Man scamming Portland-area drivers

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland officials are warning motorists to avoid a scam artist who residents say has been standing in the middle of the road and tricking drivers into giving him money.

KPTV-TV reports residents say the man waves at drivers frantically, then asks them to stop and tells them that it’s an emergency.

Peter Knudsen, a resident who fell for the scam, says he and a friend picked the man up on Southwest Broadway Drive.

Knudsen isn’t the only person who stopped for the man. He says he posted a warning on social networking service Nextdoor and at least five people responded to his post and said they had had the same experience.

Knudsen says the man is tall, bald, middle-aged with a stocky build and is usually wearing khaki pants and a black polo shirt.

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Information from: KPTV-TV, http://www.kptv.com/