wason admitted to falling for it the last time the scam was going on, and posted a picture of the watch he left behind.
“It was a hot day,” she says. “So he had me at ‘my dog is locked in the car.'”
He only got her for $25, but others have reported being tricked into giving more.
