Buying a high-quality $2,000 stereo for $200 sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?
Most people would jump on an offer like that. But what if the speakers were actually cheaply made and probably worth far less than you paid? Well, then you just became another victim of the infamous “White Van Speaker Scam.”
The scam usually consists of two vagrant men who hang out in parking lots in their child-predator-looking van. Each of these degenerates is usually dressed in a deceiving uniform. The back of the van is filled with low-quality electronic equipment — mainly speaker systems.
Upon witnessing an affluent-looking student — or anyone, really — the lower-life forms approach said student and begin to lie about their product.
They tell the student that, for some reason, their company ordered too many of these $2,000 (could be more or less) speaker systems and — gasp — they have been given the opportunity to sell them for an absurdly low price (around $200).
If the bewildered student is apprehensive in taking the bait, the salesmen will usually show some form of brochure, listing the price of the speaker system.
And if the bait is taken, these guys are often known to ask for extra beer money for being such Good Samaritans.
Sounds stupid right?
I asked about 20 people in the Quad if they had heard of the scam. Some hadn’t. Others said they had but never experienced the scam. A few said they had been approached by one of the scammers but weren’t stupid enough to buy something out of a parking lot.
Although the scam seems overtly idiotic, some of the tactics employed are quite convincing.
For instance, many scammers sell Kinetic Loud Speaker products and show customers prices out of a Kinetic Audio International, Ltd. brochure — a high-quality stereo system company.
The scammers also use numerous other brands like Denmark, Di Vinci and Paramax.
I’ve also heard stories of scammers giving their names and phone numbers to people to further convince them to buy stuff.
Scam Shield, a website dedicated to fighting scammers, allows victims to relay their stories in a forum separated by city and state. Baton Rouge has quite a few stories.
Almost all the stories were nearly identical to each other, and many involved a man named Josh, who seems to be a prolific Baton Rouge scam artist.
Most people did not make kind remarks about Josh in their comments.
But it seems our scammer takes pride in his scamming. He comments back to people calling them “fag boy,” “piece of shit” or the ultra-inflamatory “jerble loaf gay bump retard” — comments that can only incite more anger, or humor, toward this so-called “job” that scammers work.
As a matter of fact, many of these scammers take pride in their scamming success. Many YouTube videos display scammers in other cities bragging about their disreputable accomplishments.
So what to do about these arrogant so-called salesmen?
Calling the police probably won’t work. If you’re lucky, the cops will run the scammer’s name, and he’ll possibly have an outstanding warrant — which wouldn’t be an unlikely notion considering the way they make money.
You could also tell a store manager, who will probably make them leave the parking lot.
Or if you have time, you could pretend to take the lowlife’s bait for a while and then reveal to him that, in fact, you aren’t stupid, and you know he’s a lying loser who can’t get a real job.
Or, lastly, if you really have enough time, do like many have done on YouTube — wait until he baits someone, and when the unlucky victim is about to pay, walk up to the situation and reveal the truth.
Unless scamming is made illegal, it is bound to continue. But a few things have been done to counteract it.
Kinetic Audio International, Ltd., the legitimate company, has posted on its website that many people try to use a variation of their product to sell.
And Scam Shield offers a “scam alert” e-mail that informs people of scammers in the area. They also offer the opportunity to volunteer to stop scammers.
If you’ve read this and are later stopped by a sketchy guy in a parking lot offering to sell you a cheap piece of electronic equipment, then scream as loud as you can — or simply tell him to go away.
Baton Rouge doesn’t need these second-class citizens.
Chris Grillot is a 19-year-old mass communication and English       sophomore from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_cgrillot.
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Contact Chris Grillot at [email protected]