i just need gas i just need food for my kids...

TA east Ontario, Ca. Guy stops me while I was walking back to the truck. Immigrant from some African country. Came to America a couple of years back. Been working hard since then. He was working to pay for his daughter to come to America and go to medical school. Just needed a few bucks to get gas to get to the airport to pick her up.

"Wait, you're going to put your daughter through medical school and you can't even afford to put gas in your car?"

Scams are a dime a dozen. Gas, food, whatever. I don't even listen anymore.

 

LMAO LMAO (Need 10 characters)

 

My standard answer is to offer them what ever they're asking for, I don't give out $$.

I have some little smokie-type sausages in small bags in my refrigerator that I hand out if someone asks for food- about half don't take it.

If they ask for gas, I simply say "pull your car up to the pumps, I'll fill it". In 10 years only 3 people have. (one was a Ford F250 that held $75. You have a $50,000 pickup and you can't afford gas???). I usually saunter up to the pumps and wait around five or ten minutes and figure out they didn't get the money they wanted and looked for another mark.

My worst spot is the Kangaroo T/S in Dunn, NC. If I'm there for a Sunday afternoon/night, waiting for a Mon. del at Food Lion, I'll usually get 3 or 4 "homeless" types making the rounds.

 

At one time we was haveing a really tuff time and I had just enough money or so I thought to get my babys milk and some baby food that was on sale but I had miss understood the sale sign and got to much when the cashier told me how much it was I told her I was sorry that I just did not have enough money and told her just to put some of the babys food back. Well the lady behind me said no wait how much more do you need I said about $3.00 and she said here and gave me a $50.00 which in turn just made me break down and cry. My husband and I both had lost our jobs and were just lost. The lady gave me a kleenex and asked me what kind of work my husband does and when I told her he does construction she took out her husbands card and told me to tell him to call him. He gave my husband a job makeing more than what he was makeing before he was laid off. This was about 3 years ago and we still keep in touch with our earthly angels even though we have moved back to NC.
I agree with Nana you can tell the difference in just a bum and one really in need. I have on several occasions bought a meal or a few dollars in gas for someone. If it is someone that I can tell is just a bum I just tell them I do not have any cash which 9 times out of 10 is the truth.

 

I always keep a ziplock bag filled with about five bucks of spare change in the truck. When someone asks for a few dollars to feed their kids I just tell them I'm sorry but it's all I can spare and offer it to them.

It's surprising how often someone will come up to the truck telling me all about their starving children and then refuse the baggie of change like it's too much trouble to mess with. Makes it a lot easier to tell who really is an ordinary person who is just in a tight spot... they usually act embarrassed and grateful at the same time. If they really seem grateful to get the baggie of change they usually get an additional $10 or so.

I imagine I get hustled once in a while but I would rather get taken occasionally than risk not helping someone who really needs it when I have it within my power.

 

I guess you followed your gut and it turned out all for the best in the end. For your act of humanity, you will get into heaven before I do. In fact, I will probably need a referral from several people to get in while keeping my fingers crossed.

I sometimes do have the fifty dollars you were given but I don't have connections to a construction company for a job. So, I would only be able to help one out of the two ways you were helped.

So, if I really felt in my heart of hearts that this person was not a scammer, then, yea ... I could and would help.

But everyone I have met HAS BEEN a scammer.

 

I won't ever give cash to someone. I do however offer to pay for a meal, so far, I have always been refused.
Coming from a military family, I know what it is like, and so when I have a few spare bucks, I will pay for their meal and thabk them for their service. They're easy to spot, the older gentleman with the Vietnam vet hat, or a Marine Corp tattoo. It's sad in a way, because the Vietnam war ended just before I was born, and most of those men tell me that NO ONE HAS EVER THANKED THEM.

 

Stand clear of the Wal-Mart Winsloa,Az. The Native Americans aka Indians come up to you all the time wanting money. Most of them are man and have spent their monthly check on beer,wine and whiskey. I just don't stop there now. Kingman and Gallup don't have none of the problems.

 

that reminds me ... in the same light at the Winslow, AZ Wal-Mart incident ...

outside of the CVS Drugstore in Montgomery Village, MD.
Black female, 5 feet, six inches about twenty five years old. 130 pounds.
23:30 Hours September 28, 2010

I don't mean to startle you.

Huh?

I live just over there. (She was pointing to the Heron's Cove apartment complex).

Ummm. My boyfriend just beat me up. I took my daughter to my sister's. I made a police report.

So, what do you want? Cab fare?

No, I want bus fare to get to the Montgomery County Crisis Center.

She had no marks on her. Was not crying or seemed the least bit upset. Was as calm as a used car salesman trying to close a deal. Why didn't the police or her sister take her to the Montgomery County Crisis Center? So, I used my gut feeling.

Ummm, NO.

She twirled around on her heels and left. As she did this I looked at my watch and she said, "The buses are still running". Well, I was not looking at my watch for that reason. I was trying to find out what time it was when I called in the report of this incident.

I called the non emergency number for the Montgomery County Police.

Seems mighty strange, if she said that she lived over at Heron's Cove apartments, that she took off on foot at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction. She saw me making the phone call, so I hope that it will make her think twice to pull off another scam.