Culture - List: Protecting yourself against common scams/ ripoffs / tricks in the Heroin world

[dyingtomorrow]

Over time, many newbie heroin users find themselves constantly getting ripped off in one form or another. Your friend drops off some obviously small bags and YOU get yelled at for complaining about it. You find out those bags you've been buying as "dubs" are really only "dimes." You pass out with some of your junkie "friends" and you could have sworn last night you had 3 bags when you went to sleep, not 1.

Well, this thread is meant to be a list of tips on how to protect yourself against common ways junkies rip you off, steal from you, etc. If you want to profit from this information, take every word to heart, it is non-negotiable. First, there are 2 golden rules:

(1) Never trust anyone with anything of present or future value. Never put anything of value that you have in the hands of others - money, dope bags, etc - and never let your valuables out of your sight for a second. Never loan anyone anything. Never make a deal where someone will pay you back later. Make every transaction of yours 100% upfront and right now. You must make sure that no one ever has any kind of leverage over anything you value; if they do, consider it a hostage that they are going to milk you with, and that you are probably never going to see again.

(2) Toughen up. If you are a coward, and/or afraid to get into verbal or physical confrontations, you are going to get victimized. They will smell you like a shark smells blood in the water. If you compromise, give an inch, re-negotiate with them when they break the original deal: you are now an official victim and will constantly be losing time, money, and face to your "junkie friends" until you finally "man up".

Now if you follow those 2 golden rules to a T, you will generally be okay. However, even with Rule #1 firmly in your head, the fact is most junkies are expert liars and smooth talkers, and can create all kinds of weird scenarios that require you to do this or that; so unless you are very tough and firm (Rule #2), they are going to walk all over you and get you to violate Rule #1 no matter how hard you try not to. This is just a fact, and it generally takes becoming broke and going through a lot of horrible shit to really toughen up enough to become immune to high level junkie scams and BS. But, once you make this transformation: you have now learned all the ropes, seen all the scams, and become a tough motherfucker, and are hungry as hell now after losing so much that is important to you - Congratulations! You have now become a predator too!



To cap it off, the following is a list of common protections/precautions you can take to make sure you don't get ripped off. These all revolve around relationships and events concerning your "junkie friends." These are people who either were once your good friends, but have become such hardcore heroin addicts that they are no longer trustworthy, or people you met through the heroin world, and are by default not trustworthy. Typically there is some ever-present degree of unreliability and rip-off potential in every heroin user; but this greatly aggrevated by the amount of money such person has access to. A broke heroin addict is dangerous; a broke, withdrawing heroin addict is someone you want to avoid by a million miles. So, if you want to protect yourself from these people and the scams they can concoct at their worst, you have to be uncompromising. You can't bend these lessons/rules in the slightest; one chink in the armor and it's all for naught.

So, in no particular order:

- If you are riding with one or more people to get the dope, make sure you make the deal and handle the package at all times. Dope has this funny tendency of getting "accidentally" lost in other people's hands. Dope addicts are also, generally speaking, experts at slight of hand tricks. If you were going in with 2 buddies, and someone else does the deal/handoff, and suddenly there is 1 short bag that they blame on the dealer but (surprise) don't want to call him - you can't exactly call up the dealer and bitch him out, can you? Or "maybe it got dropped outside somewhere." At least dope users are always friendly enough to help you look for the dope that they actually stole but said is missing.

- Related to the above, always be the one to count out the dope bags. Or better yet, count them out together in plain sight. But don't let those bags out of your sight for a second. This is especially pertinent where there may be an unknown number of extra bags that you get from pooling your money. The problem here arises when you count someone's bags out, or they count your bags out, and one of you says the other came up short. Counting out together in plain sight solves this; but otherwise at least make sure you aren't put in a position where you have to beg them if they decide to lie (at least if you count them out and they try and lie, you can tell them "too bad").

- Always negotiate the deal - who gets what - beforehand. In other words if there are extras, or if you are driving someone for a share, you better define exactly what you are getting before you do any work or get the dope. This goes back to Rule #1 - if you've already done the work without either payment upfront, or a clear, defined benefit after the fact, you've put something of value into someone else's hands, and lost all your leverage. They are going to be holding all the cards, and you are going to be reduced to begging.

- If someone tries to back out of a clear deal you've made, get irrate and possibly physical. This is Rule #2. If you made an agreement with another dope user and they try and back out or renegotiate after the fact, you sure as fuck better stand up for yourself with everything you got. You should be pissed as a philosophical matter, but moreso you should be outwardly pissed. Put them on the defensive immediately. If you start whining or trying to make them feel guilty or bartering; you've already lost, and you are now marked as a victim in that person's mind. You better let them know immediately that there will be consequences.

- If you are the one with the dealers, protect your damn phone! Don't ever leave it laying around. Keep it tightly guarded in your pocket, so even if you nod out they can't get it without waking you. This is namely important where the dealer slips you extras for bringing the business, but also it is generally a good idea to keep junkies away from your phone. Who knows what mischeif they could cause?

- If you are in a situation where you are going to nod out, or sleep, around other junkies, make sure everything is tightly packed in your front pocket. Not in a bag pocket, or a jecket pocket, or a shirt pocket. It's as good as gone otherwise.

- Never buy any BS story about some dope of your "getting lost." This is always a lie. First of all you should never let your dope be in someone else's hands. But if somehow that happened, and they supposedly lost your dope, then you need to make sure they realize there will be consequences. Maybe you can't beat them up, but at the very least let them know verbally never to fucking talk to you again. This might induce them to make amends (which can only be done with money or dope), but even if it doesn't then good riddence: you are an idiot if you let a thief stay close in your life after something that blatant.

- Never loan money, never loan dope. Never take anything but cash for dope, but if you have to break this one, don't value whatever it is at more than the lowest possible pawn price for it. If someone says they paid $500 for their stereo system, it's not worth $500 - it's probably worth $50 cash down at the pawn shop. Hopefully this goes without saying.

- Never listen to whining. You have to learn to totally ignore "moral outcries" and shit like that. Think in terms of the bottom line. Protecting your shit. Never trusting people with your money. Junkies can make up a damn good story. They also can whine up a storm when they are desperate - that just means exactly that - they are desperate. They don't have anything to offer, so you are probably going to lose whatever you give them. And don't whine yourself. Whining implies that you are powerless and have no leverage. You can of course appeal to friendship or decency at first, but if it is clear that they are trying to rip you off, don't be afraid of confrontation. Don't try and make them feel guilty and then slink away - make them feel afraid, or at least worried. Let them know they just fucked you over, and that you are going to do something about it unless they make it right.

- Same with your money; never trust your time to junkies. Especially not withdrawing ones. Again - ESPECIALLY NOT WITHDRAWING ONES. If a withdrawing junkie calls you up and says, "hey I need you to come pick me up at the spot [1 hour away] and then drive me here and here and then I'll give you a bag" - don't do it. Or "hey come meet me up at this [far away] place in like 2 hours, I don't have my cell phone but I'll be there" - don't do it. If a plan sounds weird and bullshitty, it's because it is not a very good or stable one, and has a high chance of failing. Now if you have nothing else to do and want to risk it, that's fine. If you only have 2 hours you can sneak out during Thanksgiving Day with the family and you are trusting your time to some stupid ass risky plan; it's a bad idea.

- Always go out and find new and more dealers. This is for both experienced junkies, and newbies. Especially though, if you are a newbie. Often times people will sell newbies bullshit bags. Sometimes for twice as much as they bought them. If you are a newbie and you rely on a "junkie friend" to get you bags; you need to go out and find your own dealer. You'll probably be surprised how bad you were getting ripped. As for experienced junkies; obviously it's always best to be able to sample size and quality from as many sources as possible, that kind of goes without saying.

- If you have to buy from a street dealer, never do it after sundown. The chances of you getting ripped off skyrocket when it is dark out. Not only ripped off, but robbed, jacked, jumped, etc. If you are going to buy from a street dealer, do it during the day (the earlier the better), and make sure they show you in their hand the bags / foils first. If they are legit the will, if they want to take your money first then say no thanks and walk. Remember Rule #2, don't let them intimidate you into giving them the money first without showing you something. If they are trying to do that, it's because they are going to rip you off! Also, if you are stuck buying street bags, ask if they are bags or foils first. If you are very paranoid, only get them if they are bags, because you can see if there is dope in there very quick when they flash them. Foils can be empty or filled with bullshit to give the impression that they are full, and are a lot more conducive to ripping someone off. Also, even with bags, always taste a bit of the dope first to make sure it's not baking soda or some bullshit. Finally when buying off the street, another tip for the super paranoid is to, when you find someone, ask if they have a cell number and sell regularly (make sure not to look/sound like a narc - that goes without saying though). If they want to give you a number that is a good sign that they have at least decent dope, because they want your repeat business.

- To be as safe as possible, especially if money is tight and you can't risk getting ripped off, buy from a dope SPOT. This means a place that is associated with a house or business, that you walk up to, tell them how many you want, and they come back out of the building. Often times scam artists will make up fake bags with baking soda or other crap, tie them up in a plastic bag to make it seem legit, and bike around areas where they know customers come. They then sell them these bogus bags. If you come across someone who walks up to you and wants to sell you these bags really bad, you are taking a huge risk. Often times they will play to your greed, with a line such as "I'll even give you an extra bag since you are a new customer" or something similarly appealing. The better the deal sounds, the more likely it isn't true. Dope SPOTS (again, associated with a house/building/business) are safer because they know if you they fuck you, there is a location you can come back to where they will always be at. A place you can call the police on every fucking day out of vengence - and they know junkies WILL do shit like that. To summarize, a dope spot is the safest place to buy dope from, next to a regular trusted dealer you call on your phone.

- Take some time to remember the faces around any dope spots you frequent. It is not uncommon for the original members of a group selling legit heroin to get locked up or disappear, and for scammers selling bullshit to immediately take over the spot. Worse, for spots which involve going into a project or shady building, often times a group of "jackers" will set up at the spot after the legitimate dealers leave, and beat up and rob people who are behind the times and show up there. If you are ever unsure or uneasy by unfamiliar faces at a spot you go to, it is a good idea to ask any homeless people around whether the spot is still active.

Credit to sandoz1943 for coming up with the following (with some modification by SWIM):

- Don't allow junkies in your house. Best to not let them know where you live in the first place. If you have to let them in your house, hide all your valuables first and don't leave them unattended. Oh yeah, and don't leave any opiate or benzo pill bottles in your bathroom - duh!

- Don't let junkies use your phone. Cell phone, house phone; especially not work phone (more on work later). If they rip someone off or the deal goes bad, you are now dragged into their web of shit.

- Never let a junkie or a drug dealer know where you work at, and never for any reason give them your work phone number. A little stress comes down in that drug dealer / junkies' world; maybe you get in a little fight over a half a bag, and next thing you know - BAM - they are now in control of whether or not you have a job. That is leverage over your life and welfare you never want to give anyone; junkies, especially desperate ones, are very quick and creative in exploiting things like that.

- Never let people get the impression that you are friends with your "junkie friends" (to define "junkie friend" more accurately - let's say they are someone you sometimes shoot up with and do heroin related activities with). Especially not drug dealers. Often times the junkie friend will try and create this impression when you are not around. Don't let them put themselves on your "street reputation credit account," or you could end up with people you don't know coming after you for money, drugs, or even worse.

- Don't let junkies make deals from your place. If they aren't trustworthy you really shouldn't let them be there in the first place, but that is not always going to be avoidable in terms of the general "ettiquite" and priorities of shooting up with people you score with. Nonetheless, don't let them invite over people you don't know to your place, have dealers stop by your place, etc. This is a spinoff of the previous one: you don't want strangers to have the impression that you are vouching for this junkie, or that they can find them through you (or worse, that they can get back at that person through you).

(Thanks again to sandoz1943)


I'm sure between all the members here, there's a lot of combined knowledge of scams, BS, tricks, as well as means of protection.

Please keep the list going!

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Excellent advice from real world experience
	fantastic advice that can be applied to many other scenarios
	Very valuable info
	Good info and well laid out.
	very revealing, thanks for the warnings
	Great advice for the newbies. Well done dt
	good information
	Interesting reading! Thanks for the info.
	Closest thing to a "rule book" I've seen yet
	ah, just what swim needs to hear. how not to get robbed. Swim thanks swiy a million!!!
	I think this is a fantastic addition to DF. It counts as really good harm reduction advice in the broader sense. More of...
	Big list of good advice
	Excellent information about the heroin world