Spare change scammer redux

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I've seen a few posts here and b0st0n lately about the "spare change scammer". This is a guy whose typical scam is to try to sell you a spare change newspaper and when you give him a $1, he walks away. He is also known to sometimes switch off and give you one of the free newspapers instead of the spare change paper.

Legitimate people who sell spare change newspapers will be wearing an ID badge.

Anyway, I saw him this morning and I took his picture with my crappy cell phone camera.





He is about 50 or so, wears a leather "beret" type hat and sunglasses.

X-posted to b0st0n.

Comments

[teratomarty.livejournal.com]

How low do you have to be to scam off a newspaper that supports the homeless?

[jenaflynn.livejournal.com]

Pretty fucking low, I'd guess.

Not that low...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Given the latest Madoff and Stanford standards.

[jaybird1981.livejournal.com]

And he always smokes on the platform in the Davis T stop. WTF?! What, he thinks public laws don't apply to him? Grrr.

[redcolumbine.livejournal.com]

Not that it's uncommon - an unenforced law is a joke - but I've seen him in particular do it multiple times. Real Spare Change sellers are forbidden to smoke or be drunk on the job, BTW.

[ron_newman]

That's him all right. I didn't know he was now hanging out in Porter Square station. Maybe things are getting a little too hot for him in Davis as more people catch on to his act?

[rikchik.livejournal.com]

He prowls both - I was scammed by him at Porter years ago.

[gee-tar.livejournal.com]

I've seen him everywhere between Davis and Kendall, inclusive.

[noradeirdre.livejournal.com]

He's at Kendall too.

[dcltdw]

He's all over the Red Line -- Park to Davis, and has been for years.

[madrigal.livejournal.com]

Did he say anything when you took his picture? Does your camera have good zoom? It looks like you were pretty close to him.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I was pretty close to him. He didn't say anything, but he knows not to ask me to buy a paper because I've called him on the scam several times. He just walked right by me.

I don't think you are allowed to take pictures

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

inside MBTA property, without a permit... Right?

Re: I don't think you are allowed to take pictures

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

hm. i hope that's not the case. i've snapped many a photo of friends while in t stations and whatnot.

Re: I don't think you are allowed to take pictures

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

I got that wrong. You only have to provide ID, if asked.
http://www.transitpolice.us/Photo%20Policy/Photo%20Policy%201.pdf

Re: I don't think you are allowed to take pictures

[genesayssitdown.livejournal.com]

they changed it recently so that you can. unless there is a security checkpoint. then they get kind of insanely screaming and yelling at you.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

thank you! i always get taken by these kinds of things, because i want to believe in everyone. but now i'll be able to identify this scoundrel when i see him!

[ron_newman]

He was in the Davis station again today (around 11:30 am). He said something like "I'm selling a newspaper to help the homeless" and I replied loudly "No, you just pretend to sell a newspaper for the homeless". He asked me if I was an undercover FBI agent.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

You should have said Yes.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

He asked me if I was an undercover FBI agent.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that."

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

He remembers me from when I yelled at him, and now he calls me a cunt every time he sees me. I'm a little afraid of him. I don't want to be pushed onto the tracks.

[toniamato.livejournal.com]

I saw him at the Davis T this afternoon, and also loudly announced that he is a con artist. I am sorry to hear that he has escalated with you, and wonder if we should all start reporting him to the transit police and to the Somerville police. Scamming is bad enough, verbal assault is a whole other thing.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I think we should all start reporting. If they care enough about security that they search our bags, they should care enough to keep a con artist out of the stations. I haven't reported because I'm usually on my way to work, but I think its worth missing a train to get this guy out.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

I got contacted by somebody at the Boston Globe about this guy, I'm assuming because of my post about it a few weeks ago on DSLJ. Hopefully a Globe article will spread the news to more people, and actually prompt either Spare Change or the MBTA to do something about it!

[ron_newman]

Good. Do you happen to remember which reporter talked to you? If s/he's from the City Weekly, we only get three more weeks of it before it goes away.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

Yeah, looks like he's a City Weekly reporter. He just talked to my boyfriend today, and he should be getting in contact with me next. Here's hoping it gets in the Globe soon!

[ron_newman]

Thanks. Please point him at http://davis_square.livejournal.com/tag/local+characters , which has quite a few posts on this subject over the past 3 years.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

I may even point him in your direction as well, since it sounds like he's going to be asking me about DSLJ. I've only been following the community for the last 6 months or so - a newbie compared to most. But I'll do my best to accurately answer his questions first.

[ron_newman]

I'll be happy to talk to him if you want.

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I was also contacted by him last week after you made the post. I forwarded to him this post as well.

[ron_newman]

The Globe City Weekly published the article today, quoting (I think) your boyfriend.

[toilandtrouble.livejournal.com]

*Clears throat*

Yes, that's my boyfriend that's quoted in the beginning of the story. :)

Not to ruin the party but...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Do you realize that when you keep pushing a guy who is already down and with a proven tendency to go ballistic (at least verbally), something bad may happen? I almost feel like that is what everyone is waiting for, in a vaguely sadistic way. Dunno, the guy throwing somebody under an incoming train or down the Porter/Davis station escalator. Why don't you stop and talk to him a bit, instead of bitching online? You might even find out what his problem is and why he's doing what he does...

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[ron_newman]

All I want is for people not to give him money, so he'll leave the station.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[glowroper.livejournal.com]

That's an understandable sentiment, but your comment (rearranged a bit) shows why that might not be a good idea. Further up the thread people have reported being verbally confronted, and your suggestion of talking to him, yet him being someone who has a "proven tendency to go ballistic" -- that is not the job of a customer of the MBTA. It is a job for professionals, people who can actually help him if there is an issue where that can occur.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

That may be true. But I presume he goes ballistic when confronted, not when people treat him like a regular human being. You make my general point though. It is NOT Ron's job to get this guy out of the T...

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[theref.livejournal.com]

It's a public service that Ron provides to the rest of the customers on the T however, to inform them of the scammer and to help save the face of a reputable charity.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Fine, perhaps we need also somebody on the T pointing out that it is pretty sad that our employed and well fed friend (Ron) is so obsessed about getting a guy who seems to be spending all his days pretending to be homeless. One day we'll find him dead on the sidewalk outside Porter Sq. Then we'll feel really proud.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I seem to have missed the post where Ron came to your house and pissed into your cheerios.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

You've made some comments on this community lately where I don't know if you are actually serious or trying to troll for your own amusement.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

Seriously.

Re: Not to ruin the party but...

[theref.livejournal.com]

So what do you propose? Just allow him to continue to scam people, ruining the name of a charity that tries to HELP homeless people, as well as lowering the expectations of the general public regarding the homeless population? Because that seems like a great way for Spare Change to make money to actually help homeless people.

I buy Spare Change, when I have the, (ironically), spare change to do so. I know that it's going to a good cause. However, all these people who get scammed by our leather-beret wearing friend will look at all the authorized sellers with suspicion.

As for the legitimate Spare Change vendor in Davis, (you all know who I'm talking about, "Spaaaaare Chaaaange Newspaper!"), I've been buying from him since highschool.

I call troll on this post, but I needed to vent a wee bit.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

A a couple years ago, I saw him attempting to steal produce from Farmer's Bounty. The clerk yelled at him a drove him off. So yes, nice fellow.

[scottzoback.livejournal.com]

I was the lucky recipient of a three-day old paper from our friend.
http://scottzoback.com/?p=88

[ron_newman]

Why did you delete your photo?