Rural Dictionary

gollum syndrome

Also Known As (AKA) Moocher Syndrome
The epitome of the syndrome is Gollum of the “Lord of the Rings.” He started out as a fairly normal being and was transformed into a hideous monster by his obsession or greed for the ring that could not be quenched. Gollum said things like “We must have the Preciouss !!!” Remember the saying she became so green with jealousy that she became a “green-eyed monster.”

There are many phrases that relate to people with this syndrome that can range from 1 to 25 on a scale of 1 to 10.

One of the original moochers was Wimpy in the cartoon, Pop Eye, who frequently said “I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”

They usually take advantage of others generosity, kindness, and call you their “friend” when all they want to do is USE you and ABUSE you, and NEVER LET YOU GO !!!

Someone who survives off another’s income. Someone who believes that they are owed something for nothing. One who even if they have their own money, food, clothes, etc. will still use someone else's first. Even if that someone else is more poor.

They may appear to be a pauper who lives by begging. If they have possessions, then complain that they are very tight on cash, and need to be paid for anything that they do for the dupe. A scrounger who takes advantage of the generosity of others.

They may operate in teams to take advantage of dupes (fools), those who are easily deceived or cheated. A fool and his money are soon parted. A dupe may go for many years, even decades and not realize what is happening. It’s like having blinders on a horse. They go from having money to being poor by being fleeced of their money or possessions by those they have trusted as “friends” or family.

The dupe is the horse with BLINDERS on them. The rider is the moocher. The moocher is a “control freak” to keep the dupe so busy doing their bidding that they don’t have time to think, and they keep them under their control. The blinders are to keep the horse (dupe) from seeing other people who might wise the dupe up to what is happening, or another moocher from taking advantage of their dupe.

Some people might call them by other names traveler, gypsy, leech, parasite, back stabber, Indian Giver, bunko artist, slip and fall artist, short change artist, confidence man, malingerer, con artist, beggar, freeloader, sponge,
slum lords, pimps

Joe used to be a nice boy until his mom and girlfriend infected him with Gollum Syndrome. Now all he cares about is fleecing his dad and others for more money, and getting many expensive toys and vehicles.

The characteristics may be very apparent or they may try to hide them to not appear to be a moocher or Gollum.
Moocher
1. They only show up or contact you when they NEED YOU, but not when you need them.
2. They may have selective memory (loss) or rewriting history to change it to one that favors the moocher
3. They make many promises, but won’t do them unless in writing
4. They may use bait and switch tactics to offer something very valuable and deliver something of low or no value to you
5. They may act crazy with multiple personalities to avoid blame, and get unnecessary help or government assistance
6. They may cause a scene or throwing a temper tantrum to get their way.
7. They may ask trick questions to set you up, but are very evasive when you ask them a question about what they just said, where they live or work, their phone number, etc.
8. The more they want something, the more they pretend to not even want it at all. The mark or patsy practically has to force them to take it.
9. They may be control freaks to keep you too busy to think or see what their plot is and feed the moocher’s ego
10. They usually have no remorse for their actions or victims
11. If you ask then to do something, they deliberately do it very slow or wrong, so you’ll just do it yourself to same time or trouble.
12. They may borrow things that are not usually borrowed like VCR’s, Camcorders, socks, prescription drugs
13. They may ask to borrow something, but intend to not give it back. Their excuse is they can’t find it or have not finished using it.
14. If you loan them anything, consider it gone because they will make excuses to not bring it back … until they break it or it stops working, frequently due to abuse.
15. They usually don’t take care of what they borrow, since they didn’t pay anything for it.
16. Anything that they have, even if fresh out of a trash dumpster with defects, is said to be very valuable.
17. They may be pack rats for items to sell or trade you that they stole or got out of the trash
18. They may sell or trade junk on E-bay, garage sales, or other Internet sites or e-mail lists. (buyer beware.)
19. They get junk and try to pass it off as nearly new and demand a replacement or refund NOW !!!
20. They may ask others to do things that they can do themselves.
21. However, they’ll do things for fellow gypsies, especially in their team for little or no cost.
22. They charge the mark for anything, unless they are buttering them up to get their money.
(Never give a sucker an even break.)
23. They may manipulate others to do things that will get them in trouble.
24. They always are prying into your personal business to con you, exploit you, or blackmail you.
25. They may black mail you to keep abusing you or keep you loaning them things.
26. They never return any favors when you need help, except a small favor to set you up for their next con.
27. They use up others things, even that person is more poor than the moochers
28. They may appear as poor beggars, as you or I, or a rich business man to pull their con or theft
29. Their greed and jealousy can totally control their lives
30. If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile
31. They get deeper in debt to you by paying back less than they will borrow again soon.
32. If you loan them money, food, or anything they usually want it all
33. They want to eat off your plate, rather than their own
34. They want to spend all your money, then won’t spend a dime on you
35. Many are up to their eye balls in debt, and could lose it all if their income goes down, or expenses go up.
36. They may act lazy, lying, manipulative teenagers.
37. They may have you prove you are a high-quality reliable person to avoid you asking them to prove the same
38. They use PROPS like actors to make you think they need help just as canes, wheel chairs, diabetic blood sugar meter, computers, expensive cars or homes that they might be just leasing, etc.
39. They may be working in teams like pickpockets do, but you think they are not connected until after you introduce them.
40. They try to always change the rules of the business, deal, or relationship
41. They try to make themselves look important by profession credentials such as RN, LPN that they didn’t earn
42. They may accuse you of their bad behavior, manners, ethics, crimes, cussing, stealing, etc. such as in the movie “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington.”
43. They may use aliases or not give you their real full correct name.
44. They may fake or exaggerate them medical condition like a heart attack MANY, MANY, MANY times
Munchausen Syndrome, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome
45. They try to try to exploit and use loopholes like a jailhouse lawyer.
46. They are frequently Indian Givers after you FIX what needed fixing.
47. They think it’s UNFAIR that you have something by hard work or inheriting it.
48. They try to avoid two-way direct contact with you by phone, mail, or e-mail.
They’ll contact you, but won’t let you know how to contact them. They make Caller ID Blocked calls.
(Don’t call me, I’ll call you.)
49. They stage a fight or make up a huge lie as an excuse for not talking to you or doing what was promised or paid for.
They won’t admit having mad money in case you get too mad to take them home or pay for their meal, etc.
Cons may work together to con you. One who you trust might guarantee a loan for another con. Then they say that they did NOT get paid, and ask that you don’t make them pay you for the other person not paying you or them.
50. They do a little on a job, then they want to be fully paid for the job, or be paid in full up front. Finally they may want to be paid more than agreed to, and try to black mail you by a claiming to he hurt while working on your property, or that you broke labor or other laws.
51. They rationalize that their actions are not as bad others.
52. They stress how valuable their time is, and try to make your time seem worthless.
(This like a dime waiting on a dollar.)
53. They may bad-mouth you and what you have to get it or your time for free, or manipulate you.
54. They usually void any direct contact with anyone who can verify they are not honest.
55. The isolate their victim (mark) from anyone who can wise them up, or mooch from them.
56. They may act like actors with countless excuses to not do anything they promise.
57. They are quick to cry. They can turn on and off their tears like a water faucet.
58. They may steal anything you have of value laptops, money time, etc.
59. They usually pretend to have no money, unless they flash cash as part of the con.
60. They may flash their big ticket items bought on credit or cash to manipulate you or set you up for a con.
61. They sometimes take jobs that allow them to clean you out unsupervised like house cleaners, a bookkeeper in a small company, a caregiver for an elderly, dependent, or handicapped (challenged) adult.
(A housekeeper or janitor might hide a valuable for a fews days or a week to see if you noticed it was out-of-sight, then complete stealing it if you did not notice it was missing. Their thefts can really add up over time.)
62. They may travel from town to town pulling cons as gypsies to blacktop driveways, work on roofs, do home remodeling, get rid of pests like rattle snakes, cut back or down trees especially after a wide area storm, etc.
63. They tend to take advantage of tourists, or those away from their home environment like a traveling sales person.
64. They may leave all the stickers on appliances like clocks, tv’s, vcr’s, etc. so even if it’s out of warranty they can take it back and claim they just bought it, but can’t find the receipt, or buy a new one for a refund and swap it for the old one.
65. They know how to do things with the least amount of work or time. (if you want to find the easiest way to do something ask a slacker or lazy person.)
66. They may do a number of easy things at the same time, and charge each mark full price for their time.
67. They may bill you for hours they did not work, and it’s hard to prove that they were working for you or charging another person for the same hours that they were only supposed to be working for won person.
68. They may forge vital documents, or trick you into signing documents that you don’t understand such as wills, deeds, power of attorney, mortgages, leases, car titles, loan papers, receipts that have blanks in them, and they “promise” to give you a copy “later.”
69. They may act in a team to steal from you by causing a distraction, stall, or bump to get want they want such a pick pocket, or suit case or brief case theft team. (Out of sight, out of mind.)
70. They may be dressed like you and hang out at wifi hot spots, airports, special events, etc. where there are easy to steal valuables like laptops, camcorders, cameras, cell phones, credit or bank debit cards, etc.
71. They may dress like you and ask to watch their valuables to show they trust you. Then you might ask them to watch your laptop or valuables while you get your food or use the bathroom. It may be gone, because they just went to get a drink or pick up their order for a second, and someone else in their team stole your valuables.
72. The con will speak for the mark, or direct them into a place where others on the team will steal from them. They trick a person into carrying large sums of cash. The gypsy will the money hold for the mark’s protection without a valid receipt, and another team member steals it from the mark or the one holding it for the mark’s protection.
(Possession is nine tenths of the laws. A fool and his money are soon parted.)
73. They may pretend to be college students, doctors, lawyers, teachers, ministers, or other professions to steal from you.
74. They have team members whose only job is to spot where a mark have valuables, so other team members can easily steal it from them when they are distracted.
75. Usually one of the gypsies has to hold down a regular job explain how they pay the bills while the other moocher or con artist steals from others. Both are usually and active part of the con or scam.
76. They know how to use your honesty and trust of others, as a weapon against you, or to con others and make you the fall guy if things go wrong.
77. They may use your business cards to pretend to be you or con others. Be wary of someone who takes more than two cards even with a valid sounding reason.
78. For quick cash or a second income, they may steal pets from elderly people or families with young kids, and wait for a reward to be posted. These marks tend to offer bigger rewards, and ask fewer questions about how their pet got loose. If no reward is offered then they might sell the animal or call the person if their name can be obtained from a name tag or vaccination tag.
79. The moocher will help others, but not the mark or even their family. This is like a teenager’s behavior, but they seem to never grow out of it.

by NewVision2 July 6, 2008

61👍 62👎

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