"My car broke down. Can you help me with gas?"

[Doppel]

I almost fell for this one once. I did fall for another one unfortunately (the bus fare trick and I know it was a scam because I saw the same guy later doing it to somebody else). Now when anybody in public speaks to me for any reason whatsoever I am, unfortunately, instinctively trying to figure out in what way they are trying to fvck me. I will not give anybody gas or money or anything for anything. If you want to be charitable you can help them out (e.g. drive them) but if they want money they are lying to you.

 

[halik]

i dont give people money

 

[novasatori]

know a person who gave a homeless person very expensive coat, homeless man threw it in the garbage and said "Why would I take this, no one would give me money if I was wearing it"

said person doesn't give anything to random people anymore

as for my stories I gave a homeless guy money for new bike tire, he was riding around downtown at like 2am on his way to work with a rear flat

 

[KK]

when he asked for money instead of gas, you should of asked him if he had change for a 100.

 

[mattpegher]

You should hear the bs stories I get in the ER from those addicted to narcotics. Actually had to tell a woman the otherday that "I have been an emergency physician for 20 years, do you think I havent heard every excuse in the book" when she told me she actually washed her percocet pills but not her antibiotics.
Way to many con-artist out there. Makes it so you can't trust anyone and those who are truely in need will suffer.

 

[wiredspider]

You should hear the bs stories I get in the ER from those addicted to narcotics. Actually had to tell a woman the otherday that "I have been an emergency physician for 20 years, do you think I havent heard every excuse in the book" when she told me she actually washed her percocet pills but not her antibiotics.
Way to many con-artist out there. Makes it so you can't trust anyone and those who are truely in need will suffer.

you mean she "accidentally" washed them or something?

 

[Pliablemoose]

I literally can't buy gas in downtown LA without being panhandled.

It's irritating as hell.

 

[LTC8K6]

know a person who gave a homeless person very expensive coat, homeless man threw it in the garbage and said "Why would I take this, no one would give me money if I was wearing it"

said person doesn't give anything to random people anymore

as for my stories I gave a homeless guy money for new bike tire, he was riding around downtown at like 2am on his way to work with a rear flat

Homeless person would have pawned the expensive coat for $5.

 

[Kroze]

Jumped away? Hell a pack of cigs for a BJ is considered a bargain in my area!

Taking a girl out to an expensive $300+ dinner doesn't even guarantee a BJ in return.

For a pack of cigarette and you're getting a BJ? that's a bargain.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea ive had someone ask me at a gas station and drive up in a parking lot in a van with stories..getting more frequent it seems.

 

[mattpegher]

you mean she "accidentally" washed them or something?

She claimed to have put the whole bottle in the washing machine. Just the narcotic not the antibiotics. I have only heard that one 100 times.
Have fallen for the stories a few times. And usually give people the benefit of a doubt. But not for the obvious lies. Last one that almost got over on me, wasn't satisfied with 20 percocet so she tried to change the prescription. Most pharmacist can pick these out pretty fast. We had her arrested. Oh and by the way you can get up to 3 years in prison for prescription fraud. Don't try it.

 

[Blitzvogel]

My way of dealing with these situations:

"I'm not giving you any fucking money."

/Walk off

 

[CZroe]

I had no cash and a homeless guy was telling me how hungry he was while I was getting gas. I offered to put a bag of chips or something on my card while getting gas. Instead, he insisted that he needed cash for an All Star breakfast at Denny's and that he wouldn't eat convenience store food. WTF?! Denny's is too rich for me and I'm NOT homeless.

 

[Blitzvogel]

The issue is too many people looking for handouts are not genuinely looking for real help. Even if they are wretched and poor, they typically are just looking to vector you into helping them get either their fix of whatever it may be instead of real help, or they are just actual liars.

This is why I never give money to people begging to me. The few who are actually looking for real help had their chances ruined by all the assholes. I feel bad but at the same time, I don't want to know that my money contributed to someones drug or drinking habit that landed them in their situation in the first place.

 

[halik]

She claimed to have put the whole bottle in the washing machine. Just the narcotic not the antibiotics. I have only heard that one 100 times.
Have fallen for the stories a few times. And usually give people the benefit of a doubt. But not for the obvious lies. Last one that almost got over on me, wasn't satisfied with 20 percocet so she tried to change the prescription. Most pharmacist can pick these out pretty fast. We had her arrested. Oh and by the way you can get up to 3 years in prison for prescription fraud. Don't try it.

I don't understand that at all - I've had leftover percocet from appendectomy for like 5 years (using it as a severe-hangover cure) and I can't fathom how you can get addicted to the "high". Meh, just makes you kinda drowsy and lazy.

 

[thescreensavers]

I had this guy with gold teeth and his Charger on chrome 20s, with kids in the back ask me for money for gas to get his kids home.

I had this guy pace me and wait for me to get out of my car to say his car broke down and he needed a lift, because he was late to work lol

I always get the common, "my wife and family need money for food you have any" they always say godbless and walk away.

Having a G is sometimes annoying since they automatically come up to me lol

 

[vital]

I was at McDonalds eating a Big Mac combo one time and this dude tells me he's hungry and needs money for food so I give him my large fries and he asks me for money. I told him sorry and handed him my fries and the bastard takes it and walks to the other side of the restaurant and throws it away. Lesson learned.

 

[QTPie]

There was a woman holding the gas can at a freeway entrance/exit near my home. A lot of people fell for it; they gave her cash as the gas station was about 200yrds away.
Rainy days were her good days..

One time I pulled over a parking lot near a decently new BMW 5s, a black guy in very nice clothes stepped out, went to his trunk to get some stuff, then got back in his car. As I was sitting in the car waiting for my friend, a few minutes later, the same guy came out in his homeless outfit with a sign "homeless, hungry, please help". I rarely give out money to homeless people ever since.

 

[mattpegher]

I don't understand that at all - I've had leftover percocet from appendectomy for like 5 years (using it as a severe-hangover cure) and I can't fathom how you can get addicted to the "high". Meh, just makes you kinda drowsy and lazy.

I wouldn't really call it a high. Narcotics are more of a sedative, I couldnt tell you how heroine feels, as I don't know. However there is a reported euphoria. To some extent it is more of a desensitization where everything hurts unless you get your drug. The more you use them the less they work.

 

[Kntx]

Can't ride the subway at rush hour without some scumbag ranting about his/her life and their need for some change. Arg.

 

[Schadenfreude]

So what do hobos do with the money that they get? Obviously they'd be hungry or thirsty or whatever, why not at least take the food?

As far as my "hobo" story goes; we were in downtown Chicago one time and there's this girl in her 20's that BAWLING her eyes out - obviously she's not homeless as she's got clean clothes on and was dressed for the weather (it was during winter), and is in good mental faculties (outside of bawling); we ask her what's going on and she's saying that she had her wallet stolen and there's no way for her to get home in Iowa, I think (or was it Indiana? Regardless: ) - we pool what money we had and give it to her - enough to get her home.

Normally I don't give a damn dime to people asking for money but it looked like she was in real trouble; she knew how much she needed and she stopped freaking out as soon as we gave her the $$$.

She either pulled a wool over our eyes (if that was the case she was DAMN impressive with her acting, she should be winning the HOBO Awards of America for best performance) or she was really in trouble and we helped her.

 

[FelixDeCat]

There was a woman holding the gas can at a freeway entrance/exit near my home. A lot of people fell for it; they gave her cash as the gas station was about 200yrds away.
Rainy days were her good days..

.

You have to have no shame to do that.

 

[BUTCH1]

You should hear the bs stories I get in the ER from those addicted to narcotics. Actually had to tell a woman the otherday that "I have been an emergency physician for 20 years, do you think I havent heard every excuse in the book" when she told me she actually washed her percocet pills but not her antibiotics.
Way to many con-artist out there. Makes it so you can't trust anyone and those who are truely in need will suffer.

She actually thought you would believe she washed her prec's in the laundry and were going to write her another script? that's so LOL...

 

[dualsmp]

I've encountered the same BS story (holding a gas can, car a few miles away). I ended up giving him 4 quarters which at the time would have given him more than 1/2 gallon, and he gave me a go to hell look. I'm sure he couldn't even count change, let alone had the ability to operate a car to begin with.

 

[Bignate603]

I've actually eaten dinner with a bum once. A guy came into a laundry-mat I was in when I was going to school and tried selling everyone some stuff he found, random things like a jacket, a tea kettle, and some other stuff. Nobody wanted it so he quietly went and sat in the corner to warm up, it was nasty outside and pretty cold. As I was leaving I stopped and asked if he was hungry and wanted to have dinner across the street at burger king with me. It took a bit to convince him I was serious and he agreed. After dropping my stuff off at the car we walked across the street. As we were ordering he tried to get something really small and kept looking at me as he asked to make sure I was ok with what he asked for. I had to practically force the guy to admit that he was really hungry and order a bigger meal. He must have been starving too, that double whopper disappeared amazingly fast.

He gave me his story while we were eating. I guess he lost his job and was trying to drive to a place he heard he could get one a few states over. Something went wrong with the car's cooling system so it started over heating, it could only drive a few minutes at a time before it was in the red. He was able to limp into town so he had just been camping out in his car, moving it enough to keep the police from getting on his case, and trying to sell off some of his possessions that he had with him to get enough money to have a mechanic look at his car.

He never asked me for any money or anything, I think he was embarrassed enough that it had gotten so bad that a stranger was buying him food. The only thing he asked was if there was a place he could go to get some help. I gave him some directions to a salvation army facility (it was actually really close, but on a side street so he wouldn't have easily found it) and he said he'd head over the next day. He seemed genuinely happy when we said goodbye. I've never seen him since then (as opposed to the bums I would see over and over again in that area) so I assume he got the help he needed.

Since then I've only given food to bums, few take it but the ones that do seem very grateful. It seems to be a good way of weeding out the truly needy from the people that are just trying to make a quick buck.