28. Learn from my mistake: beware the fake gold ring scam

'This is a picture of my Dad. He's a naive idiot.'

I had to rush to my sons’ School Assembly this morning – rush because I’d forgotten that I was supposed to be attending.   This is part of the problem with me and my wife’s role swap. When I was working she always took care of such arrangements, diaried them, attended them. I just listened to how they went when I got home in the evening. But I digress…

As I strode towards the school gate a stocky man in his 50s stopped in front of me. He stooped down and picked something off the floor, then raised it to his eyes. He had just found a thick-banded men’s gold wedding ring. He smiled at me, and I smiled back.

‘Your lucky day, mate,’ I said.

He touched my arm.’No, no, I can’t have this. It’s not mine,’ he said.

The start of my sons’ assembly was due to start in a couple of minutes. I knew they’d be crushed if they didn’t see me there, so I smiled politely and suggested the man hand it in at the police staiton. He touched my arm again.

‘No, the police will just keep it. You take it,’ he said.

Then he did something very odd. He looked on the inside of the ring and pointed to a hallmark. ‘It’s real gold,’ he said. Then he tried to push it onto one of his squidgy fat fingers. ‘It doesn’t fit me. Much better for you.’