Friday, August 31, 2007

Take Caution

I don't know how old this is...but we need to keep it in the back of our minds...the criminals are getting smarter and we need to be a step ahead of them if possible.

Be sure every woman is aware of this M.O. Share it with your wife
and daughters. Know what money you are carrying...

This was the first I have heard of a scheme like this..... I wanted to pass it along. Be safe! This is something very serious to pay attention to.

Criminals are coming up with craftier, less threatening methods of
attack, so we have to be extra cautious.

Here's one woman's story...

I live in Alexandria , VA , but I often work in Lafayette, LA,
staying with friends when I'm there. As you know from America's Most
Wanted TV program, as well as the news media, there is a serial killer
in the Lafayette area. I just want to let you know about an "incident"
that happened to me a few weeks ago, and could have been deadly.

At first I didn't go to the police or anyone with it because I
didn't realize how serious this encounter was. But since I work in a
jail and I told a few people about it, it wasn't long before I was
paraded into Internal Affairs to tell them my story. It was
approximately 5:15 a.m. in Opelousas, La. I had stayed with a friend
there and was on my way to work.

I stopped at the Exxon/Blimpie Pie station to get gas. I got $10 gas
and a Diet Coke. I took into the store two $5 bills and one $1 bill
(just enough to get my stuff). As I pulled away from the store, a
man approached my truck from the back side of the store (an unlit
area). He was an "approachable-looking" man (clean cut, clean shaven,
dressed well, etc.).

He walked up to my window and knocked. Since I'm very paranoid
and "always looking for the rapist or killer," I didn't open the
window. I just asked what he wanted. He raised a $5 bill to my window and
said, "You dropped this." Since I knew I had gone into the store with
a certain amount of money, I knew I didn't drop it. When I told him it wasn't mine, he began hitting the window and door, screaming at me to open my door, and insisting that I had dropped the money! At that point, I just drove away as fast as I
could.

After talking to the Internal Affairs Department and describing the
man I saw, and the way he escalated from calm and polite to angry and
volatile...it was determined that I could have possibly encountered
the serial killer myself.

Up to this point, it had been unclear as to how he had gained access
to his victims, since there has been no evidence of forced entry into
victim's homes, cars, etc. And the fact that he has been attacking in
the daytime, when women are less likely to have their guard up, means
he is pretty BOLD.

So think about it...what gesture is nicer than returning money to
someone that dropped it?????

How many times would you have opened your window (or door) to get
your money and say thank you.... because if the person is kind enough
to return something to you, then he can't really be a threat....can
he????

Please be cautious! This might not have been the serial killer...
but anyone that gets that angry over someone not accepting money from
them can't have honorable intentions. The most important thing to note
is that his reaction was NOT WHAT I EXPECTED! A total surprise! But
what might have happened if I had opened my door? I shudder to think!

Share this with people you know...maybe they can be as fortunate
as I was!

P.S. Ladies, really DO share this with EVERYONE you know. Even if
this man wasn't a serial killer, he looked nice, he seemed polite, he
was apparently doing an act of kindness, but HE WAS NOT A NICE
PERSON!!!

Men, send it to all the women in your life. What you do today is
important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. Make
it a good one!

2 comments:

Raven176 said...

Good advice anyhow ...but...
http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/batonrouge.asp

Nubia said...

You're right Raven. I knew that, but my sentiments are as yours...it's good advice. Some cruel person might just try it. At least, perhaps, women will be warned.

Nubia