A West coast businesswoman is warning there is a con man on the loose.
The woman called the Weekend Nation to relate her experience and to alert other business people about the man’s modus operandi.
She said the well-dressed, well-spoken man in his 40s entered her store, identified himself as the brother of another shop owner in the mall and expressed interest in a product in her shop.
The conned shopowner said the man expressed interest in buying a gift “for a very special lady in his life” and asked her to put together “a nice package” to the value of $500.
She added while she was concentrating on selecting items for the package, the man requested change for a $100 bill to give a charitable donation to someone whom she was aware routinely collected such donations outside the store, and she gave it to him.
The shopowner said she only realised she had been conned when the man did not return to the store, and had not handed over his $100 bill which he had said he needed to have changed.
The irate woman who asked not to be identified, told the Weekend Nation: “ I feel so stupid I allowed this to happen to me because I consider myself to be quite an astute person. But he is good.”
She said she has since heard from other business people who have had the same experience.
But she noted thecon man’s image had been captured on the store’s closed-circuit television and she had informed the Royal Barbados Police Force about her experience. (GC)
