I scrood up

[Hawkmoon]

I'm getting careless in my old age. Wandering around in Condition White is not a good thing.

I don't know if I misjudged a serviceman this evening, or if I dodged a panhandler. I didn't start thinking about what might have happened until after the fact. Had to stop by the side of the road and give myself a couple of boots to the posterior for penance.

I needed paining prep supplies, and I needed telephone calling cards (a particular type, that aren't sold at many places around here). So I headed out for a Lowe's I remembered but have never been to, because it's not far from a gas station/micro mart that sells the calling cards I needed. Got to the Lowe's ... and it wasn't. Either I remembered incorrectly, or that Lowe's closed and has been replaced by a clothing store.

But ... I got the calling cards, and then between the gas station and home there's a McDonalds and a Home Despot, so I switched to Plan B, stopped for a bite, and figured from Mickey D's I'd hit Home Despot and then go home. The McDonald's is in a shopping center. It was late afternoon, sun hadn't set yet, and the McDonald's is near two popular restaurants, so there were cars and people around.

I ate, left McDonald's, got in my car, and as I was starting to pull out of my parking slot an older man started across the aisle toward me, waving. This is where I messed up.

I stopped and opened my driver's window. I did NOT have the doors locked. The guy introduced himself as Commander ___, US Navy. As he did so, he reached toward my window. Condition White -- I'm old-fashioned enough that when someone introduces him (or her) self with an offer to shake hands, I automatically shake hands. The guy had a grip like iron. He could possibly have damaged my hand, but I've been told that I have a "firm" handshake myself, and I think the guy got a bit of a surprise, and it may have put him off his game a little.

Having introduced himself, he proceeded to explain that he was on his way back to his Navy base and the ATM machine at the ___ bank (nearby) ate his Navy Federal Credit Union debit card. He said he didn't have any money and he needed gas to drive back to his base (several states and several hundred miles from where we were). I told him I had just spent my last ten bucks on dinner at McDonald's and was heading for an ATM myself. And I boogied as quickly as I could.

Only then did I stop to think that, when he had my right hand in that iron grip, my window was open, my door was unlocked, and I'm right handed. If he had pulled a gun or a knife I would have been toast. The only thing I had going for me (by coincidence) is that I had been parked in a double stall and the car in front of my had pulled ut while I was eating. So I was pulling out forward, and I had the transmission in Drive and a clear shot forward while we talked. If he had tried something, I could have nailed the gas pedal as a last resort.

Bottom line, I am royally pee-ohed at myself for allowing a possible panhandler to get that close. I don't like the thought that I might have left a serviceman stranded, but I've encountered a number of panhandlers with very well rehearsed spiels, and this just had that feel. The guy spoke well and had that firm handshake, but he seemed a bit old to be a Navy Commander, as well as being more than a bit heavier than any field grade officer I've even encountered.

I need to work on tuning up my spidey sense. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Is there even a Navy base in or near York, Maine?

[Ben]

I think condition white happens to all of us at one time or another. The good news is that you at least recognized what happened after the fact and how things could have gone if the guy was more than a scammer. Out of curiosity, did you have your Vietnam hat on? I'm wondering if he saw that and then used the military angle.

[Jamisjockey]

It's a common scam, by the way.

[Boomhauer]

Is there even a Navy base in or near York, Maine?

Portsmouth Navy Yard

As far as the ATM capturing the debit card I have had that happen to me once (malfunctioning ATM machine, thought my PIN number was wrong and captured it after several attempts to enter the PIN) but I don't know how common knowledge it is that they have the ability to do that.

It's a common scam, by the way.

Very much so. While I haven't had anyone try to claim they are in the military and stranded away from their base, I have had many try to pull the "I need gas money" scam, and they all pretty much have gone down similarly.

A common element between all of them- other than similar sob stories, is that they approach very quickly, usually trying to catch you while you are distracted, close the distance, get in your bubble, "introduce themselves" and try to shake hands and spit out their story quickly. It's both designed to get them in close and throw a flurry of activity at your brain to process so that you are lagging behind and trying to catch up so that your defenses are down and that you are more likely to react emotionally than rationally and give them cash. Also places them at a great physical advantage should they decide to go violent.

Another common thing is they will try to block you in with their car, so watch out for that.


Read this, it's a good refresher for dealing with unknown contacts. http://www.triangletactical.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/sncontacts.pdf

[Hawkmoon]

I think condition white happens to all of us at one time or another. The good news is that you at least recognized what happened after the fact and how things could have gone if the guy was more than a scammer. Out of curiosity, did you have your Vietnam hat on? I'm wondering if he saw that and then used the military angle.

In fact, it was on the passenger seat of the car, but I wasn't wearing it. However, if he was cruising the parking lot he could have seen it through the window.

[Hawkmoon]

It's a common scam, by the way.

I've encountered the "I need money for gas" routine many times, but this is the first time the subject has claimed to be a Navy Commander.

One classic was about 25 or 30 years ago. I was on a temporary gig in New York City and living in Connecticut. Rode the train into NYC and back to the land of wooden nickels. One afternoon I got to Grand Central early enough to sit in the train and read the newspaper before the car started to fill up. A short while later a guy wandered through the train asking for money. He said he had just been released from the hospital and he needed money to take a train to his sister's house.

Two days later, same time, same train ... same guy and same story. A conductor caught him the second time and gave him the boot.

[Ben]

In general, I find the best response to the "I need gas" line is, "Where's your car? I'll put a few gallons in for you." Really makes them mad.

A few years ago, in Kettleman City, CA (popular middle of nowhere gas/food stop for people traveling I-5) there was a truck with a camper parked on the side of a road where there were two gas stations and a McDonalds. There was a "family" with a sign next to it saying something like, "Stranded. Need gas money to get home." I was traveling through there every couple of weeks for a while at the time and saw the same truck, but one time with a white family and one time with a Mexican family. I guess they were time-sharing the scam truck.  

[HankB]

My favorite panhandler around the Austin, TX area was a single mother-to-be who was 8 1/2 months pregnant continuously without interruption for about 2 or 3 years. 

[RoadKingLarry]

In general, I find the best response to the "I need gas" line is, "Where's your car? I'll put a few gallons in for you." Really makes them mad.

A few years ago, in Kettleman City, CA (popular middle of nowhere gas/food stop for people traveling I-5) there was a truck with a camper parked on the side of a road where there were two gas stations and a McDonalds. There was a "family" with a sign next to it saying something like, "Stranded. Need gas money to get home." I was traveling through there every couple of weeks for a while at the time and saw the same truck, but one time with a white family and one time with a Mexican family. I guess they were time-sharing the scam truck.  

I drove home at Christmas from Groton one year. At one of the rest areas in PA there was a family doing the need gas money/car repair scam, had a sign about trying to get home for Christmas.
On the way back to Groton after Christmas the same group was in the rest area on the other side with a sign about trying to get home to attend a funeral.
The guy got a little defensive when I asked him if he made it home for Christmas.

[230RN]

The not-so-funny thing is, they almost never approach when I'm in other-than-condition-white.  There have been exceptions to this, but it seems that I "radiate victimhood" when in white mode.

Since I retired from my job in downtown Denver and live out in the sticks now, I discovered that my situational awareness levels have declined for lack of practice.  Must conquer that.

Terry

[Hawkmoon]

Since I retired from my job in downtown Denver and live out in the sticks now, I discovered that my situational awareness levels have declined for lack of practice.  Must conquer that.

That was kind of the point of my original post. It's too easy to become complacent. Alertness/awareness is a full-time job.

[Boomhauer]

The not-so-funny thing is, they almost never approach when I'm in other-than-condition-white.  There have been exceptions to this, but it seems that I "radiate victimhood" when in white mode.

The criminals know how to read body language and they are often able to discern if you are alert or not. It's one of the reasons my head is constantly on a swivel and I stare down the mutts to let them know that I damn well see them and are on to them. The morons that walk around with their head buried in a smart phone have a giant "I'm an ideal victim" neon sign glowing over them.

Since I retired from my job in downtown Denver and live out in the sticks now, I discovered that my situational awareness levels have declined for lack of practice.  Must conquer that.

Even out in the sticks there are criminals. They tend not to be as overt as the city ones but they are out there.

[Ben]

That was kind of the point of my original post. It's too easy to become complacent. Alertness/awareness is a full-time job.

Though even when you're alert, sitting in a parked car is a disadvantage. Not that you were just sitting, but I know I've done it a lot. Waiting for someone who just ran into the store to grab something, etc. It's also easier to protect yourself in cooler weather, when you can keep the windows rolled up. When it's hot though, you either have to keep a window down, or else keep the car running with the A/C on.

Plus, no matter what, sitting down with a steering wheel etc. in your way is a disadvantage. Especially in a car, where you're lower to the ground. I always feel like I have a little bit more of an advantage sitting in my truck than I would in a car. At 6' 3", I have to step up to get in my truck. An assailant of average height would have to reach up through the window to try and do anything to me, and they then automatically lose any leverage advantage.

[Tallpine]

Even out in the sticks there are criminals. They tend not to be as overt as the city ones but they are out there.

And the city ones have cars and drive to the country - where they beg for gas to get back to the city 

[vaskidmark]

And the city ones have cars and drive to the country - where they beg for gas to get back to the city 

The less sketchy/skanky ones sometimes get an offer to put a few gallons in their vehicle, if they can show it to me and produce the registration.  One kinda-sorta almost believable younger-than-me (hell, that's everybody except Terry!) lady repeated my instruction to her passenger (BF?) to go way over there and stand watching traffic while she moved her car to the tank I specified and then walked to stand way over there with her passenger (BF?) while I put $3 in her tank.  What made me start considering doing the Good Samaritan thing is I saw her start walking from a car parked over on the perimeter as opposed to right in front of the stop&rob part of the megastation, that she was walking with her hands at her side, and that she stopped about 50 feet away and asked me if she could speak with me.  The clincher on the decision to hear her out as opposed to telling her to walk away, was that she agreed to when I told her to talk to me from there.  Overall I'd say her daddy raised her right.

Yes, I'm a cranky and suspicious old bastid.  How did you think I got to be this old?  (The cranky just comes naturally.  )

stay safe.