Home › Blogs › Rochelle's blog

First Katrina Patron a Scammer

September 13, 2005 - 6:34pm — Rochelle

We had our "first" Katrina patron last week, and I got all het up because we didn't have protocol in place to help someone out who had no ID. All he had was a signed form from the homeless shelter he was staying in, I told the guy I'd check stuff out for him if we couldn't get him a card. Well, they did figure out a policy, and the guy got a card. Today, after a sharp circ staffer supsected something fishy, it turned out the guy had a card or two at another library down the road, dated before Katrina was close to NOLA. As I replay my conversation with him, it makes sense. I thought I'd gotten much better at detecting manipulators and scammers, but I was had (as was everyone else). I'm still glad I gave this guy the benefit of the doubt, but I'm furious that someone would take advantage of others' misfortunes.

Comments

September 13, 2005 - 7:28pm — Anonymous Patron (not verified)

okay

So how did you guys detect him, and what're your policies in place now (and would the policies in place now allow you to catch him?)-- Ender, Duke_of_URL

  • Email this comment
September 13, 2005 - 10:39pm — Rochelle

Re:okay

I'm not sure who figured it out. It was someone in circ. Maybe when he tried to check something out, they noticed other accounts bearing the same name, and checked them against each other for DOB and other info.

If someone says they're up here as a result of Katrina and don't have ID, they're supposed to present a letter from a shelter. I don't know that the policies we have in place would have allowed us to catch him at that point, because he scammed the shelter into giving him a "Katrina Evacuee" letter. Anxious to help, we took him at his word. So far, we've not had anyone else ask for a card. We have other Katrina evacuees, but they are mostly staying with family and friends, or have ID and money to stay in hotels and are probably trying to look for jobs, get kids settled in school, etc.

My hat is off to public service workers in communities with large evacuee populations--what a challenge!

  • Email this comment
Syndicate content