By ANEEKA SIMONIS
SCAM artists disguised as Buddhists monks have residents on high alert after a string of “aggressive” money-grabbing incidents in Pakenham.
Bald-headed conmen dressed in traditional robes have been asking main street Pakenham shoppers for cash in exchange for bogus religious items such as prayer beads and guide books.
On Monday 27 October, a woman said she was trapped in her car by a forceful fake monk who “hounded” her for money.
“I was hounded near Target and Safeway the other week. I parked my car and (the monk) walked straight over to me. I wasn’t even out of the car and this monk stood at my door asking for money,” said shaken resident Melanie Frazee.
“He was quite aggressive in terms of invading my personal space. He was so close I couldn’t even get out of my door.
“He gave me a bracelet and a gold thing. He didn’t speak but he showed me this receipt book which showed the different amounts of money people had given him for the items. I reluctantly handed over a gold coin donation and he left.”
Fellow local Shan Addison was in visible pain when a fake monk stopped her for cash on John Street last week.
“I had a suspected broken foot and my friend had me under her arm. This man dressed in a light grey outfit just like a monk would wear with the same style white socks and sandals turned around and smiled,” she said.
“I thought he was going to offer help – instead he proceeded to put his hand in his bag and tried handing me a gold card. I was annoyed he offered me no help but rather to harass me.”
According to a representative body for Buddhist monks, the men are forbidden from asking for money according to monastic rules set by Buddha more than 2500 years ago, Consumer Affairs said in a statement earlier this year.
Pakenham police said scammers who falsely asked for money on behalf of a charity or a religious group risked imprisonment.
“It is possible that these people could be charged with obtaining property by deception which is a serious indictable offence with prison time,” Senior Sergeant Nathan Prowd said.
“We encourage people to report these incidents so we can identify these people.
“Otherwise, make sure when you donate money to a legitimate charity or religious group that they display proper identification.”
Fake monk scams have been widely reported across the country since the beginning of the year.
