UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas -- One local man said he wanted to tell how he was robbed because he hopes it doesn't happen to others.

Paul Malone, a retired Vietnam War veteran, said he was leaving a convenience store when a man with an accent approached him and told him a story about donating money to charity.

"He was going to give me $10,000, and I would take the rest of the $80,000 and place it in a charity to help the poor," Malone said.

The man then asked Malone to prove he could be trusted by showing he had his own money, so Malone said they went to a nearby bank.

"All I could think about was, 'This money's going to help a lot of people,'" Malone said.

Malone said he withdrew $7,500 and showed it to the man, who then asked to hold the money. When Malone declined, he said the man demanded the money and held out a knife.

"They're very, very good at what they do," Universal City Police Sgt. Steve Mihalski said. "(Malone) is still shocked that he fell for it."

Mihalksi said similar scams have recently been reported in Selma and San Antonio, but with different suspects.

Malone said he's now lost a lot of trust in people.

"I don't know whether I can be nice to anybody that comes up to me," he said. "I'll be running the other direction."