Warning to My Sisters

[snopes]

Friends and Ladies,

This is not some email forward, it happened to me! Last night, I was
approached at Walmart on Tropicana and Pecos by what I came to learn was
probably a group of dangerous cons. They are targeting CHRISTIAN WOMEN in
particular. (maybe men too?) So listen up and spread the word...

About 6 PM last night (Sunday) a very nice, very conservative looking,
50-ish black woman approached me in the Walmart claiming to be from South
Africa (had the accent), here for business of her brothers death in a
plane crash - and was trying to find a church before her plane left that
night at 10:30 PM. Said a Taxi had dropped her off at Walmart, had
charged her $300 and was coming back to take her to the church but didn't
return. She had 'African Baptist Church' and a street address written on
a piece of paper. I told her that I would help her find the church in a
phone book at the Service Desk. Lots of talk about God. Then she said
any church would do. She was looking for a church because she had some
cash, supposedly settlement from the plane crash, which she wanted to give
to a church here as she said she couldn't get all the cash back into South
Africa because of laws and corruption there. She had an elaborate letter
from her father, a supposed pastor and leader in Soweto. It began to
sound a bit fishy, but being foreign you give them benefit of doubt. I
just kept thumbing through the yellow pages for her - while she asked what
church I attended and asked if it was nearby. Meanwhile a very nice,
conservative looking 50-ish black man was standing nearby the Service Desk
and she insisted we should tell him and seek his help too. She told him
the story, then opened her purse where I saw very thick, neat, large
stacks of bills. Looked like thousands of dollars. The man said his car
was having battery work done there at Walmart and we should take her to
McDonalds to buy her coffee until his car was finished and talk to her
about the danger to her of walking around town with that kind of cash.
Also he mentioned maybe his own church and pastor could help - maybe we
could take her there after coffee. I told her I would be happy to stay
with her until a pastor came TO WALMART to help her but would not go to
McDonalds or anywhere. He got nervous and said he would take her to
McDonalds himself and she went with him, saying 'God takes care of His
believers' and she had to find a church to which to give the money. I
think she expected that I would say, 'oh no, don't go, okay I'll help you'
or 'let's go to my church' - but I didn't. All I said was, 'I advise you
as another woman not to leave this store with that man you do not know'.
They left. 60 seconds later, I walked out of Walmart to see what
occurred to her - they were nowhere to be seen. That Walmart has no auto
repair area - and no McDonalds in the parking lot.

I have now been advised that some very serious local cons no longer want
your wallet - they want you, your car, and often hold hostages for payoffs
and torture ( yes, torture! ) to get financial information. This is not
infrequent but has not been in the news. Their story was so elaborate
that I and the police believe this was their con. Also the letter and
stacks of bills show planning and time investment - though it might have
been $1s sandwiched between the $100s - probably not just a purse stealing
con. I was warned that had I so much as stepped out the front door of the
Walmart, even to point her somewhere or wait for another taxi, there next
could have been a knife in my ribs to escort me to my car - and who knows
where and what.

No, Walmart did not care or even call security. Yes, the cons are on tape
at the Service Desk.

The con is ' a nicely dressed, polite, solid but lost, ripped off
Christian foreign tourist in distress seeking Christian help and to get to
a church'. There is a con helper who is also a 'nice' man. Probably more
cons were waiting in the parking lot. The target is specifically
Christian women - maybe men, too. They know Christians won't be greedy
for themselves but you'll want your church to have all that cash.

Just remember the basic life rules: never, ever leave a public place with
anyone no matter how great their need. You can wait with them inside - or
not at all. Don't even walk out the front doors with them. They're here
in Las Vegas - and they specifically want to use and harm Christians.

Heads Up,

Bev

forward at will