The Spare Change Swapper is back!

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend got duped in the Davis Square station this morning.  A tall man wearing sunglasses, disheveled clothing, and missing several teeth, approached him while he was waiting for the T.  The man asked him to buy the Spare Change newspaper, showing him a stack of papers with a Spare Change News on top.  Once my BF agreed to buy a paper from him and open his wallet, the man had the gall to ask for an additional $5 for a meal.  My BF, having a kind heart, decided that he would give the man an extra dollar.  Then the man gave my BF a paper from the bottom of his stack, which ended up being some other free newspaper. When my BF asked about it, the man gave him some roundabout explanation about how they were trying to get more Spare Change papers printed, etc.  My BF, realizing he'd been taken for a ride, told the man to get lost, and once he got to work, he reported the man to both Spare Change News and the MBTA.  Here's hoping that something comes of it.

T riders beware!  Don't be fooled into "buying" a Spare Change newspaper from this man!

Comments

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

One guy is often at Davis/ Harvard/ Central that is known for this. He wears a beret and is in his mid-50s or so. I don't think you are describing the same guy, but it is a fairly common scam. Legit spare change venders will have an ID badge.

[ron_newman]

I'm starting to think we should put up posters with this guy's photo, saying "DON'T BUY NEWSPAPERS FROM THIS PERSON"

[rrwf.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. I stopped him from selling the Weekly Dig to two guys late on Wednesday morning. There weren't any T personnel around; I looked to try to report him. For a moment, I thought he was going to push me in front of a train.

[spatch]

If he's the same one I always see, he's the guy whose opener involves approaching you and pretending to be surprised to see you.

"Oh! Hey! Hiya. Um, I was wondering if you could help..."

I always greet him cheerfully, casually mention I've seen him around on the platform before, and he typically backs off. It's the closest thing to a finger-on-the-side-of-the-nose move I've ever had to make on the T, but it seems to work.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

The whole ID badge thing would probable be more useful to your average T rider if Spare Change would advertise this fact...

[ron_newman]

For older posts in this series, dating back to 2006:

http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1638616.html
http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1155359.html
http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/1122518.html
http://community.livejournal.com/davis_square/520741.html

He is one of the reasons I created the 'local characters' tag.
It's a disgrace that he's been allowed to get away with this for at least three years.

[teele-sq.livejournal.com]

what is he ultimately getting away with? he's gotta eat too no?

[beatniktea.livejournal.com]

thats what I was thinking. I mean, I don't see how duping people for a dollar to buy a burger from the local mcdonalds is such a huge crime. but who knows.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

I feel like he's unfairly tarnishing the Spare Change newspaper. I mean, if you need a dollar to eat, just say so. Don't swindle people in the process.

[ron_newman]

he is damaging the good name of Spare Change News, a legitimate charity that is trying to help people.

If he wants to beg, then fine, beg. Don't rip people off.

[beatniktea.livejournal.com]

you're right. I do see what you're saying in that regard. :)

[patheticgurl.livejournal.com]

They do. In their paper.
But I guess to someone who has never bought one before, they wouldn't know... but next time they will.

[patheticgurl.livejournal.com]

He is getting away with selling something that is free and not what he is advertising.

He is also hurting SCN and their vendors.
In order to be a vendor, you have to pay for the newspapers that you sell. You also have to go through screening processes.

He should just ask people for money and thats it.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Hey, maybe he should sell recycled Globes and Heralds from the T's newspaper recycling bins. Then he'd be selling a legitimate product, and still getting the money he wants...

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

You know, oddly enough, I wouldn't mind that as much. At least that's a product that I would still be buying under normal circumstances.

But then again, the Globe is only 75 cents. Much less profitable then selling fake Spare Change papers.

[derekp.livejournal.com]

It's really quite simple. On the Platform = Scammer. Outside the gates with badge = Legit.

[dylanesque29.livejournal.com]

*headdesk*

Maybe a collective email to both Spare Change and the MBTA might get some traction on this matter?

Vigilantes abound...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Apparently. Let the Spare Change folks deal with it, if they think it's a big problem for them.

Exactly!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Let them deal with it. If Spare Change does not care enough to do something about it, why should we?

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

He's cheating the actual Spare Change vendors, who work hard.

So, yeah, I'm pissed off that he's cheating hardworking homeless people.

Re: Exactly!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It's not a question of "care"--Spare Change is an understaffed, overworked volunteer enterprise.

I think pointing out to people who don't know that this guy isn't legit is doing the organization and the actual Spare Change vendors a favor.

Re: Vigilantes abound...

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

It's not like Spare Change has a big staff--the umbrella organization, Homeless Empowerment, Inc., has exactly two employees, both of whom are constantly breaking their backs to serve the clients.

Everybody else is a volunteer. A lot of the homeless and recently homeless vendors do quite a bit of volunteer work themselves.

Helping out a very low-budget organization that does good work for people who need help doesn't seem like being a "vigilante" to me.

Re: Vigilantes abound...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

How about a citizen's arrest then? Oh, we need big a couple of big guys for that, Ron would not work :)

But he works as hard!

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

He's standing there too, right? Like the other guys. They are all working hard, by this standard...

Re: But he works as hard!

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

No, the Spare Change vendors actually work hard--they help sort the papers, they lay out 25 cents per paper up front, and then they sell the paper and get to keep 75 cents of the proceeds.

This guy is just cheating people who want to support Spare Change. The vendors are offering a product for sale--this guy is just lying.

If he wants to beg for money, he should beg for money, not sell something that a) he has no right to sell, and b) he doesn't have in any case.