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Village Grifters

The con appears to be on for residents and merchants in the East Village. During the past week, there have been reports of at least three grifters trying to talk their way into getting money from locals.

Last weekend, a man described as a heavy-set Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s was believed to have been impersonating a Vons employee while trying to obtain bus fare because his truck had allegedly broken down.

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“I gave him two bucks,” said an employee at a restaurant. “He promised to come back later in the day to pick up his truck and give me back the money. I figured it was a con when he didn’t come back.”

Another man, described as a short, stocky African-American male in his 40s or 50s, frequented some food establishments with a story of how he or someone he knew got sick from the food. It was believed that he was also pretending to be an employee from a nearby business as he wore a uniform with a “General Manager” nameplate. Though he had no receipt to show the proprietors, he threatened to contact the health department if he wasn’t given a cash refund or more food.

Then, on May 26, a man described as a tall African-American man in his 30s or 40s solicited merchants and baseball fans, trying to get money for bus fare to Carlsbad from downtown. According to him, his car had broken down on the Coronado bridge and he left his wallet at a hotel in Carlsbad.

“The guy was pretty hammered,” said another local. “First he asked for money to take the bus, and then he changed his story to needing money for gas. It didn’t add up: the bus didn’t run that late, and if his car had broken down, it wouldn’t go anywhere even if it had gas.”

During a call to the non-emergency police line, a dispatcher declined to reveal if they have fielded any other complaints from downtown residents regarding small-time cons.

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The con appears to be on for residents and merchants in the East Village. During the past week, there have been reports of at least three grifters trying to talk their way into getting money from locals.

Last weekend, a man described as a heavy-set Hispanic male in his 30s or 40s was believed to have been impersonating a Vons employee while trying to obtain bus fare because his truck had allegedly broken down.

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“I gave him two bucks,” said an employee at a restaurant. “He promised to come back later in the day to pick up his truck and give me back the money. I figured it was a con when he didn’t come back.”

Another man, described as a short, stocky African-American male in his 40s or 50s, frequented some food establishments with a story of how he or someone he knew got sick from the food. It was believed that he was also pretending to be an employee from a nearby business as he wore a uniform with a “General Manager” nameplate. Though he had no receipt to show the proprietors, he threatened to contact the health department if he wasn’t given a cash refund or more food.

Then, on May 26, a man described as a tall African-American man in his 30s or 40s solicited merchants and baseball fans, trying to get money for bus fare to Carlsbad from downtown. According to him, his car had broken down on the Coronado bridge and he left his wallet at a hotel in Carlsbad.

“The guy was pretty hammered,” said another local. “First he asked for money to take the bus, and then he changed his story to needing money for gas. It didn’t add up: the bus didn’t run that late, and if his car had broken down, it wouldn’t go anywhere even if it had gas.”

During a call to the non-emergency police line, a dispatcher declined to reveal if they have fielded any other complaints from downtown residents regarding small-time cons.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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