TO some extent, criminals and scammers may be considered skilled, if not geniuses. It is just unfortunate that they devote much of their time on effective ways to execute the crime instead of being a more positive and productive contributor to the community.
First of all, they prey on the helpless, young and old; the unaware and the distracted, then pick the best time of the day when people are out to work, or when they are asleep or when business establishments are closed, although some of the crimes are executed in broad daylight.
Believe it or not, some criminals operate like a corporation. But in the street and law enforcers’ parlance, “syndicated” best describe their operations.
Media practitioners and enforcement agencies have terms for their operations: Salisi, martilyo boys (those who hammer glass counters to rob jewelry at the malls), termite gang (those who dig a tunnel underneath business establishments).
Robbery/holdups have a different modus. Some are old but a number are new schemes. They rent a car and then pawn the vehicle to get a fast buck. They pose as a buyer of a condominium unit and then rob the realtor agent. Other malefactors pretend to be delivery boys from a fruit stand or a flower shop. If your helper is not cautious, household invasion will result in robbery.
Carnappers have a wide variety of modus operandi. They pose as buyer of a car. Then proceed with the test drive and then steal the vehicle. At the parking lot, someone points to several coins on the ground and convinces you that those may be yours that fell out from your bag. You get out to retrieve your coins, and end up losing the vehicle to a carnapper.
An old scheme victimized my grandmother in the ‘60s. Someone called my grandmother that my dad got involved in a car accident and that he was brought to a hospital and he had to undergo surgery. The caller volunteered to pick up my grandma and bring her to the hospital. However, on the way to the hospital, the man engaged her in a conversation hinting that she had to get money for the deposit and other medical expenses. So he drove my grandma to the bank. From there the man pretending to be the good “Samaritan” drove my grandma to a cemetery where she was robbed.
Several have already been victimized by investment scammers and they continue to victimize more. Be more alert of the “red flag” so you do not lose your hard-earned money and expensive possessions.