Vic Melbourne Monk Shakedown

[Silent Alarm]

So my parents went to Melbourne on the weekend. When they came back, the old man was telling me about how he conned by this Monk.

They were walking around near the markets. This monk (dressed in a grey robe) gave my dad something, my dad said thanks. This monk then hugged my dad. At this point, he felt obliged to give him some money. So this monk, not speaking English, proceeded to give him this sheet of paper where he could jot down a donation thing. My dad only wanted to give him a fiver, but most others had given $20. My dad gives him a $50, as it's all he has at the time, but the monk gives him only $15 change after my dad clearly wrote his donation to be $20.

So this all happened in the space of about 90 seconds. My dad's a fairly charitable guy and lenient to that kind of stuff. But he said the hugging thing, and being fleeced 35 bucks, was embarrassing.

My uncle saw him around Bourke street mall today, doing the same thing.

Essentially, it's a con and pretty dependent on guilt.

Any Melburnians seen this?

 

[Punchy Bassett]

Get the monk charged with assault

 

[Gough]

Let me know next time your dad is in Adelaide please.

 

[Igloo]

I'm not seeing the correlation between being given something, and feeling obliged to give the monk money.

 

[Gough]

 

[DrVanNostrand]

He's not really a monk, you know.

 

[Poseidon]

Not sure how much of a 'con' this is. Sounds like he just crumbled under pressure.

 

[Bluelegs]

If that monk got $35 off a hug then the people who do this sort of thing

are missing out on some serious cash.

 

[nicky]

they only go after tourists.

 

[Happy_Neale]

Why did you dad feel obliged to donate? And what did the monk give to him to make him feel that way?

 

[Marlowe]

"Nah, sorry mate, I don't have any change."

 

[ilovethelegs]

Happens all the time overseas - seen it in Singapore quite a few times. They usually claim they need donations to build a new temple or similar.

Often the previous donations they will show you will be in the hundreds of dollars. Problem is - they are all fake donations designed to make you feel bad about your small donation.

The gift is just a token attempt to win your trust.

When I refused to give one any money he blew his stack and violently pulled the bracelet 'gift' off my wife's arm, nearly pulling her over. Needless to say I wasn't impressed and he was lucky he took off in a hurry.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Your dad sounds like a sucker.

Not sure if he claims to be a monk but there's this guy around Swanston and Elizabeth Sts who dresses in what could loosely be described as 'alternative/new agey' attire (he's bald, with glasses, mid-30s, wears sandals) and with an English accent asks "Are you a local?". So you stop thinking he just wants directions or something but then he talks about some book thingy he's promoting (not sure if he gets money or if its just a spiritual feel good activity for him). I'm not sure if he wanted money 'cause I left pretty soon after I realised he didn't need directions and I didn't have time to care for his book.

This happened a couple years ago and I would have forgot all about him but a few months ago I overheard the exact same "Are you a local?" English voice and looked and it was him and I kept on walking...

 

[Silent Alarm]

The thing is, he isn't a sucker. He walks past every begger, petitioner, and charity funding without an issue. He was just slowly conned into the whole thing, you know, falling for the whole "Monks are such nice people" thing.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Monks are great people yes... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...r-muslim-community-to-be-shunned-7973317.html

 

[Geelong_Sicko]

Monks are great people yes... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...r-muslim-community-to-be-shunned-7973317.html

Gee, no wonder the U.S are courting them now. I wonder if Barack Hussein Obama and Aung San Suu Kyi talked about these injustices on his last visit?

 

[Silent Alarm]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-fair-...-bogus-buddhist-monk-scam-20140108-30hxk.html

Happenin' in Sydney. Did chortle about monks carrying around an ATM. Tourists are definitely the suckers to be lured into this.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

monkey business i tells ya

 

[Nothing]

It was in the news in WA recently. I think Silent Alarm 's Dad realised if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

 

[Ross Prunster]

Probably same monk tried it with me in Bourke st couple of weeks ago. Gave me the little token type thing, I said cheers mate and started to walk off. He tapped my arm, showed me his book with names and amounts supposedly donated by people, and sad 'donation please'. Dodgy amounts in his book, 50's, 40's, no 5 or 10's, gave him his taken back, told him I'll b right and took off.

 

[SHAKESPEARE]

shoulda smashed him

 

[little graham]

You know what happens if you don't give him any money?

 

[Gasometer]

^^^ Singapore

So Mrs Gaso gives me the lecture about me being unfriendly and an arseh*le whilst as a tourist prior to arriving in Singapore so I decide to pull my head in...for once...and shut up and be not so cautious.

Very next day we get 30 mins out of Hotel and Mr Monk approaches Mrs Gaso with the scam as decribed above and forks out $A 100.

GTFO

I look forward to how we will go dealing with the Champs Elysee and Trevvi Fountain gypsies later this year...

It was on 3aw this afternoon...essentially it is against Buddhists to ask for donations.

 

[Ross Prunster]

You know what happens if you don't give him any money?

He adds a hug to his routine?

 

[JD11]

Seen this happen a few times in the last year, I was first made suspicious when I saw one of these dudes pull out a smart phone and start texting, what could an actual monk be texting for?