Police say this is an exchange of goods

[quincy]

I have stopped to assist stranded motorists in the past - in the Detroit area, no less - - but I would not necessarily stop for everyone. Calling 911 seems a relatively easy, and undoubtedly safer, alternative.

Even if deciding to stop to offer a motorist assistance, however, I just can’t imagine myself negotiating a roadside trade of $1000 for a watch. This seems a scenario more likely to play out in a Walmart parking lot from the trunk of a car.

 

[adjusterjack]

Next time don’t stop and call 911 to report a stranded motorist.

That's says don't "stop and call."

Should be:

Next time don't stop. Call 911 to report a stranded motorist.

Like "let's eat Grandma" vs "let's eat, Grandma."

 

[adjusterjack]

Or the panda story.

A panda walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then draws a gun and fires two shots in the air.

"Why?" asks the confused waiter, as the panda makes towards the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated wildlife manual and tosses it over his shoulder.

"I'm a panda," he says at the door. "Look it up."

The waiter turns to the relevant entry in the manual and, sure enough, finds an explanation.

"Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China.

Eats, shoots and leaves."


The joke is the erroneous addition of the comma. Should be "eats shoots and leaves."

 

[quincy]

FreeAdvice: Come for the advice. Stay for the English lesson.

 

[Just Blue]

FreeAdvice: Come for the advice. Stay for the English lesson.

...and the dad jokes.

 

[adjusterjack]

 

[bcr229]

I want to report this to the police, but they claim this is an exchange of goods and therefore not a crime.

This scam is so old it predates the Nigerian prince type scams. I thought everyone knew not to buy gold jewelry and Rolex watches from random sellers in parking lots.

As far as scams go you got off pretty lightly. In the Reddit r/scams sub not only do you find people falling for this specific scam, you'll find people who have emptied retirement accounts and mortgaged their houses to pay romance scammers. Consider spending some time reading and learning, because while smart people learn from their own mistakes, wise people learn from the mistakes of others. Be wise.