Well to be accurate gobear both the Nigerian scam and the pigeon drop play off of people desires to get something for nothing, the mark is an active participant in his fleecing. In my opinion a good thing. Same thing with three card monty. Giving money to someone on the street, whether because of the sob story, or out of some perceived guilt is not the same in my book.
There’s a big difference between giving someone some three bucks on the street because they “just need some money to get a bus ticket back home,” and being swindled out of one’s life savings. Getting caught in a pyrimid scheme, for example, is not something to be proud of. But giving a fellow human being some chump change out of your pocket is. Sure, there’s the possibility they’re going to spend it on booze or crank, but just perhaps they really do buy themselves some fried chicken and manage to stave off hunger for another day.
Comparing seeing past someone’s lies on the street because they need a few bucks and still being charitable and being swindled on a grand scale are two completely separate things.
My husband and I were approached by a guy with an adorable baby that needed train fare in DC. We both knew it was a scam, but gave him a couple bucks anyway. What the fuck…I always give to those in need, and I mostly don’t care what they need it for. I give money to drunks, even though I know they’re going to use it to get drunk again. Not that this guy was drunk.
**Stuffy]/b], good point, and I accpet your correction.
El Elvis Rojo and Echokitty, it’s not the amount, but the principle that I object to. While, of course, it is your right to do with your money as you see fit, I fail to see what is so virtuous about giving money to conmen.
See, the point is, you aren’t giving money to people in real need; you’re giving your money to professional liars, cheteras, tricksters. In fact, by giving money to con men, you’re actually keepiing money from people in real need.
If you really want to help, don’t give money to beggars in the street. They don’t really need your cash because the vast majority are conning you. Take the money you would have given and donate it to a homeless shelter or a church poor box.
If you absolutely must give to a street beggar, give food, not money. See what happens.
and, if you prefer to give it to people begging on the street (for what ever reason is sufficient to you), it is, of course your money and your choice.
Linus Van Pelt, if you’re in Peoria, you’re not far from where it happened: in the strip mall to the west of Metro Center where Sports Authority and CompUSA are.
Being in Phoenix, I do get kind of inured to beggars. They’re at almost every off-ramp from the freeways. I deliberately avoid the left-most lanes to keep away from them.
For a large sum of money, I would have done some research. Asked some questions, gotten answers. Something like the Nigerian scam or what have you - yeah. Not going into that one half-cocked (or at all!) But that IS how such people make their money - if all anyone loses is a small amount, no one complains much.
Oddly, though - it DOES take about $25 in gas to get from here to Winslow. (Shoulda asked for a driver’s license…)
I don’t like these street con-artists.
Firstly they are taking money that should go to more deserving causes.
Secondly, they engender distrust amongst decent hard-working people.
I watched a program on lifeboatmen once.
Here in the UK, the guys who go out to rescue boats (in trouble off the coastline) are funded by voluntary contributions.
So they were interviewing a crewman who had been awarded a gallantry medal.
They showed TV pictures of the night he and his crew saved 6 lives.
The waves were 30 foot high.
The interviewer said “How can you go out in those conditions?”
The hero replied “We always go out if someone needs us.”
That’s where my charity money goes.
I always keep McDonald’s gift certificates in the car, so I can give to those who claim they’re hungry and feel fairly confident my gift will buy food and not booze or crack.
I’ve been hit with the “I’m out of gas” story too, by a fairly well-dressed young man, but when I offered to take him to the gas station and fill up a gas can for him, he quickly retreated.
That’s sort of my solution to these entreaties: if there’s a way to give them what they claim they need the money for, instead of the money itself, then I offer to do that.
Of all the times I’ve offered, I’ve only been taken up on the gas thing once… I was approached at a gas station by a guy claiming he needed $8.00 in gas to make it home. I offered to fill his tank, and he agreed! He also insisted on taking my name and mailing me the $8; I told him to drop it in a poor box at church or give it to a Jerry’s Kids’ 7-Eleven collection.
And I bet he did, though of course I’ll never know…
- Rick
Eh, I’d have just spent it on riotous living. 
Was this in Oakland? When I worked at Pitt I parked on top of Cardiac Hill (near the projects) and was hit by this scam a few times (of course this was almost 10 years ago). I offered him a ride to the gas station which he declined. We may have been scammed by the same guy!
Um, do you people realize that, sometimes, beggars on the street actually DO need the money? I’ve hung out with some of these people, worked at food kitchens and given some of them rides to shelters, and you know what? Not all of them climb into their BMWs at the end of the day and head back to their mansions. Many times, the end up in a one bedroom apartment or efficiency with a crowd of other people, or end up in a squat until the cops show up and confiscate all their shit and throw them out. You want to believe that every person asking for money has a better life waiting for them when they “go home,” that’s cool. But next time you have a day off, why not hang out with one of them, see how they live their lives, and then come back and tell me a dollar from my wallet is throwing my money away.
Sorry, Elvis, but you have nothing to teach me about poverty because I’ve been there and back. Sure, there’s poor people with good hearts and honest intentions: but they are working at minimum wage jobs, not scamming people.
Are you telling me that you believe every hard luck story somebody pitches you? Do you honestly believe that guys on the freeway really will work for food? I find it very hard to believe you’ve spent any time on the street because your posts reflect an incredible naivete about life.
I spent some nights sleeping outside and living rough, and part of my cynicism about life comes from my experiences. I’ve missed meals, been penniless, and never, NEVER begged a day in my life. I’ve had to scramble to survive, and if I’m doing well now, it’s because I worked.
Do with your money what you will, just don’t fool yourself about people or their motivations.
anyway, I don’t want to argue. I’m just saying that falling for scams doesn’t actually aid people who need a helping hand. You just help hustlers keep on hustling.
It’s your choice.
I’ve never personally assumed that someone asking me for money was going to get into a BMW at the end of the day, but rather spend the money on cheap booze, or worse.
My days in and around NYC helped me become cynical of someone asking for money. I’ve given spare change to people in the past, only to find those same people later passed out in puddles of their own vomit.
It’d be nice to believe that in offering some spare change you were actually helping someone, and if you did it often enough you just might. Unfortunately most people that need to resort to asking for money to survive, arrived at that point largely due to an addiction of some form.
Around here (Eastern Washington), some of the panhandlers haven’t struck upon the lying part yet. I’ve been straight up asked for money so they could buy methamphetamines.
The city of Spokane was (and probably still is) supporting a program called “Keep the Change”, suggesting that if you wanted to help the homeless and poor, donate to a shelter or one of the many organizations set up to help the less fortunate, rather than giving to a panhandler. The meth problem was getting really bad and handouts were only helping addicts purchase more, thus supporting the development of more basement meth labs endangering neighborhoods, etc.
Yes I know there are genuine cases on the street.
But you know there are also scam-artists.
So why not give your money to shelters, so that people really in need get food and a place to sleep.
Of course, as has been said, it’s your money to spend how you want.
But I’m sendng mine directly to charities (and lifeboats).
Yes I know there are genuine cases on the street.
But you know there are also scam-artists.
So why not give your money to shelters, so that people really in need get food and a place to sleep.
Of course, as has been said, it’s your money to spend how you want.
But I’m sendng mine directly to charities (and lifeboats).
Another fertile place for this type of scam is Newark Penn Station. I have been approached many times while I’ve been waiting for a train. They always say that they need money for a ticket to get home. I usually suggest that they go speak to a conductor and see if they can work something out. Funny, they never seem to do it.
They also play the race game, but usually in a different way. They always call me “sister” and ask if I’ll help a “sister” or “brother.” Ummm, yeah. I may be a typical well-meaning liberal white girl from the suburbs, but I’m not gonna fall for that line of bullshit.
I got scammed once by a similar story.
I’ve thought a lot about this, and I think my approach next time would be to say “Look, the police are all about public safety and I know they are the best people to help you. I’ve got a cell phone in my car and I’ll call them for you. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
If they’re seriously in need, then the police ought to be able to tell them what social service agency to approach for help and might be able to give them a ride to where they have to go. And help them fill out a police report for the person who stole from them or threatened them or whatever the story is. I mean, if I were stuck in a strange town, I’d go to the police station for help. If they are scam artists, they can panic and flee and stop bugging people. Either way, problem solved.
I usually get the worse of both worlds.
I either give them the money, and then feel guilty because I am probably helping some drunk kill himself, or some scam artist steal from the deserving poor.
Or I don’t give them the money, and then feel guilty for not doing what Jesus tells me.
As far as I can tell, you did the right thing even if she was a ripoff artist (and I would bet more than $3 she was). You get the blessings even if she was lying - that’s how it works.
Regards,
Shodan
A year or so ago, as I was stopped at a red light, a guy came to my window and blurted out a story about he ran out of gas, and his wife and kid were in the car, and it’s 20 miles to home, and he’s tried calling all his friends, and blah blah blah (I’ve noticed they always give lots of details, which is generally a sign of a lie prepared in advance).
I happened to have a gas can behind my seat, nearly full of gas. I offered it to him, but he refused it, and asked for money instead. Since then, I very rarely give money to beggars.
Agreed about the too many details. Had a guy come up to me the other day with a line similar to “hey mate, I’m from Manchester (as you can probably tell by my accent), and my dad has a lymphatic splenectomy of the upper colon and I need to get home (just near Piccadilly) by 7.25 tonight or my mother, Pearl, will not be able to fry the eggs that feed the cat that sits on my dad to warm him so he can sleep. Spare some change?”
I politely declined.