Posted on 10/10/2016 8:23:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Farmers Branch police are warning residents about a strange scam targeting elderly men and women that involves dead squirrels.
The "squirrel scam" involves two men who are dressed as roofers knocking on a victim's door and saying they saw a squirrel run down their pipes. For a couple hundred dollars, they say, they will remove it.
But when they come back, police said, the squirrel the men show the homeowner is already dead – and has been for a long time.
All of the victims targeted so far seem to be parishioners at Royal Haven Baptist Church on Valley View Lane.
It is one of the more bizarre stories Pastor Rick Dorman, a preacher for 41 years, has ever come across in his church.
"They kept saying, 'Did you hear the squirrel story?'" Dorman said. "And I said, 'What squirrel story? What are you talking about?'"
So Dorman made an announcement Sunday, saying someone had fallen victim to the squirrel scam. Then he asked who else had been approached by the same two men.
"And when I did, it seemed like all of the hands went up," Dorman said. "This really happened? I couldn't believe it and not just to one lady, it's happened to more than one."
One of Dorman's parishioners paid for the service, then realized the recovered squirrel was already petrified.
Before she could get her money back, the men ran away.
Dorman said his congregation is mostly elderly men and women. He and police believe the crooks may have used the church's directory – which contains names, addresses, phone numbers and even photos – to find their victims.
The directory previously stayed in the church's foyer for visitors to page through, but it is now kept in a secure place.
Just tell them: You’ve got two seconds headstart to get to the public sidewalk to beat the load of buckshot headed your way.
PIAPS voters doing what demondogs do, cheating people
I'm in Costa Rica.
What country is this?
What county or parish or department or territory or shire?
OK.
I'll settle for a continent.
The source is NBC DFW (Dallas, TX area).
We had copies of our church directory in the foyer as well until I requested that it be moved and only available to trustworthy members/regular attendees. Maybe it’s a baptist thing? But our pastor has a jail ministry and sometimes they come to church upon release. I was not comfortable having my our kids names listed with our address right there for the taking. This story makes my case.
I’m no genius, but since the words Dallas, Texas appear several times on the page, I’d take a wild guess and say it isn’t in the Congo.
Or I could carry out a 7 foot Boa and tell them he’ll go get that squirrel, just for the free meal.
Strange game; the only way to win--- is not to play.
When I first read the thread there were no entries in the keywords placeholder; none.
Now, I read dozens of threads on FR each day, and I don't do Ouija Boards, I decide if an thread is worth reading by both an intriguing summary, and the location where it takes place, before bothering with any links. Links to videos are ignored.
I'm no genius either but obviously I could have saved myself the bother and the comedy if I had just skipped the thread and wrote it off to thoughtless posting, which I will be thrilled to choose in the future as the rational option.
I do enjoy puzzles, but this sort is far from my first choice.
I do appreciate the geography lesson, however.
Let it not be recorded that I am ungrateful.
Best regards.
It’s about 5 miles outside Springfield.
:)
Irish travelers.
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