I THINK I WAS DUPED

This is an account of how I was duped in Paris on April 1, this year, when I went for a training. It was indeed an 'April Fool' for me... :

THE ACCOUNT OF THE DUPE
My flight arrived at the CDG Airport at 6:15hrs on Sunday (01/04/2012) morning. After getting done with the immigration officials, I proceeded to go get a taxi or a RER. I had been pre-informed that the taxi estimated cost is 140 euros at the maximum according to the sheet containing the travel tips given to me from my base in Nigeria and by some colleagues who left the campus on the day (31/04/2012) I was leaving Nigeria. From the travel tips I also knew I could take RER though it was recommended to take taxi after 9:30 pm. I prepared for taxi but preferred to take the RER since my arrival time would not be 9:30 pm and since it would leave me with more money to be able to buy whatever I would want to buy during the training and any suitable thing I would want to take back home with me at the end of the training.

As soon as I came out from the border police area and claimed my baggage, I was met by a guy who was asking me if I wanted a taxi, but I could not understand him because he could not speak English so I ignored him. Then another black guy appeared and asked if I speak English, I was relieved to see someone that understand English so I gave him my attention. He claimed he was a taxi driver and told me he would take me to Chateau du Mee at 300 euros because it was a Sunday and there would be too much hold-up so that his meter would read more than on regular days. I told him I was not going to enter a taxi if it was like that that I would rather take a RER, so I asked him to rather show me where I would take the train. But he held on and offered to take me down to my destination by train at 140 euros for his efforts. I told him I was not told that according to the travel tips sheet with me (I even showed him the sheet), so he should just show me the RER so I could board and go my way, yet he stayed put stating he could help me then get the ticket and then send me on my way. He claimed to be helping me and presented himself as such a honest person that I believed everything he said. He was a member of an organization that reaches out to orphans and homeless children in Niger Republic, he claimed. He was Carribean French, he informed me, and spent two years in California for a mechanic training and had been in France for 11 or 13 years. So he kept on following me and helped me get the first train ticket because he said I would enter two trains to get to the area where Chateau du Mee is and would only have to trek for about ten minutes to get to my destination from the last train station. I gave him 10 euros and I saw him slid the note into a machine which cluttered out the change as he said the ticket cost 9, 25 euros which truly was typed on the ticket.

Then he told me about one Paris pass which I must get or else I would have problems with the police. He said it was necessary for every visitor in Paris and I must get it. I did not have up to the money he said it cost (200 plus euros) and I told him so, but he persuaded me to get it and would not give up as if he really cared. I did not have up to that as I changed only 400 dollars at the airport which was equivalent to 243 euros. He advised I could use my credit card to pay for it if I did not have enough cash on me. I let him know my credit card was not Master Card and so I could not use it, but he said Visa Card could be used outside your country too. So I began to frantically search for my credit card. Fortunately, I did not find it in my backpack. I told him I was not going to get the pass, that I would get it later but he kept on talking about it, encouraging me to bring out my credit card to be able to pay for it. He offered to follow me to the first train station (now I realised he did that to gain my confidence and convince me more on the so called Paris pass, I did not know then, I thought he was only been helpful). In the train, he told me the story of a guy from an African country who he carried in his taxi to his destination, how the guy refused to buy the Paris Pass because he did not have up to the amount it cost on that day, 440euros, in his credit balance (he said the price for the pass varies from day today, at times it is cheap, at times it is expensive, but the good thing is that the authority takes only 10% of the initial amount you paid and you could go back to any train station later to get your change; all you have to do is to show the official there your pass and he would check it with his computer and give you your change). According to him, the African guy had a problem with the police later because he did not have the pass and he was deported back to his country.

He did not stop talking about the pass until I blurted out that I still had some dollars I could change on me. He said he would change it for me at the train station. At the train station, he changed the 200dollars I gave him for 216euros (it did not occur to me to ask for receipt). He then told me to prepare the money in my bag before giving him as giving him money in public view could arouse the suspicion of the police thinking we were drug dealers. All.the while he was hurrying me up claiming he was still going to pick someone at 9:10am at the airport, if not because he was helping me, he claimed. In short, I gave him 322 euros in that station area (he claimed the pass cost 240 euros at a reduced rate because he, a citizen, helped me get it, the second train ticket was sold for 62 euros and he made me pay him 20 euros for his service, he even claimed the 20 euros service charge was not profitable to him because he was only helping me and he told me he would not lie to me too (what an irony!)). This guy gave me a map too, to find my way around Paris if I have to go anywhere. Now when I look back, I know he did those things to make me think he was a good person.

Lest I forget, when he got the second ticket for me, he said I had two options, either to go with a direct train to Melun or to go with two trains whereby one dropped me at a station and from there I could enter another one going to Melun. I wanted to go with the direct rain which was 18 minutes away from the station at the time, but he advised I went with the other train that would drop me somewhere else and then afterwards I could take the train going down to Melun. He offered to go with me even though he had told me before then he would leave me at the first station we got to after leaving the airport. Now I remember better, it was when he followed me the second time that I finally agreed to change 200 more dollars and definitely he followed me so he could persuade me and get me convinced to have him get the Paris pass for me. I could also recall he took me to a bill in French posted on a wall there and showed me some age range with some amounts written under each age range. He claimed the prices were the costs of Paris pass for different age ranges. It was about 270 euros for my age range but he said he could buy it at a reduced price for me since he was a citizen. I still do not understand how he got me to believe every of his lie. It was at this second station that he gave me the map. He collected a pen from a lady at a counter there and circled Melun on the map in order to show me the location of my destination. There he led me to the train set for Melun.

I did not realise until later in the train when I checked the ticket and found the cost was not printed on it. That bothered me because I needed the amount in prints to be able to claim my money back at my workbase in Nigeria. It did not cross my mind yet that I was swindled until I got to the station at Le Mee Sur Sein or Melun (I am not so sure of the name) on Monday evening and the official I met there told me there was no money on the pass and in fact I supposed to pay him to charge it for me. I was dumbfounded and could not believe my ears. He was very sorry to hear my story and immediately concluded I had met a swindler. He in fact said it costs only 5euros to get a Paris pass.

This fraudster gave me a mobile number which I have not tried because I asked him for it so I could call him to come pick me up on the day I would be going back home. But it is most likely the number was fake as he knew he was duping me when i did not have an idea of his evil scheme. Even till now, I still find it hard to believe the guy duped me because of the way he presented himself. I am only grateful to God I did not find my credit card when he was pestering me to use my credit card for the pass. He would somehow have made me give him the card and make away with every dime in my account.

The lady at the residence's reception told me it should cost only about 7 euros by train from the airport to Melun. And if Paris pass costs only 5 euros, altogether, he duped me of 319 euros because he collected 331,25 euros from me in total.

Bewildered at my discovery, on my way from the train station, I didn't know what to say than to continue to thank God. It sounds crazy to be thankful in such situation, but I was not going to blame God for He can never be at fault-either me or the devil is. I couldn't and still can't understand why this was allowed to happen to me because I committed every of my way here to God before leaving Nigeria. But I know it shall also work for my good and it shall colour my story. God is always right and just in all His ways. I have learnt not to talk to just anybody again in a strange land. If in doubt about anything I should walk up to any official at the airport and ask questions. Thank God it was money I lost, not my life.

The report above was the one I e-mailed to my instructor at the training except for the last paragraph which was an addition to the story in my mail to some friends. I could recall how it took me about two hours to type! On a good day, I should not spend 30 minutes on this, but it was not a sweet thing to write, it was painful for me.

*RER is the railway network of France