History Main / CrimeMagnet

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.: An example is Bob who doesn't have any street smarts. He's walking down the street in the wrong neighborhood, and is spotted by Alice, who sees him as an easy mark.

[[TooDumbToLive A lack of common sense that causes criminals to see you as an easy target.]]: Bob has just come into some money, a lot of money. Maybe he won the lotto, maybe just got an inheritance, but he feels the need to tell anyone and everyone about it. Or maybe he just flashes his money around in public. Charlie sees this, and thinks he could part Bob from his money rather easily.

Taking advantage of someone else's good fortune: Lets say Bob becomes wealthy. Hearing this, Alice, an acquaintance of Bob presents him with an investment opportunity, [[BlatantLies that can't possibly fail]]. Or maybe she announces that she's a long-lost relative of Bob, and if he could just help her out a little financially, she'd be eternally grateful. In general Alice wants to profit off Bob's wealth.

* An episode of ''Series/MyHero'' where [[IdiotHero George]] has won the lottery has a gag where he says a lot of long lost cousins have been turning up.

* An episode of WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987, Til Nephews Do Us Part has a Millionara Vanderbuck trying to marry Scrooge for his money.
* In the WesternAnimation/KimPossible episode Ron Millionaire, Ron Stoppable becomes wealthy, and acquires several hangers-on including [[AlphaBitch Bonnie]]. He's later kidnapped by Dr. Drakken and Shego, and forced to [[ResetButton finance their latest evil scheme]].

* One time on ''Series/{{Life}}'' Crews & Reese investigated a group of people all of whom had won the lottery; the richest person in the group had won like $100,000,000 and had turned his house into a bunker because of all the people coming to him for handouts, etc.

* In Donald E. Westlake's novel ''God Save the Mark'', the hero is such a sucker that con artists from all over the city practically line up for the opportunity to take his money.

Taking advantage of someone else's good fortune.

Lets say Bob becomes wealthy. Hearing this, Alice, an acquaintance of Bob presents him with an investment opportunity, [[BlatantLies that can't possibly fail]]. Or maybe she announces that she's a long-lost relative of Bob, and if he could just help her out a little financially, she'd be eternally grateful. In general Alice wants to profit off Bob's wealth.

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

An example is Bob who doesn't have any street smarts. He's walking down the street in the wrong neighborhood, and is spotted by Alice, who sees him as an easy mark.

[[TooDumbToLive A lack of common sense that causes criminals to see you as an easy target.]]

Bob has just come into some money, a lot of money. Maybe he won the lotto, maybe just got an inheritance, but he feels the need to tell anyone and everyone about it. Or maybe he just flashes his money around in public. Charlie sees this, and thinks he could part Bob from his money rather easily.

Type I - Taking advantage of someone else's good fortune.

Type II - Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Type III - [[TooDumbToLive A lack of common sense that causes criminals to see you as an easy target.]]

!!Type I

!!Type II

!!Type III

* An episode of WesternAnimation/DuckTales, Til Nephews Do Us Part has a Millionara Vanderbuck trying to marry Scrooge for his money.

* In the WesternAnimation/KimPossible episode Ron Millionaire, Ron Stoppable becomes wealthy, and aquires several hangers-on including [[AlphaBitch Bonnie]]. He's later kidnapped by Dr. Drakken and Shego, and forced to [[ResetButton finance their latest evil scheme]].

* Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Timon of Athens'' falls under Type III: He's rich and so trusting that a bunch of syncophants gather around him, waiting for handouts.

Compare MuggingTheMonster. Contrast GoldDigger. Can easily lead to UsefulNotes/VictimBlaming.

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', the alleyway behind/beside the Bronze (it's not really clear on its placement) is this with a twist. You're not likely to get mugged, you're likely to be an unwilling blood donor of the neck bite variety. One wonders why vamps still try killing people there when they know that there must be a thick layer of dust from how many of their kind have died by Buffy's hands back there.

* Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Timon of Athens'' falls under Type III: He's rich and so trusting that a bunch of syncophants gather around him, waiting for handouts.

* One time on {{Life}} Crews & Reese investigated a group of people all of whom had won the lottery; the richest person in the group had won like $100,000,000 and had turned his house into a bunker because of all the people coming to him for handouts, etc.

* On ''TheBeverlyHillbillies'' Mr. Drysdale was always on the lookout for these, because Jed & clan were too trusting to believe that anybody was trying to sucker them.

Compare MuggingTheMonster. Contrast GoldDigger.

* In the ''MasterKeaton'' episode ''Love In May'' has a Japanese tourist have her purse and luggage snatched. She's targeted because she was old and a tourist.

* An episode of ''MyHero'' where [[IdiotHero George]] has won the lottery has a gag where he says a lot of long lost cousins have been turning up.

* [[{{Batman}} Thomas And Martha Wayne]] were gunned down in an alley. This isn't quite the trope, as at the time the place was known as a nice neighborhood. However, since then its become known as Crime Alley, and is now definitely this trope.

* An episode of DuckTales, Til Nephews Do Us Part has a Millionara Vanderbuck trying to marry Scrooge for his money.

* In BuffyTheVampireSlayer, the alleyway behind/beside the Bronze (it's not really clear on its placement) is this with a twist. You're not likely to get mugged, you're likely to be an unwilling blood donor of the neck bite variety. One wonders why vamps still try killing people there when they know that there must be a thick layer of dust from how many of their kind have died by Buffy's hands back there.

* In the ''{{Futurama}}'' episode, My Three Suns, Fry drinks the former emperor of a planet of liquid-like beings, becoming the new emperor himself. This makes him the target of assassination. Subverted, in the fact, not being liquid himself, he's immune to their attempts.

* In the KimPossible episode Ron Millionaire, Ron Stoppable becomes wealthy, and aquires several hangers-on including [[AlphaBitch Bonnie]]. He's later kidnapped by Dr. Drakken and Shego, and forced to [[ResetButton finance their latest evil scheme]].

* {{Shakespeare}}'s ''Timon of Athens'' falls under Type III: He's rich and so trusting that a bunch of syncophants gather around him, waiting for handouts.

* In the KimPossible episode Ron Millionaire, Ron Stoppable becomes wealthy, and aquires several hangers-on including [[TheLibby Bonnie]]. He's later kidnapped by Dr. Drakken and Shego, and forced to [[ResetButton finance their latest evil scheme]].

This trope is situation where someone becomes a tempting target which others which others will try to take direct advantage of. This is usually through some quality of theirs.

Type III - [[TooDumbToLive A lack of common sense that cause criminals to see you as an easy target.]]

Thoughts? Also, needs examples.