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
