LINCOLN SQUARE — Security cameras at Mash have turned up an image of the man who business owners say recently attempted to scam multiple Lincoln Square bars.
He doesn't look like a con artist, though presumably that's the point. Based on the success rate of the scheme — which failed at every location — perhaps a career change is in order for the alleged scammer.
A quick recap: On June 29, a man walked into the Daily Bar & Grill, the Grafton and Mash — all in the 4500 block of North Lincoln Avenue — with a variation of the same story: He told staff he was interested in booking a private event, then worked into the conversation the claim that a server had spilled a drink on his wife several weeks prior and handed over a dry cleaning bill for $65.
None of the bars fell for the gambit.
Related: Con Artist No Match For Lincoln Square Bars: Same Scam Fails At Three Pubs
After DNAinfo.com posted an article on the hoax, staff at Jerry's Lincoln Square, 4739 N. Lincoln Ave., replied via Facebook that they'd been a target too.
"This guy ... didn't bring up the cleaning bill, but did book a small party. Guess we can ignore that reservation....," said Nick Bondi of Jerry's.
The Chicago Bar Shop reached out via Twitter to say that after striking out in Lincoln Square, the swindler had tried his luck in Lincoln Park, with similar results.
@Pattydnachicago same guy- exact same receipt. Hit @ChicagoBarShop and Lincoln Park Armitage stores too! https://t.co/nGRDXw0UbP
— Candace Zynda (@CandaceZynda) July 5, 2016
Does this scam still have legs?
As one reader pointed out on Neighborhood Square: "$65.00 at a time is a hard way to make a living."
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