Did I dodge a "pigeon drop" scam?

[Salesmonkey]

Back when I was working at the "Service Inn" we would often rent out our meeting rooms to pretty much anybody with a pulse and a charge card. We hosted a weekly Weight Watchers meeting (really fun people, very nice), the occasional business seminar, monthly training classes for real estate licensing, monthly drivers ed classes ( until they regularly "forgot" to pay us), and so forth.

One group that rented us out did "glamour" photography, with a few props, a softening lens, and probably a little photoshop to fine-tune things. Lots of customers used our bathrooms to fine-tune their hair and make-up before their appointment. The day after one of their things, I got a call from somebody....

"I think I left a pair of diamond earrings in your bathroom yesterday"

And that is terrible. I only have one ear pierced, and my mom reclaimed the only diamond I have ever worn when she found the matching other earring under the couch ( I blame the cat).

So I break the news to her that there haven't been any earrings turned in to lost and found since whenever, and since there were 40+ people through that bathroom since yesterday, Babe, those ear-rings are as gone the days when I was thin.

Upon being informed that many, many people have used the ladies' room and the obvious conclusion that any valuables would have either been turned in or immediately stolen, she hangs up.

The classic pigeon drop scam is where a proprietor is informed of a lost valuable object upon their premises, and a reward is offered for its recovery. When a confederate of the scam "discovers" the object, they offer to leave it with the proprietor for an immediate share of the reward

So, really, who takes out their diamond earrings in a public washroom? I may have ruined this girl's day... but I was on duty all day during the photo shoot and I know that nobody said anything about diamonds.

[rerant]

The classic pigeon drop scam is where a proprietor is informed of a lost valuable object upon their premises, and a reward is offered for its recovery. When a confederate of the scam "discovers" the object, they offer to leave it with the proprietor for an immediate share of the reward

I'm still kind of confused about this. What does the person running the scam get out of it?
This is something I've never heard of before so I'm not too sure how it would work in the favour of the scammer.

[Ree]

The other part of the scam is that the person who allegedly finds the earrings will offer to split the reward, but calls a lawyer for advice.
The 'lawyer' will claim it is perfectly legal to split the reward, but says that they should both put forward an amount of money as a show of good faith, or to prove that they are both acting above board.

They both put the same amount of money in a bag, which is usually half of the reward offered, and the finder claims to be depositing it in an account until the lawyer handles all the formalities.

They will agree to meet at the lawyer's office on a certain date, where the reward money will be distributed, and they will each get their deposit back, but when the 'pigeon' gets there, the lawyer does not exist and the money is long gone.

It's usually done with the scammer claiming to have found a bag of money, and offering to split it, because there is no ID anywhere.
The waiting time is allegedly for the 'lawyer' to try and trace to ensure there are no legal claims to the money.

[depechemodefan]

If no one came up to you to say, "Yesterday I found these earrings. I was going to keep them but my Baptist grandma boxed my ears and told me to return the earrings to teh hotel. Hey, let's split the reward!" or if the caller didn't offer you a reward in the first place, it's probably not a scam. Though if it ends up being a scam, I hope you can sic the cops on them.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Pigon Drop Scam Video on You Tube

[taxguykarl]

Sounds more like a lame shakedown attempt. I find it hard to believe that someone would not keep track of supposedly expensive jewelry.

[NightWatch]

I know a police officer who took a report from a gentleman who's wife lost her $80,000 watch in her hotel room. The guy didn't seem to care at all and was just making the report in the event the watch turned up. I wish I could afford to lose an $80,000 watch!

[ShinyGreenApple]

I find it hard to believe that someone would not keep track of supposedly expensive jewelry.

Never underestimate the stupidity of human beings. SCs in particular. However, it could have been some kind of a scam, too. Who knows.