A quick-change artist is trying to scam Richardson Court Association residents out of their holiday money.

“We’ve had a couple of incidents, including one Tuesday,” said Behavioral Sciences Capt. Gene Deisinger of the Department of Public Safety. “The [individual] says he has a high denomination [bill] that needs changed, and it’s very urgent.”

Deisinger said the first occurrence in was Linden Hall on Nov. 27 and involved a $100 bill that needed to be broken down into smaller bills. He said the amount in the second incident on Tuesday, near Barton HKati Jiviall, is not known.

Jon Dahlager, sophomore in journalism and mass communication and sociology, was approached by the man Tuesday as he was walking from Roberts Hall.

“I was walking with my headphones on, and I heard a guy yelling at me. I turned around to look and see who it was,” he said. “It was a black guy, half in the building and half outside, on the emergency fire escape at Barton Hall.”

Dahlager said the man said he needed to have a big bill broken, and it was “really important.”

“He made it sound like it was a life-or-death situation that he get this cash,” Dahlager said. “I looked up at him, and I turned around and kept walking. That’s a random thing, to ask a passerby for change for a big bill.”

Deisinger said the victim of the first incident gave the man change for a $100 bill and was given a set of keys in exchange.

“He asked the person to get change for a $100 bill, and as I understand it, he told the victim the $100 bill was down the hall,” he said. “He told him to hold his keys while he went to get it, but then he disappeared.”

Deisinger said he thinks the keys are a “bogus set that doesn’t go to anything.”

“I think he offers them to give people a sense of security that he will be back after the keys,” Deisinger said.

Jerry Stewart, associate director of DPS, said the thief is acting very much like a quick-change scam artist. “He uses the same techniques where he attempts to confuse or rush the victim,” he said.

Deisinger said students need to be cautious in these types of situations.

“If someone needs to exchange a high-denomination bill, the banks do a pretty good job of that,” he said.

These types of crimes are uncommon at Iowa State, Deisinger said.

“We oftentimes see an increase in simple thefts, such as back packs in the library, the Union — any high traffic area,” he said. “It’s an easy opportunity — people are under stress and are not watching things as closely as usual, or people are getting tired, and they’re not locking up. People need to exercise good caution.”

Director of DPS Loras Jaeger said the scam artist has been described as a medium-built black male about 5-feet 9-inches or 5-feet 10-inches tall.

If anyone has any information, DPS encourages them to call 294-4428.