He fakes a seizure, begs for help—then it gets weird. Don’t fall for this alarming scam!
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A man dubbed ‘fake seizure guy’ has become an urban legend on Melbourne streets.
He allegedly fakes medical emergencies to lure unsuspecting men into restraining him.
Now, more locals are coming forward with their own eerie stories of falling for the bizarre act.
David was walking through Princes Park when he noticed a man collapse dramatically nearby.
The man began shaking on the ground, calling out for help.
David rushed to assist—but what happened next took a deeply strange turn.
‘At first, I thought he was having a seizure,’ David shared.
‘He toppled over, shaking and saying, “I need a hand”. I helped him down, and then he told me to roll him face down and hold his arms behind his back. He was really insistent, then suddenly he said, “You need to get on top of me, straddle me”, and I did.’
David, who weighed about 85 kilos, followed the directions, thinking he was helping.
‘I remember thinking, I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m trying to help someone in trouble.’
He held the man in that position for a few minutes before calling over nearby schoolboys for support.
Suddenly, the man stood up, collected his dog, and casually walked away.
‘It was wild,’ David said. ‘The whole thing was so strange.’
Source: TikTok/oldaveo
After sharing his experience on social media, David’s video received over 400,000 views and hundreds of comments.
Many viewers said they had experienced the same bizarre scenario—usually with the same man.
Some reports dated back to 2003, and several claimed to have encountered him in the same area.
One user even claimed to have seen the man in Princes Park earlier on the same morning David was there.
The online community had even created a social media group dedicated to spotting and warning others about ‘FSG’.
Photos shared in the group showed the man appearing in parks, on trains, and near train stations.
The alleged routine was always the same.
He would fake a seizure in a public area, then urgently direct male bystanders to lie him face down, pin his arms, and sit on him.
Critically, he often insisted that they straddle him.
He would sometimes refuse help from women and end the act within minutes—walking away as if nothing had happened.
Comedian Christian Hull also recalled his own run-in with the man back in 2018.
Source: Youtube/Christian Hull
He had just left an exhibition near Queens Bridge when the man appeared, convulsing on the pavement.
Christian initially tried to offer standard help—rolling him onto his side and placing a jacket under his head.
But the man spoke clearly through the ‘seizure’ and told Christian to pin his arms and sit on him.
‘I was sitting on him like a couch, but then he said, “You need to straddle me … like a horse”.’
Christian complied, but soon felt uncomfortable and considered calling an ambulance.
The man told them not to, claiming he had just ‘escaped from prison’.
Moments later, he bolted—only to be seen attempting the same act 80 metres away.
‘We yelled out to a group not to help him,’ Christian recalled.
He later posted a photo taken by his friend during the incident and was stunned to learn others had identical stories.
Heath, a Melbourne dad, said he encountered the man at Melbourne Zoo while with his family.
‘I saw this man collapse onto another man… he said, “I have seizures all the time, can you help me restrain my arms?”’
Heath complied, noting the man’s dogs were oddly calm.
‘He asked me to really pin him down,’ Heath said.
Then, as in other cases, the man got up, hugged Heath, and disappeared.
Later, Heath’s wife told him her cousin had experienced the same thing ten years earlier.
Why does he do it?
Some speculate that he may suffer from mental health challenges.
Others believe it could be a form of sexual gratification—deriving pleasure from being pinned under unsuspecting men.
‘At the time, I didn’t think it was sexual,’ David said. ‘But looking back, having a near 90-kilo man sit on you like that. It makes you wonder.’
Despite multiple reports, few people contact police.
Christian said he never filed a report—‘What can they really do, you know? I sat on a man.’
He did speak to police that night, and claimed they already knew of the man.
David admitted he hadn’t considered reporting the incident until realising the pattern online.
‘I wasn’t traumatised by it, but I understand that it could affect others,’ he said.
Adding to the confusion, people often feel they’ve done the right thing—helping someone in need.
But many now say they would think twice before jumping in.
‘People want to help, it’s human nature,’ David said.
‘But if someone asked me to get on top of them again—there’s no chance.’
It’s not just fake medical emergencies that are catching people off guard—scammers are also targeting vulnerable moments in people’s health journeys.
One recent case reveals how some fraudsters are zeroing in on those managing chronic conditions, using deception to gain trust and personal information.
If you thought the seizure hoax was unsettling, this next scam shows just how far some people will go.
Read more: The alarming way scammers are preying on those with diabetes
Would you still stop to help if someone collapsed in front of you?
He allegedly fakes medical emergencies to lure unsuspecting men into restraining him.
Now, more locals are coming forward with their own eerie stories of falling for the bizarre act.
David was walking through Princes Park when he noticed a man collapse dramatically nearby.
The man began shaking on the ground, calling out for help.
David rushed to assist—but what happened next took a deeply strange turn.
Man collapses in park, begs for help. Image source: Reddit/ConsiderationOne6915
‘At first, I thought he was having a seizure,’ David shared.
‘He toppled over, shaking and saying, “I need a hand”. I helped him down, and then he told me to roll him face down and hold his arms behind his back. He was really insistent, then suddenly he said, “You need to get on top of me, straddle me”, and I did.’
David, who weighed about 85 kilos, followed the directions, thinking he was helping.
‘I remember thinking, I don’t know what’s happening, but I’m trying to help someone in trouble.’
He held the man in that position for a few minutes before calling over nearby schoolboys for support.
Suddenly, the man stood up, collected his dog, and casually walked away.
‘It was wild,’ David said. ‘The whole thing was so strange.’
Source: TikTok/oldaveo
After sharing his experience on social media, David’s video received over 400,000 views and hundreds of comments.
Many viewers said they had experienced the same bizarre scenario—usually with the same man.
Some reports dated back to 2003, and several claimed to have encountered him in the same area.
One user even claimed to have seen the man in Princes Park earlier on the same morning David was there.
The online community had even created a social media group dedicated to spotting and warning others about ‘FSG’.
Photos shared in the group showed the man appearing in parks, on trains, and near train stations.
‘FSG’ sightings reported across public locations. Image source: Reddit/Imgoneee
The alleged routine was always the same.
He would fake a seizure in a public area, then urgently direct male bystanders to lie him face down, pin his arms, and sit on him.
Critically, he often insisted that they straddle him.
He would sometimes refuse help from women and end the act within minutes—walking away as if nothing had happened.
Comedian Christian Hull also recalled his own run-in with the man back in 2018.
Source: Youtube/Christian Hull
He had just left an exhibition near Queens Bridge when the man appeared, convulsing on the pavement.
Christian initially tried to offer standard help—rolling him onto his side and placing a jacket under his head.
But the man spoke clearly through the ‘seizure’ and told Christian to pin his arms and sit on him.
‘I was sitting on him like a couch, but then he said, “You need to straddle me … like a horse”.’
Christian complied, but soon felt uncomfortable and considered calling an ambulance.
The man told them not to, claiming he had just ‘escaped from prison’.
Moments later, he bolted—only to be seen attempting the same act 80 metres away.
‘We yelled out to a group not to help him,’ Christian recalled.
He later posted a photo taken by his friend during the incident and was stunned to learn others had identical stories.
Man flees, fakes seizure again metres away. Image source: YouTube/ChristianHull
Heath, a Melbourne dad, said he encountered the man at Melbourne Zoo while with his family.
‘I saw this man collapse onto another man… he said, “I have seizures all the time, can you help me restrain my arms?”’
Heath complied, noting the man’s dogs were oddly calm.
‘He asked me to really pin him down,’ Heath said.
Then, as in other cases, the man got up, hugged Heath, and disappeared.
Later, Heath’s wife told him her cousin had experienced the same thing ten years earlier.
Why does he do it?
Some speculate that he may suffer from mental health challenges.
Others believe it could be a form of sexual gratification—deriving pleasure from being pinned under unsuspecting men.
‘At the time, I didn’t think it was sexual,’ David said. ‘But looking back, having a near 90-kilo man sit on you like that. It makes you wonder.’
Despite multiple reports, few people contact police.
Christian said he never filed a report—‘What can they really do, you know? I sat on a man.’
He did speak to police that night, and claimed they already knew of the man.
David admitted he hadn’t considered reporting the incident until realising the pattern online.
‘I wasn’t traumatised by it, but I understand that it could affect others,’ he said.
Adding to the confusion, people often feel they’ve done the right thing—helping someone in need.
But many now say they would think twice before jumping in.
‘People want to help, it’s human nature,’ David said.
‘But if someone asked me to get on top of them again—there’s no chance.’
It’s not just fake medical emergencies that are catching people off guard—scammers are also targeting vulnerable moments in people’s health journeys.
One recent case reveals how some fraudsters are zeroing in on those managing chronic conditions, using deception to gain trust and personal information.
If you thought the seizure hoax was unsettling, this next scam shows just how far some people will go.
Read more: The alarming way scammers are preying on those with diabetes
Would you still stop to help if someone collapsed in front of you?
