Dial M For Murder

It's a sad day...a fellow Singapore PR was murdered in Dubai.
"The motive behind the murder of Martin Herbert Steiner was theft and financial benefit from his credit cards, police said on Sunday. Two people were arrested, one of whom has confessed to the crime....
Colonel Al Merri said Steiner had met the two suspects through a website and later met them at a shopping mall. They then took him to an apartment where they murdered him....."
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/06/26/10049580.html
I consider myself a fairly seasoned traveller...and pretty streetwise too. Still, I constantly remind myself never to let my guard down...you never know what's out there! However..easier said than done...complacency slips in once in a while.

In Dubai...many a night..alone..I had walked thru dimly lighted alleys at the Old Souk..simply for a shorter route.

On several occasions...just to save a few Dhms...I had shared an illegal cab with 3 strangers..

One taxi driver from Egypt wanted to show me his collection of gems...at his place.

I had also met strangers via the internet...for trading and friendship.

On eBay...I managed to sell a few bottles of wine, a pair of shoes, a bag, silly impractical birthday gifts received...etc

I had also bought a couple of watches, books, a piece of 'rock' from Mars...etc
By the way, I have a japanese friend...he has a fetish for used undies. In fact, he bought a few from eBay. No, I have no idea what he's doing with them. Perhaps, he's moonlighting as a drag queen.

The safest place, I reckon, to carry out such transactions:
Busy carpark and fastfood outlet...Rule number one...Never follow the stranger home or invite him/her (yes femme fatale is deadly too!)to your place! Rule number two...buy your own drink AND theirs if on the other hand, you intend to spike...lol

Ok...'fess up! I had also met (almost) a couple of strangers via ICQ and Friendster..etc My strategy is simple: On the day of appointment...tell the other party you will be wearing purple jeans (wear a black one instead) for identification...arrive earlier and position yourself at a corner where visibility of the person is maximum and of yourself..minimum. Next...dial the number...pay close attention...someone will answer...look carefully..if it's an ugly creature..SCRAM FOR YOUR LIFE!

The bottomline: BE VIGILANT!


The original picture for this post.(Cergie..Thank you...point taken..:))