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Beware of lost wallet frauds.

At some countries they drop a wallet on the road, wait for you to find it and then appear and claim that few hundred bucks (or a local equivalent) are missing. First they try to threat you, and then resort to the police. Your fingerprints are on the wallet.

If you want to help, make sure you have a stranger witness at least, who is willing to help, or better look for a policeman nearby.



Similar fraud: a guy who looks like a bad guy “finds” the wallet near you, makes sure you seen it and then inclines to split it. “Don’t even try to call cops!”, take your cut, etc. If you take it, even out of confusion, bad guy vanishes and their friends come and claim they seen all in reverse and that you took most of the money. Banknotes with known serials / pen marks are in your pocket, threats, police.


Here's a variation I've seen: bad guy finds jewelry (necklace/ring) near you, making sure you've spotted it too. Then you get in an argument for ownership. He suggests splitting the cost - he would leave if you pay him, in cash, half the estimated price of the expensive-looking but fake jewelry. And then, of course, he vanishes.


>First they try to threat you, and then resort to the police

How could they pull this off? It's 100% he said, she said. What court is going to see such a case through and find in favor of the fraudster?


It never goes to a court, obviously. Your choice is to spend hours at crappy room with other unsocial dudes waiting for more important cases to be documented before yours, -or- take a shortcut by just giving them what they claim. You’ll also be confused if it is a fraud or you just found a recently stolen wallet. That’s how fraud works.


I have a hard time believing you would even be arrested, but I suppose I have no clue as to whether or not it's actually happening.




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