The smiling Frenchman approaches and says,….
"Excusez-moi, Monsieur. Vous avez laissé votre bague ici." He shows you a large gold wedding band.
"What? No (you say), it is not my ring, Monsieur."
"Mais oui, c'est à vous."
"Mais non. I have no ring."
"Mais oui, it is your ring. Well, if it is not then give it to your woman. It will make her happy. It is a woman's ring."
He hands you the ring. Indeed it is heavy. Apparently gold. "Um, no. It is not mine."
"I cannot wear it. I am a man," he said. "Give it to your woman." He turns and walked away.
"Well, OK. Merci, Monsieur." You turn and walk away
He turns again. "Ah, Monsieur. S'il vous plait. I am hungry. I don't have enough money for a baguette."
"Um. OK. Take some change." He is honest but only needs money for a baguette. You give him a few coins from the change in your pocket.
"No, that is not enough. Just a little more. I gave you the ring."
"Well, OK, here is two euros but nothing more." And you walk away.
Your thinking it’s was better that you have the ring rather than this roughly dressed man. At least you could return the ring and this other man would have not returned it, he would have sold it.
Then you 'Googled' lost ring.
GOTCHA!
.
One of the apparently famous tourist scams in Paris is the "lost ring" scam. A stranger, an honest man bends over to pick up a "lost" ring and offers it to the mark. Negotiations follow and the mark gives money to the honest man.
The honest man does not accept the valuable gold ring because it is not his, not the right size, against his religion, blah, blah. It turns out that the ring is brass and almost worthless. The honest man walks away with more than he paid for the ring and the mark walks away with a worthless ring, a few Euros poorer.
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