I Saw Grifters Preying on Grifters Today.

[BigDon]

Sort of like watching two snakes trying to eat each other.

At lunch today at my favorite diner, in the next booth over this Asian gentleman was trying to pull some sort of real estate scam on this woman who was trying very hard to come off as an airhead. She had a ponytail coming out of each side of her head and her blouse was open almost to her navel. And she kept leaning forward everytime she spoke to him.

Him: And for no money down I can get you $500,000 dollars worth of property, blah, blah, blah...

Her: Tee Hee! (I kid thee not! She actually went "tee hee" numerous times.)

After twenty minutes of obvious ** fast talk he started talking about interest rates. And here's why I think she was scamming him. Everytime he came up with a different monitary figure and an interest rate, she would smile and immediately come right back with what the overall AND monthly charge would be. While giggling, leaning and playing with her hair.

I couldn't do that with ten minutes and a calculator. So I don't think she was stupid. There was a lot of roleplaying going on there. While I really don't like fast talk scam artists I almost started to feel sorry for him.

Myself, I tread very lightly around women who go out of their way to pretend to be stupid.

[TheOncomingStorm]

Ahh, poetic justice, the kind of deserve each other.

[sarongsong]

...Myself, I tread very lightly around women who go out of their way to pretend to be stupid.Overheard on tonight's Keith Olbermann show; guest Mark McKinnon, responding to a requested opinion:
...asking me about military strategy is like asking Paris Hilton about global warming!BigDon, you simply must write us (and the rest of the world) a book, what with all the characters you've introduced us to!

[Jeff Root]

Is there any way that they could have been trying to pull in
anyone who was within earshot-- such as yourself? It sounds
like a common ploy, but I don't know how it would work, beyond
getting a listener who wants in on the action.

The only time I've seen anything like this (and recognized it)
was an obvious trap for pickpockets. A guy in a wrong-color
polyester business coat pretending to be drunk. He was acting
so weird that my first thought was basically what the hell is he
doing??? Then I realized he was trying to make himself look
like a mark. Took me about five seconds to figure it out, and
I'd never heard of such a setup before I saw it. Made me want
to go over to him, put my arm around his shoulder, and whisper
into his ear: "I can help you buddy. I can help you find a better
acting school."

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

[Delvo]

What scam do you think she was trying to pull on him?

And how does acting drunk equal acting "like a mark"?

[Fazor]

Well, to answer the last post, acting drunk lowers the other persons defenses, because they think you're not thinking clearly when really you are.
From the OP, I wouldn't say she was acting drunk, just acting ditzy and flirtatious, but for the same reason.

I would guess that they weren't "grifting" each other, but probably working together trying to draw someone else in (such as big d). Hoping some nearby man would "jump in to rescue" this poor little blonde from this realestate shark. :) that's just my guess.

[Frantic Freddie]

Took me about five seconds to figure it out, and
I'd never heard of such a setup before I saw it. Made me want
to go over to him, put my arm around his shoulder, and whisper
into his ear: "I can help you buddy. I can help you find a better
acting school."

-- Jeff, in Minneapolis

That was an undercover cop you saw,COPS has shown that sting numerous times.

[Fazor]

Hmm... just came back to this topic and saw Jeff's posting. Somehow it eluded me before, even though I read through all the posts twice.

But yeah, that's exactly what i was thinking. just trying to draw a third in. or perhaps it was just another one of those wierd internet blind dates from matchmaker.com. lol.