Why should one be careful of soft and sweet words in this neighbourhood?


A little while ago, in a neighbourhood in Tokyo, I came across this sign:

![neighbourhood_sign](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vlkeQ.jpg)

I'm not sure of the readings of the place names, but the sign is put there by
the local police, `戸塚[警察署]{けいさつしょ}`, in association with the local town
council, `下落合東[町会]{ちょうかい}`. The small text on the right side states that this
area is under special focus for the prevention of home robberies,
`侵入{しんにゅう}盗犯{とうはん}防止{ぼうし}重点{じゅうてん}地区{ちく}`. All that makes sense to me.

What I'm wondering about is the main body, which says:

> 甘{あま}い言葉{ことば}と暗{くら}い道{みち}
>
> 気{き}をつけよう！

It's a little weird to me because various dictionaries I've looked at define
`甘{あま}い言葉{ことば}` as "sweet talk, flattery, alluring words" and so on, which,
even if said on a dark street, `暗{くら}い道{みち}`, don't seem to be particularly
threatening.

Is the idea that people will stop you on dark streets and sweet talk you into
letting them into their home so that they can rob you? That's the only way I
can make sense of it all, but, it seems like such an unlikely crime with such
low chances of success, that I feel I'm missing something.

What exactly is this sign warning people about?




I think you're more or less correct about the meaning which I would loosely
translate as

> Be careful of dark alleys and people who are saying things that are too good
> to be true!

While I agree that the actual advice isn't terribly useful, I think the point
of such signs is to keep such things on your mind so you're more aware of your
surroundings in general.

So to answer your question: I don't think you're really missing anything.




I think you're more or less correct about the meaning which I would loosely
translate as

> Be careful of dark alleys and people who are saying things that are too good
> to be true!

While I agree that the actual advice isn't terribly useful, I think the point
of such signs is to keep such things on your mind so you're more aware of your
surroundings in general.

So to answer your question: I don't think you're really missing anything.

