The London Times reports.
Watch out for smiling young women who offer hugs and kisses.
January 11, 2022
"From Cotswolds car parks to the golf clubs of Dorset, smiling young women have been approaching wealthy older men on the pretext of charity fundraising, but ultimately walking off with their Rolexes."
"In many cases they offer a hug or a kiss of gratitude after a petition has been signed, then depart, having removed their victim’s expensive watch from his wrist. The Times can reveal that the women — none of whom has been traced — struck nearly 70 times last year across the home counties and the southwest."
The London Times reports.
The London Times reports.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
91 comments:
Older men are suckers for smiling young women.
So are younger men.
Gypsies
Admiral Ackbar immediately saw through them.
When I was in B-school, the WSJ ran an article about a ring of pickpockets headed by a striking blonde who would walk up to a rich-looking male target, grab him by the privates while shouting a greeting, express embarrassment when told she had greeted the wrong guy and then make off with his wallet in the subsequent confusion.
One of my I-banker colleagues claimed that the #1 thing these marks would have called after her is "Hey! I have more pockets!"
I've never understood buying a Rolex.
It's ostentatious, and pretentious.
Years ago, I'd buy a Timex, and replace it every few years........and then I got a cell phone.
Some kind of slick move there. Can we has pictures of the SYW (smiling young woman) executing the play?
i haven't worn a watch since Junior High (when i thought i made me look 'adult'),
but help me folks!
Don't rolexes weigh, like a POUND? Aren't they STRAPPED to your wrist?
How, exactly, do you NOT notice that leaving?
I found residents of the Cotswolds quite friendly indeed. Famous for the Cotswold Stone walls that are done by local craftsmen and quite popular all over England, it is rather pleasant semi-rural area only about 90 minutes west of London's Heathrow. I visited a couple of Follies as well as Stratford-on-Avon in my visit of the rolling hills of the Cotswold Range. Since I neither had nor wore a Rolex most of the smiling maids I saw were, I assume, simply smitten with my American accent. Much ale was consumed. I recommend the tiny but tidy and friendly Cotswold Grange hotel if you are visiting the Cheltenham area. They put out a fine English breakfast.
As a Rolex owner of a certain age, a woman would have to be fairly spectacular-looking for me not to notice them taking off my watch.
'I've never understood buying a Rolex.
It's ostentatious, and pretentious.'
I bought mine in '83. I wanted a single watch that would last me the rest of my life. It's been in the African desert, various mountains, a lot of oceans (both skin- and scuba-diving) and places in-between.
I can wear it camping or with a tux at a wedding. It's stealth and versatile.
It's incredibly well-engineered. Worth every penny of the $900 I paid for it.
And God Created Woman. Adam’s first reaction when he saw Eve was “Wow, that’s it”. More proof that the Holy Spirit is the greatest artist ever. Rolex smoked.
Owen they show a suspected smiler but she appears to be wearing a mask and hurrying away rom something, and an actual smile cannot be confirmed.
Watch out for smiling young women who offer hugs and kisses
I've spent MOST of the last 40 years, doing That Exact THING
They are much rarer than you'd think
The woman in the red dress from the The Matrix.
Watch out for smiling young women who offer hugs and kisses
Also watch out for scowling women who offer nagging and emotional abuse.
I think we've just about covered it.
Might be time to dig out my fake Chinese Rolex that I've never worn.
Mike (MJB Wolf) @ 10:50: you're bringing back happy memories. I used to bike through that region. Lovely countryside and of course tons of history. Did you visit the White Horse of Uffington? Would you include Avebury and Stonehenge in your sense of the Cotswolds, or are they part of the Downs, more chalk than limestone?
Watch out for smiling young women who offer hugs and kisses.
They also get your house and your car.
At golf courses in the US we have beer cart girls to separate old men from their wealth. It’s all legal, too…
They also get your house and your car.
…they get YOUR house and car…
"At golf courses in the US we have beer cart girls to separate old men from their wealth"
And they better never get rid of them!
Not that many women understand the economic value of their youth and beauty. It's very large, and as the poem goes.
Donc, si vous me croyez, mignonne,
Tandis que vostre âge fleuronne
En sa plus verte nouveauté,
Cueillez, cueillez vostre jeunesse :
Comme à ceste fleur la vieillesse
Fera ternir vostre beauté.
Oldest profession with a new twist. Benefits are that there is little risk of VD.
That’s how Elizabeth Holmes got Jim Mattis and George Schultz on her board.
Well, you get more flies with honey than vinegar. Something the American Left has never learned.
Lucien said...
That’s how Elizabeth Holmes got Jim Mattis and George Schultz on her board.
According to Tyler Schultz, there was also $50M in Theranos stock involved.
Roma gypsies. World's most accomplished pickpockets and thieves, but surprised they're working England. Usually they work the continent, often in Southern Spain or Italy this time of year.
I've never understood why a Rolex has such cachet. I got mine in New York City for fifty bucks.
"Watch out for smiling young women who offer hugs and kisses."
Learned that in my 20s.
I’ve always found attractive, smiling young women to be of interest… ever since my early teens.
But it’s dat vertical smile that gets my goat.
Blogger jaydub said...
Roma gypsies. World's most accomplished pickpockets and thieves, but surprised they're working England. Usually they work the continent, often in Southern Spain or Italy this time of year.
Read the article. Mostly Chinese. But hey, you sure sound confident in your ignorance.
It's incredibly well-engineered. Worth every penny of the $900 I paid for it.
I see what you did there. We both know its worth a lot more, even in real dollars.
It's something men who don't wear jewelry can wear, and it makes as much sense as a trophy wife, especially for guys who like things more than they like people. It might be a cliche that people who "wear a Rolex" as opposed to just someone with a Rolex on his arm are the same kind of people that would wear a trophy wife in just that crass sort of manner. Doesn't mean there's not a lot of truth in it. Great way to find a mark and a trophy to nick.
My autistic persona is kind of a watch geek, and they're fine watches. Not high horology, but really fine watches marketed to the world with real genius and control. As advertised, they're really well made in quantity, and engineered to last through tough wear. These days, you have to buy two pieces you don't want to get one you do want (oh, you want it in steel?) from an authorized dealer unless you're a customer of many years.
The fakes are getting harder and harder to distinguish from the real thing, though. Bring a loupe. I don't own one, myself.
US officials have emphatically denied that President George Bush’s watch was stolen as he shook hands with enthusiastic Albanians.
US officials have emphatically denied that President George Bush’s watch was stolen as he shook hands with enthusiastic Albanians.
One moment President Bush was glad-handing Albanians on Sunday, proudly sporting a watch with a dark strap on his left wrist. Moments later, it was gone.
Did it fall off? Did one of his bodyguards remove it? Or did one of the crowd artfully slip it off his wrist and pocket it?
The United States Embassy in Albania emphatically denied that Mr Bush’s watch was stolen during his visit to the country, where he was acclaimed as a hero.
(Bolding mine)
https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-30314831.html
Isn't "emphatically denied" diplospeak for Yeah it happened. We don't want to talk about it."?
John LGBTQBNY Henry
Me and 250 of my closest friends took a cruise to the Mediterranean in the summer of 69. We spent a lot of time in Naples. Ashore we would frequent the alleys and the problem was not gypsies but Italian kids.
They could strip a sailor naked in minutes. The watch was the least of it.
I've never understood why someone would spend more than $100 on a watch. I have a $100 watch that I really like. I carry it in my backpack but can't remember the last time I actually wore it.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
A confidence con relies of a kind of universal belief, that I'm a good, decent person.
Watch this kid realize something was off. Link to video Raise your audio.
My family gave me a Rolex after I completed Ph.D. studies 35 years ago. I felt special wearing it for a decade or two, but it has been in my dresser drawer since. I promised it to my stepson if and when he completes grad school. He is a watch fanatic, but disdains Rolexes for watches with a lot of bells and whistles.
The Garmin watch is much more practical since it allows me to measure distances hiked as well as deep sleep. It also keeps time which matters little now that I am retired.
There are memes about that- many memes. None of which I can conveniently find right now.
Something along the lines of "Watch out for a pair of beautiful women at Walmart. They walk by and one distracts you by taking off her top while the other steals your wallet. I've lost 3 wallets today alone!"
We used to make regular trips to Cheltenham for business. Each trip, we'd go to the Craven Arms, a pub that dated from the 13th or 14th century. The ceiling was much lower than current standards. The ale was great.
It's the man's turn now...
"That Rolex? I faked it!"
Haven't worn a watch since started carrying a blackberry over 2 decades ago.
“I've never understood buying a Rolex.”
“It's ostentatious, and pretentious.”
Partner has a gold Rolex with too many diamonds on its face to read it easily. Esp with her vision any more (double cataract surgery a couple years ago, with replacement lenses that make it hard to focus up close). So, she is constantly asking me what time it is. So, I either answer exactly, down to the second, from my Apple Watch on my left wrist, or approximately from the Movado watch on my right (that has a single dot to use to guess what the hands are saying). I was amazed when she went 45 minutes last night between time checks with me. She could, of course, open up her flip phone, if she could find it. She often can’t though at night, until I call it, just before she heads upstairs to bed. Or get up and check the microwave. But asking me is easier - for her.
She tells people that her Rolex is a fake (along with her diamond ring), so they won’t steal it. But she can recognize most fakes, and no doubt these women can too. I think that they are idiotic. She loves them. Started with one >35 years ago, after she was widowed. Then replaced it and upgraded it to this one, where the design is cleaner, but it has more diamonds, maybe 15 years ago. She’s a great shopper, and it took a couple years to find a great deal on the newer one. It also took some charming of the owner of the shop. Neither were bought new (she rarely does that), but rather slightly used.
It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
I'm on the alert and wearing my Ralex.
"Read the article. Mostly Chinese. But hey, you sure sound confident in your ignorance."
Couldn't read the article - it's behind a paywall. I lived in Europe for five years and was accosted by gypsies from Spain to the Czech Republic, from Italy to Denmark and from France to Hungary. Wife was victim of an attempted mugging by gypsy "Yutes" in Barcelona, but kept her purse when I grabbed one of them. I am pretty confident,though, since none of them got anything of mine. But, then, I'm not old and slow.
Hugs in the time of Covid? Suspicious.
Hmmmm… I wonder if it’s that they belong to different tribes.
Bruce,
When she asks you the time, do you give her 12 hour or 24 hour time?
I keep my phone on 24 hour time and don't wear a watch.
It drives my wife nuts if I tell her "it's 19:47. Oops, I mean 7:47"
It keeps her from asking me too often.
John LGBTQBNY Henry
I make it a practice to not talk to people who approach me unsolicited.
"Will you sign the petition to..."
"No, thanks."
"Do you know where X is?"
"Nope."
"Hey, can you help with..."
"Sorry, no."
I have a stainless steel Rolex. It is no more ostentatious or pretentious than any other stainless steel watch I own (Orient, Seiko). I bought a Rolex because I like watches and wanted a piece of practical jewelry I can pass onto my son that he can pass onto his child. The watch will last that long.
I want a second one so I have one to pass onto my daughter.
The Queen of Dips would go to churches to pickpocket.
These young ladies heard it from Trump, "You know, they let you grab them by the privates, and then you can steal their watch".
These duffers should count the lesson of the lost watch as cheap. If they decided to let the little darling hang around their Jaguar and the deed to their house would soon be gone.
As for beer cart girls on golf courses here in the USA; yep they are around and most of them are easy on the eyes. Best to settle for the beer and soft drinks they offer.
Are there any non-sinister reasons why a smiling young lady would be kissing an unknown old man?
I can't think of any.
I simply do not understand the watch thing, or the model train thing either, for that matter.
Probably Romani (Gypsies)?
Swiping a watch off a wrist requires great skill/lots of practice & a support group (for the thieves).
I did not get to Stonehenge and I drank so many places in Cheltenham I could not accurately list them all. I wish I could remember this awesome little fine dining place where I got the delicious scallops in a savory vanilla sauce. Yum!
Isn't the clasp of a Rolex constructed so you have to pull it over your hand to get it off? How do those girls manage that without the wearer noticing?
If a lovely woman in Las Vegas asks if you have the time she doesn’t want to know what time it is…
"If a lovely woman in Las Vegas asks if you have the time she doesn’t want to know what time it is…"
If the 'hooker' on the street corner looks like she has a gym membership, she's a cop.
The last watch I bought cost about US$30.00; self-winding, day/date, lights up. I wore it through two or three watchbands and it now is backup chronometer (to my alarm clock) on my bedside table. The last watchband broke and I just haven't bothered to get a new one. The day/date is only a few days off even after a few years.
Like everyone else now, I have a cellphone, and check it for the time.
I don't like personal adornment on myself--rings or watches, when I wore them, were modest and unobtrusive.
My wife and I were targeted by a couple of local-looking young fellows in Montmartre in 2017, but I rudely stepped right over and past them when they tried to distract me with smartphones and shiny coins dropped accidentally in my path. A few paces on, and I turned to curse them loudly in bad French. Good for the soul.
Can they tell the difference between a Rolex and a cheap knock-off? Asking for a friend.
I recently had my wallet stolen in Paddington Station. The Brits have a great way to keep crime stats down... you can't report it as stolen, only "lost". If you want to report it as stolen, you have to say you saw somebody take it!
As usual, I had divided my credit cards; some in my wallet, and some in my luggage. And as I just don't carry cash anymore it wasn't a disaster.
Except for my driver's license. Try renting a car without one... :)
tim in vermont said...
I simply do not understand the watch thing, or the model train thing either, for that matter.
NOW it's starting to make sense! HOW can you expect to keep your trains running on time;
IF you Don't know the time!!!
>> HOW can you expect to keep your trains running on time;
IF you Don't know the time!!!
Simple. Elect Mussolini.
The only things my wife and I carry on our persons in Europe are the minimal ID, plastic, and a little cash--all in my chest belt under several layers of garment. Neither my wife nor I wear anything that shines or blings. She carried a small purse with nothing much in it, usually.
We're going to look like dumbass Americans* anyway, might as well be suspicious too.
*When not mistaken for dumbass Euros, esp. German
Narr said...
Like everyone else now, I have a cellphone, and check it for the time.
Like many, not like everyone. I wear an inexpensive digital. Easier to glance at it than pull the cellphone out.
Gave one to my son. He laughed, said he had a cellphone. Discovered that when he was out in the field for ROTC training- a watch was useful. Battery life is a lot longer... And- he was the only one in his class with a watch. At first. I suspect mots soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have watches they wear continuously. Mine's waterproof- goes right through the shower with me. Or swimming. Warning- don't try either with your cellphone.
No fool like an old fool.
Can they tell the difference between a Rolex and a cheap knock-off? Asking for a friend.
Can the men tell the difference between a genuine charity greeter and a cheap knockoff? Asking for a friend.
I turned to curse them loudly in bad French.
"I fart in your general direction!!" --Monty Python
While I own three very nice watches I usually wear my $16 Casio digital watch with more bells and whistles than all the others have between them. If It were to break or get lost I would just spend another $16. When traveling I would never wear an expensive watch unless I were going to be the guest of Queen Elizabeth. In other words the Casio is my travel watch.
'In other words the Casio is my travel watch.'
Things have gotten so bad, neither me or my wife wear our nice watches outside of our home area, and certainly not to a large city.
Tokyo is the only exception...
I'm guessing these aren't trans women.
My folks gave me a lovely stainless/14kt Datejust for my 21st birthday. Not my style, but I’d wear it a few times per year just because, and one of those days included getting arrested on a narcotics felony with my smokin’ hot girlfriend - twenty-five years my junior - in the midst of a brutally contentious, multi-million dollar divorce. (It was worth it…)
Anyhoo, when I was being in-processed, I had to sign an inventory receipt for my personal possessions: clothes, money clip; and the jailer had ‘accidentally’ forgotten to include my Rolex on the list. In my state of anxiety, I’m surprised I caught the attempted theft, but I did. Upon release, I made a stink with my friend the City Attorney, but the jackass wasn’t fired.
I don't deny the utility of the simple wristwatch in the trenches, that it was invented for,
and used mine when I worked. Now I'm just too lazy to fix the band, and I can text with my cellphone too.
Narr @ 3:51: I like your style. Take the minimum in cards, ID, cash; split it if possible into several "pockets" (chest pouch, zippered pocket, etc); store photocopies of documents offsite; maintain situational awareness plus low profile.
I have not traveled much with a smartphone but I would worry about it being snatched while taking tourist shots in busy areas. Maybe a lanyard?
And if pretty young girls come batting their eyelashes at an aged nondescript like me, they have already declared themselves as possessed of bad intent...
They wouldn’t bother with me at all. I just wear a Bulova. [Deep sigh]
"I've never understood buying a Rolex." It's so the smiling young woman doesn't stick her umbrella tip in you when she discovers that the "Rolex" she just stole from you is a fake.
But, yes, other than that I'd have to agree that a so-called "luxury wristwatch" must be one of the most meaningless purchases possible.
Because, no one really needs a watch anymore anyway: but if you really want one, a $10. Wal-Mart model likely will be more accurate than a Rolex and, being thinner and lighter, is also more attractive.
Just don't let a larcenous young woman steal it, for there's no telling how badly she might damage you in her fury upon discovering that what she stole has no value.
Blogger gilbar said...
tim in vermont said...
I simply do not understand the watch thing, or the model train thing either, for that matter.
NOW it's starting to make sense! HOW can you expect to keep your trains running on time;
IF you Don't know the time!!!
In 1886, Minnesota railway station agent Richard W. Sears bought a shipment of watches that a local jeweler refused to sign for. He established a side business selling the watches to other station agents. Sears quit his railway job a few months later and established the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis.
He moved the business to Chicago the following year. An ad he had placed in a Chicago newspaper brought watchmaker Alvah C. Roebuck into the business, and by 1893 the successful partnership officially became Sears, Roebuck and Company.
Sears Catalog
Working in gas station as a teen. Man offers me nice Omega watch for tank of gas and ten dollars.
When I adhusted the time, watch was "Cmega". He had the minute hand set to block open space in the C, making it look like an O.
If you have an analog watch, you can use it to find North.
So few things stand the test of time. A Rolex watch is one of those things. A Rolex watch purchased in 1983 for $900. (aprox. $2500. in 2022 dollars) can sell for anywhere bet. $9000. and $39,000. these days if you can even find one in stock with documentation at a legit dealer.
I appreciate vintage watches although I don't care for Rolexes. Just a matter of taste.
I also don't get the current obsession with luxury items among the "underprivileged" smash and grab set -- the lack of self respect involved with stealing or buying something stolen would seem to invalidate any purpose in having something expensive. What's the point in impressing someone with an expensive watch if you know you stole it or bought it stolen? IDK
having no rolex, I am safe
ALWAYS!!!!
ALWAYS!!!!
I had my cellphone in Europe but it just stayed in the baggage usually. My wife took a lot of photos on her smartphone, but I just kept a lookout, and too much photographing always seems to take me out of the moment.
I'm not a watch guy, but I can understand how someone with FU money appreciates such fine mechanical design. I've read that some luxury watches are worth $100K or more. If you're foolish enough to walk around with $100K on your wrist, or even $10K, you should expect it to be parted from you in a lot worse ways than an attractive affectionate young woman.
“When she asks you the time, do you give her 12 hour or 24 hour time?
“I keep my phone on 24 hour time and don't wear a watch.
“It drives my wife nuts if I tell her "it's 19:47. Oops, I mean 7:47"”
I will try this. But I already sense defeat - she is much more stubborn than I. She calls herself assertive. I call her obdurate.
“A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches can never really be sure.”
"Working in gas station as a teen. Man offers me nice Omega watch for tank of gas and ten dollars."
I once hitchhiked from New York to Florida and got picked up by a sort of con man and his girlfriend. He had a couple of small time cons like that he pulled on people along the way. We all got along great though, but more than once he said "We gotta get going quick here."
Used to be guys on the East Side of Manhattan, they would open their long coats, and there were watches up and down the inside.
The idea was you thought you were getting an expensive stolen watch cheap, but instead of Seiko, it would say Seikon or whatever.
meant to say lower East Side
Post a Comment