I have to share the adventure my daughter and I had at Home Depot. We were in search of some sand paper for a little project. After about 45 minutes of showing Samantha all of the cool Bosch power tools and Stanley hand tools, we paid the $2.99 for a pack of sand paper and started to the car. We were about to reach the car when this guy said, “pardon me sir” (red flag). No one in a Home Depot parking lot says, “pardon me sir.” It’s more like “hey dude” or “hey man.” You know, stuff guys say to guys they don’t know in a parking lot without sounding too gay. He stated he needed my help, and then he stopped and said “what beautiful baby you have” (red flag). He continued with “I’m on my way to see my new born baby girl and my car had a flat. I would like to see if you could help me with a few dollars to get it fixed.”

As I’m trying to get my baby into the back seat, I check this dude out. He’s in a big black parka with a stocking cap. Not too out of place for Minnesota in January but today it’s near 50 degrees and it’s been -15 or so for weeks. Today feels like June. Everyone is wearing t-shirts and jeans. He’s holding a large set of keys with a lot of key rings on it, something a twelve-year-old girl would have. Must be a prop for his story (red flag). Seeing that I’m not falling for this line of crap, he starts with a different angle to this classic story. “Anything will help. You see sir, I left my house so fast to pick up my wife and my four-day-old baby girl, I forgot to bring my wallet (red flag). I have no credentials on me but if you give me your home address I will promise to mail out a check to you today.” Do I look that stupid that I would give this guy money let alone my home address? And what’s up using the word credentials (red flag yet again)?

By this time I now have Samantha in the back seat and the door close. She is now safe. I look around for any other scammers, they never work alone, and see none. I now place the stroller in the back. Seeing I am about to get in my car he tries again. “Sir, I met this guy down the street that has a tire to sell me for $32. I have my wife and four-day-old baby girl in the car right over there.” He points over there. Good try dude, I say to myself. Now it’s time to say something to him. “Sorry man, my wife gives me no money and my only card just got maxed out.” So I told him a little white lie. He looks around and just walks away. I watch as he walks off and gets into a car two rows away, not to his wife and four-day-old baby in that car over there with the flat tire, but in a car with three other dudes in parkas. As I’m leaving the lot I see the same dude doing the same scam to some other guy and it looks like he’s striking out again.

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