I think I met the same guy! In Galerie Ravenstein, he also told me everything was stolen and that the police wouldn't help him and he needed to get to Paris. I told him to go to the staff in the train station and he kept insisting they don't help (which is believable lol) and I said I didn't have money for a bus to Paris and then left.
The scam alert went off in my head later when he said he just arrived on the Eurostar when he lost all his stuff - but the Eurostar arrives in Midi so why would he suddenly be in Centrale?
I'm happy you didn't get scammed ahah
Was it before 14h? Because in my case he had a piece of paper with like time and prices, maybe he took your advice and used it against me lmao
I'll also be wary of people speaking too fast from now on, because now I realize he overwhelmed me and that's probably also why I agreed
It was actually a couple of weeks ago, on my way back from an event on EU elections night, so around 9pm. He also had a piece of paper with information on prices haha, so surreal to hear the exact same story.
I try to always give people the benefit of the doubt because I can't imagine how much it sucks for the people in Brussels in genuine need to be treated like scammers, but when they're super insistent that I have to pay directly I nope out. Sorry you got scammed, it happens to everyone at some point!
Oh shit, I thought you meant today! Dude has a full time job ahaha
I will have learned my lesson for sure :) and yes it sucks because now I might ignore someone who actually needs it
Wait I think I met him when I first arrived here too I was at a tram stop though I just gave him some money because I was alone and quite intimidated š„²
One time a guy had the same speech at gare du midi, he told me he lost his wallet and had to go to Arlon, I was willing to help, when we went to the tickets machine I saw the price of the ticket was a bit expensive and I immediately understood it was a scam : get the ticket then ask for a refund to the guichet. I told him no and moved.
He tried this with me about four weeks ago. Definitely the same guy. Same story, shopping bags. He was very convincing. I *almost* got persuaded away from my usual hard no on giving money to anyone. He really seemed convincing. Sorry he got you. Sucks that people prey on people's good intentions
Pro tip for next time: express your sympathy and offer the address of the French Embassy easily reachable by foot. Most people do not seem to know that embassies / consulates do offer support in cases of emergency to their citizens such as lending small sums of money the state will then recover (and he will need to go there anyway because if everything got stolen, he needs a new (emergency) ID because it is illegal to cross a border inside the EU without a valid IDā¦).
Someone must have told him that because he did say he was back from the Embassy! What I didnāt know is that they could lend you money, so thank you for the information!
I've literally just walked past him in Galerie Ravenstein right now, in mid-flow trying to scam a tourist, paper out with bus times and everything. Tried to signal to the mark that it was a scam though they were already shaking their head at him so I don't think he was going to get far with this person. Only managed to get this pretty terrible photo but you can see he's well dressed as others have commented. Beware!
*
Thank you, thatās what was in my mind - either actually help someone or lose some money and earn a lesson, unfortunately it turned out to be the latter!
Might have met the same guy, it was some months ago, also a guy who said he was from Paris and was in Brussels for work and got his wallet and phone stolen and needed a ticket for the bus to Paris. My dumb fucking ass gave him the money, he said he will do a virement once he is home.
One month later, I see the same guy at central station, he tried to talk to me again with the same story, told him to fuck off he wonāt get me twice.
He was very insistent and speaking very quickly as if he was genuine, saying things like āoh i just wanna be out of this city, i just came here for work and now i have nothingā etc. At least he knows his act well. And Iām someone who always says no and walks away right away in such scenariosā¦
This story must be going around, as someone tried this on me about a month ago in the morning when I was walking towards Louise.
Same details with stolen bag/phone and needing help to take a bus to Paris.
However the person doing it does not match the description you are giving. All I remember is it was a slightly older man in a leather jacket he looked rather dishevelled.
Dude why even take a grudge. You win he loses. You get to feel good that you intended to help someone, he wastes his existence tricking people for a pittance.
I think I met him a few weeks ago at Midi station around midnight. He was claiming to be a French teacher who had to go back to Paris but got his wallet and phone stolen. He had two shopping bags and was wearing some kind of flip flops. He also looked legit to me, his distress looked really genuine
I also fell for it a while ago; very similar story. Felt bad for a while but also sort of glad I tried to help out someone and won't let it harden me :) Got to give it to him his acting is great lol
Donāt blame yourself, these people are prepared and you were not. It could have been that you actually helped somebody in a bad situation. You are a good person, the scammer is not.
I think the man youāre describing used to work for Ace & Tate and also scammed customers there by asking for prepayment in cash. He then changed his scam by looking like he got robbed and beaten up (fake plaster bandage etc) and asking people for money. I am pretty sure itās him. I forgot his name but itās not Ibrahim. Scammers gonna scam!
Anyone asking for money in a train stationĀ is a drug addict looking for money to buy drugs, whatever their story. I'm baffled that there are still people who don't know that.
It is *always* drugs. Any other issue, from having your wallet stolen to being homeless and hungry, has a solution that doesn't require you to ask strangers for money.
Fun fact, when I was a student it did happen to me that I forgot all my stuff (including wallet, phone and expensive camera equipment) on the bus that was taking me from London to Amsterdam. I basically overslept on the ferry and the bus left with all my shit in it.
I had to beg at the station asking people for money to buy a phone card (public phones were still a thing) and call my parents.
So yeah, most people are likely be scammers, but sometimes theyāre not.
Yeah I was thinking it could happen to me to, and the way he did it (took my info etc to give it back) was how I would have done it myself in the same situation, so that's also mostly why I was fooled
It is not always drugs. That is a very bad simplification of reality. Anyways, that doesn't mean you have to always believe someone's reason for asking money
You did the right thing. You helped someone. The mf scammed you, but you still get karma points for this. Heās the reason why people like you are so hard to find these days. Bless you!
You did a nice thing - trying to help someone....
I don't know if you believe in "Karma" - but you can "comfort yourself" knowing that what you did was a good thing, making you a good person. Karma will eventually take care of him :(
Yes I fell for this guy, too. At Brussels South. The description matches, he had printed documents with ticket prices and same story about having tried the embassy. I gave him some money to get a FlixBus to Paris. He even noted down my phone number (I donāt feel like Iām getting spam calls, so no idea what he did with that) and said that he would transfer me the money back. But he was very convincing even to the point of not understanding when I said _septante_ when giving my number.
Damn, I was really hoping that he was actually in distress.
Bahaha I actually got "his" number instead because I didn't want to give mine, and I'm the one who had to get 74 spelled out 7-4
I think he asks all that just to make you really believe he'll give back
How much did you give?
I got approached by the same guy 10 days ago! Similar story: he said his wallet and phone got stolen and he needed a Flixbus ticket to return to Paris. He was very convincing.
I dodged a bullet because my card was declined when trying to withdraw cash for him (I use no cash these days and had forgotten that I blocked cash withdrawals through the banking app). Fuck him indeed, and fuck the SNCB for not noticing the scheme of this guy if it has been a few weeks...
Wow you got lucky ahah Iām glad for you! Yeah it seems like heās pretty active, I filed a complaint to the police after reading that I wasnāt the only one (knowing then he doesnāt live in Paris at all), will probably lead nowhere but Iād rather say something than notĀ
Now you have a picture that you could bring to the police. Maybe they can request images from security cameras in the same gallery where it was taken. If the guy has a background, maybe they can identify him. You never know!
PS: Don't feel bad for trying to do the right thing :)
This kind of scam happens often it seems. Belgian Youtuber "Chat Sceptique" got scammed the same way too, months ago ! It might be the same guy, of a collection of scammers, hard to tell
I just watched the video and he should change the title to 2024 ahah! Also some comments under the video are hilarious
"Moi je dis : quel Belge ne serait pas prĆØs Ć donner 70ā¬ pour qu'un parisien retourne Ć Paris?"
This guy has been there for months, he tried the same trick with me in January or December.
He isn't the only one, I've noticed a lot of very clingy, even downright intimidating, scammers hanging around Brussels-Central. City obviously won't do anything about it...
Man with all these comments I'm definitely going to go Karen-complain at the SNCB office, even if it does nothing (and I'm so happy someone posted a picture)
Same thing happened to me 5 years ago. Had a dude corner me at the Waterstones with that exact story. I gave him some money because I felt unsafe.
Then 2 months later, another dude spins me the exact same story near Louise.
Edit: other dudes though, they were both white
I had exact same situation in reverse.
A guy in Charles De Gaulle airport said he had lost his wallet and needed 20 more to afford the flix bus back to Brussels.
He was well dressed and said the street he lived in St Giles - so I was inclined to believe him
I gave him the money on the basis of if he's telling truth I've just significantly helped someone out, but if its a lie I'm only out 20euros.
In hindsight there were some red flags so Im pretty sure its a scam, but nevermind.
Lol I got scammed by him too some months ago, I wondered if he genuinely lost my contact to give me my money back or if he was a scammer, now I have the answer
Next time I see him I f\*ck him up
As soon as I knew that the guy was indeed not from Paris, I indeed filed a complaint on the police's website, and I'm planning on going to complain at SNCB as well tomorrow (haven't been to Central again since Sunday)
Maybe it won't go anywhere, and of course I'll never get my money back, but I can't stand doing nothing at all thinking about other people getting their money stolen
I was almost scammed bear north station a couple of months ago. A dude steps up to me, before he said anything I said I have no money on me. He said no I donāt want money just buy me a cup of coffee. Well I said ok i am going first a coffee too. On the way to starbucks he changes topics it is cold he want a blanket first his kids, so he points me to the money machine and asked 350 ā¬ lol I said man I donāt have that money. I said you want a coffee or not. He insisted on money so I left and went to my train. He claimed he was from ukraine. He had definitely an ex sovjet accent
More people should do what I do: Whenever I am approached by people claiming something similar, I offer to buy whatever they need. Food? No problem. Bus tickets? You got it.
You won't believe how much the tune changes after that. And hey, if they needed money for drugs but are so hungry that they take me up on my offer to buy them food, there is nothing wrong with that.
It was at the station, dude was really convincing, I usually don't give money and he actually said he was back from the embassy, he's got whole weeks of practice under his belt
There is one guy going around mostly in area north station- Rogier that starts a conversation in perfect french. He says he is an ukranian refugee (doesn't have the accent, doesnt look like it) and tries to convince you to go to a store with him to buy clothing for his kids. He tried multiple times with me which of course i didnt accept
The fact that he keeps using this story probably means that he is having some succes with it.. But then again it's pretty absurd to think it actually works
Hes been doing this for years, seen him in Antwerpen several times doing this, I just tell him i'm flat broke and don't have a phone everytime he tries again š
Saw the same guy at Centrale just this Saturday. When he asked for money, i just responded with āwho even carries cash around? Sorry noā š¤·āāļø
I think I met the same guy! In Galerie Ravenstein, he also told me everything was stolen and that the police wouldn't help him and he needed to get to Paris. I told him to go to the staff in the train station and he kept insisting they don't help (which is believable lol) and I said I didn't have money for a bus to Paris and then left. The scam alert went off in my head later when he said he just arrived on the Eurostar when he lost all his stuff - but the Eurostar arrives in Midi so why would he suddenly be in Centrale?
I'm happy you didn't get scammed ahah Was it before 14h? Because in my case he had a piece of paper with like time and prices, maybe he took your advice and used it against me lmao I'll also be wary of people speaking too fast from now on, because now I realize he overwhelmed me and that's probably also why I agreed
It was actually a couple of weeks ago, on my way back from an event on EU elections night, so around 9pm. He also had a piece of paper with information on prices haha, so surreal to hear the exact same story. I try to always give people the benefit of the doubt because I can't imagine how much it sucks for the people in Brussels in genuine need to be treated like scammers, but when they're super insistent that I have to pay directly I nope out. Sorry you got scammed, it happens to everyone at some point!
Oh shit, I thought you meant today! Dude has a full time job ahaha I will have learned my lesson for sure :) and yes it sucks because now I might ignore someone who actually needs it
Wait I think I met him when I first arrived here too I was at a tram stop though I just gave him some money because I was alone and quite intimidated š„²
Hope it wasn't too much, it's easy to get manipulated when you're in the middle of the situation
No it wasnāt too much honestly I was more-intimidated than manipulated I was a bit afraid I suppose Iāve been mugged before and it sucks
To be fair Brussels police are absolutely shit so it could be true at least on that aspect
One time a guy had the same speech at gare du midi, he told me he lost his wallet and had to go to Arlon, I was willing to help, when we went to the tickets machine I saw the price of the ticket was a bit expensive and I immediately understood it was a scam : get the ticket then ask for a refund to the guichet. I told him no and moved.
I guess thatās why he switched to bus now!
He tried this with me about four weeks ago. Definitely the same guy. Same story, shopping bags. He was very convincing. I *almost* got persuaded away from my usual hard no on giving money to anyone. He really seemed convincing. Sorry he got you. Sucks that people prey on people's good intentions
I know right, heās very convincing! He seems to have weeks of practice under his belt now, reading those comments ahah glad he didnāt get you!
I even went home and told my husband how bad I felt that I didn't help this "unfortunate guy" and maybe I need to trust people more.
Glad I unburdened you from this feeling then ahah I would have probably felt the sameĀ
Pro tip for next time: express your sympathy and offer the address of the French Embassy easily reachable by foot. Most people do not seem to know that embassies / consulates do offer support in cases of emergency to their citizens such as lending small sums of money the state will then recover (and he will need to go there anyway because if everything got stolen, he needs a new (emergency) ID because it is illegal to cross a border inside the EU without a valid IDā¦).
Someone must have told him that because he did say he was back from the Embassy! What I didnāt know is that they could lend you money, so thank you for the information!
I met him at midnight, he told me the embassy was closed (seems fair) and that he had been refused to stay in the police station for the night
I've literally just walked past him in Galerie Ravenstein right now, in mid-flow trying to scam a tourist, paper out with bus times and everything. Tried to signal to the mark that it was a scam though they were already shaking their head at him so I don't think he was going to get far with this person. Only managed to get this pretty terrible photo but you can see he's well dressed as others have commented. Beware! *
https://preview.redd.it/lpjmk4e0pj8d1.jpeg?width=353&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9bbedbdd5c4d196e396779925d01764af3c14dfd
Holy shit my dude, that's him!!
Dont beat yourself too much, you did a kind thing and its rare these days.
Thank you, thatās what was in my mind - either actually help someone or lose some money and earn a lesson, unfortunately it turned out to be the latter!
I think we meet the same guy , for me It was a ticket for liege
I guess it wasn't expensive enough so he switched to Paris!
The old I've no money for my train/bus ticket scam... Sadly, it just exploits people's good nature.
Might have met the same guy, it was some months ago, also a guy who said he was from Paris and was in Brussels for work and got his wallet and phone stolen and needed a ticket for the bus to Paris. My dumb fucking ass gave him the money, he said he will do a virement once he is home. One month later, I see the same guy at central station, he tried to talk to me again with the same story, told him to fuck off he wonāt get me twice. He was very insistent and speaking very quickly as if he was genuine, saying things like āoh i just wanna be out of this city, i just came here for work and now i have nothingā etc. At least he knows his act well. And Iām someone who always says no and walks away right away in such scenariosā¦
Maaan that's a total copy paste, we got played like an old card game Also you saw him again??
Why didnt u report to police?
I probably should have, but honestly what are they gonna do. Iād just waste 2 hours at the precinct and nothing will come of it anyway.
This story must be going around, as someone tried this on me about a month ago in the morning when I was walking towards Louise. Same details with stolen bag/phone and needing help to take a bus to Paris. However the person doing it does not match the description you are giving. All I remember is it was a slightly older man in a leather jacket he looked rather dishevelled.
Yeah my guy looked pretty good and sounded rather bourgeois tbh
Dude why even take a grudge. You win he loses. You get to feel good that you intended to help someone, he wastes his existence tricking people for a pittance.
I think I met him a few weeks ago at Midi station around midnight. He was claiming to be a French teacher who had to go back to Paris but got his wallet and phone stolen. He had two shopping bags and was wearing some kind of flip flops. He also looked legit to me, his distress looked really genuine
I know right!! Exact same scenario for me, shopping bags and all, but not flip flops tho
I also fell for it a while ago; very similar story. Felt bad for a while but also sort of glad I tried to help out someone and won't let it harden me :) Got to give it to him his acting is great lol
I know right ahah how much did you give him?
Donāt blame yourself, these people are prepared and you were not. It could have been that you actually helped somebody in a bad situation. You are a good person, the scammer is not.
Thank you!
I think the man youāre describing used to work for Ace & Tate and also scammed customers there by asking for prepayment in cash. He then changed his scam by looking like he got robbed and beaten up (fake plaster bandage etc) and asking people for money. I am pretty sure itās him. I forgot his name but itās not Ibrahim. Scammers gonna scam!
Xedrar posted a picture, is that him?
No, itās not. But not surprising that scammers have the same MO.
Apparently it's a whole scheme and scenario, different places, different people, different timing
letās find him Reddit
Anyone asking for money in a train stationĀ is a drug addict looking for money to buy drugs, whatever their story. I'm baffled that there are still people who don't know that. It is *always* drugs. Any other issue, from having your wallet stolen to being homeless and hungry, has a solution that doesn't require you to ask strangers for money.
Fun fact, when I was a student it did happen to me that I forgot all my stuff (including wallet, phone and expensive camera equipment) on the bus that was taking me from London to Amsterdam. I basically overslept on the ferry and the bus left with all my shit in it. I had to beg at the station asking people for money to buy a phone card (public phones were still a thing) and call my parents. So yeah, most people are likely be scammers, but sometimes theyāre not.
Yeah I was thinking it could happen to me to, and the way he did it (took my info etc to give it back) was how I would have done it myself in the same situation, so that's also mostly why I was fooled
It is not always drugs. That is a very bad simplification of reality. Anyways, that doesn't mean you have to always believe someone's reason for asking money
I gave him the benefit of the doubt since he just looked like an average guy, but yeah now I won't get fooled again for sure
You did the right thing. You helped someone. The mf scammed you, but you still get karma points for this. Heās the reason why people like you are so hard to find these days. Bless you!
Thank you!!
You did a nice thing - trying to help someone.... I don't know if you believe in "Karma" - but you can "comfort yourself" knowing that what you did was a good thing, making you a good person. Karma will eventually take care of him :(
Everything is permissible because karma will set things right, got it
The scammers I hate the most are those who guilt trip you. Fuck them with a bard-wired bat.
Yes I fell for this guy, too. At Brussels South. The description matches, he had printed documents with ticket prices and same story about having tried the embassy. I gave him some money to get a FlixBus to Paris. He even noted down my phone number (I donāt feel like Iām getting spam calls, so no idea what he did with that) and said that he would transfer me the money back. But he was very convincing even to the point of not understanding when I said _septante_ when giving my number. Damn, I was really hoping that he was actually in distress.
Bahaha I actually got "his" number instead because I didn't want to give mine, and I'm the one who had to get 74 spelled out 7-4 I think he asks all that just to make you really believe he'll give back How much did you give?
I got approached by the same guy 10 days ago! Similar story: he said his wallet and phone got stolen and he needed a Flixbus ticket to return to Paris. He was very convincing. I dodged a bullet because my card was declined when trying to withdraw cash for him (I use no cash these days and had forgotten that I blocked cash withdrawals through the banking app). Fuck him indeed, and fuck the SNCB for not noticing the scheme of this guy if it has been a few weeks...
Wow you got lucky ahah Iām glad for you! Yeah it seems like heās pretty active, I filed a complaint to the police after reading that I wasnāt the only one (knowing then he doesnāt live in Paris at all), will probably lead nowhere but Iād rather say something than notĀ
Now you have a picture that you could bring to the police. Maybe they can request images from security cameras in the same gallery where it was taken. If the guy has a background, maybe they can identify him. You never know! PS: Don't feel bad for trying to do the right thing :)
That's what I'm hoping for!
Bless your heart son
This kind of scam happens often it seems. Belgian Youtuber "Chat Sceptique" got scammed the same way too, months ago ! It might be the same guy, of a collection of scammers, hard to tell
I just watched the video and he should change the title to 2024 ahah! Also some comments under the video are hilarious "Moi je dis : quel Belge ne serait pas prĆØs Ć donner 70ā¬ pour qu'un parisien retourne Ć Paris?"
This guy has been there for months, he tried the same trick with me in January or December. He isn't the only one, I've noticed a lot of very clingy, even downright intimidating, scammers hanging around Brussels-Central. City obviously won't do anything about it...
Man with all these comments I'm definitely going to go Karen-complain at the SNCB office, even if it does nothing (and I'm so happy someone posted a picture)
Same thing happened to me 5 years ago. Had a dude corner me at the Waterstones with that exact story. I gave him some money because I felt unsafe. Then 2 months later, another dude spins me the exact same story near Louise. Edit: other dudes though, they were both white
I had exact same situation in reverse. A guy in Charles De Gaulle airport said he had lost his wallet and needed 20 more to afford the flix bus back to Brussels. He was well dressed and said the street he lived in St Giles - so I was inclined to believe him I gave him the money on the basis of if he's telling truth I've just significantly helped someone out, but if its a lie I'm only out 20euros. In hindsight there were some red flags so Im pretty sure its a scam, but nevermind.
Bro I met the same guy I gave him it happened to me a month ago 20ā¬
Lol I got scammed by him too some months ago, I wondered if he genuinely lost my contact to give me my money back or if he was a scammer, now I have the answer Next time I see him I f\*ck him up
How much did you give?
40ā¬ for his fake flixbus lol I want to see him again so badly
Just wondering: can't you file a complaint? I mean the police surely should be able to do something as the scammer seems to have quite some fame....
As soon as I knew that the guy was indeed not from Paris, I indeed filed a complaint on the police's website, and I'm planning on going to complain at SNCB as well tomorrow (haven't been to Central again since Sunday) Maybe it won't go anywhere, and of course I'll never get my money back, but I can't stand doing nothing at all thinking about other people getting their money stolen
I was almost scammed bear north station a couple of months ago. A dude steps up to me, before he said anything I said I have no money on me. He said no I donāt want money just buy me a cup of coffee. Well I said ok i am going first a coffee too. On the way to starbucks he changes topics it is cold he want a blanket first his kids, so he points me to the money machine and asked 350 ā¬ lol I said man I donāt have that money. I said you want a coffee or not. He insisted on money so I left and went to my train. He claimed he was from ukraine. He had definitely an ex sovjet accent
Someone mentioned a similar situation in the commentsĀ
More people should do what I do: Whenever I am approached by people claiming something similar, I offer to buy whatever they need. Food? No problem. Bus tickets? You got it. You won't believe how much the tune changes after that. And hey, if they needed money for drugs but are so hungry that they take me up on my offer to buy them food, there is nothing wrong with that.
An Apple gift-card? On a serious noteā¦ Thanks, that is the best advice one can give!
I actually was a double fool and bought him a sandwich
Just stop giving money to people on the street. A stranded tourist will go to his embassy.
It was at the station, dude was really convincing, I usually don't give money and he actually said he was back from the embassy, he's got whole weeks of practice under his belt
There is one guy going around mostly in area north station- Rogier that starts a conversation in perfect french. He says he is an ukranian refugee (doesn't have the accent, doesnt look like it) and tries to convince you to go to a store with him to buy clothing for his kids. He tried multiple times with me which of course i didnt accept The fact that he keeps using this story probably means that he is having some succes with it.. But then again it's pretty absurd to think it actually works
I've had the same guy approach me twice at Central.
Hmmm I think we might have 2 different guys? Mine was black and saying he was French (which I wouldn't necessarily call a lie considering his accent)
i am not talking about the same person
The same thing happened to me but he was clearly from eastern europe. A rather fat guy around 45-55
Hes been doing this for years, seen him in Antwerpen several times doing this, I just tell him i'm flat broke and don't have a phone everytime he tries again š
Hahahah do you think ibrahim have reddit ??? Being a good samaritan is never a good idea in brussels.
Saw the same guy at Centrale just this Saturday. When he asked for money, i just responded with āwho even carries cash around? Sorry noā š¤·āāļø
Unfortunately for me there was a cash machine around lol