I could kick myself. A young woman politely stopped me in food store parking lot, needing money

[phylny]

She said her husband and kids were in the car, they spent all their money and WIC money buying food for the kids, and her husband didn't have enough gas in the car to get to work. I had JUST bought a money order for my daughter (she needs it for a credit check for her new apartment) and had very little cash on me. I told her to wait a moment, went to my car, took the four dollars or so out of my wallet and grabbed a half-filled change jar. I walked back to her and gave everything to her, saying, "I'm sorry, this is all I have on me." She was crying and hugged and thanked me.

It wasn't until they pulled away that I thought, "Why the HELL didn't you tell them to follow you to the gas station on the corner?" I could have filled their entire tank for them as well as giving them the few bucks I had on me.

It's been bothering me for an hour. I just didn't think fast enough on my feet.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. You did more than most people would.

Don't beat yourself up over it.

[AverageJoe90]

2. It's okay. You still gave her *something*, right?

It's the thought that counts, IMHO. I hope she & her family are doing alright out there.....as okay as they could be in this situation, anyhow.

[upaloopa]

3. I think it is great that you didn't question

Whether helping her was the right thing to do.

[Warpy]

4. Actually, you did a better thing

Some of these people are scammers and if she was, you shamed her.

If she wasn't, you gave her enough money to use toward something she needed and didn't infantilize her by restricting your donation to gas, only. You gave her enough for a gallon of gas and a little extra so she and her husband can split a sub.

[phylny]

6. That's a great perspectrive.

Thanks, Warpy

[Jgarrick]

21. The likelihood of such people being scam artists is why I never give to them.

I've been approached a few times by people with similar stories. While it's possible they were telling the truth, I think it more probable that they just went on to find other people to rip off.

[ohheckyeah]

25. If they are scammers....

that's on their head. If I can help and don't, that's on me.

[1StrongBlackMan]

28. +1,000 ...

Last edited Thu Apr 10, 2014, 07:16 PM - Edit history (1)

If my choice is to give, it's not based on their need, it's based on my ability and willingness to give ... what do I care if what I give goes toward food, a cup of coffee, a beer or a joint?

[Jackpine Radical]

51. I absolutely agree.

[aggiesal]

61. My dad taught me that lesson long ago ...

Once you turn your money over to them,
it's theirs and they can spend it any way they want.

It's no longer your business to worry or care what they do with it.
That should happen before you give your money.

[GoneFishin]

70. An excellent thought. Helpful too.

[wryter2000]

52. Thank you

I've had people tell me "Those people on street corners make good money begging." Really? Standing out there in dirty clothes, missing teeth? I wouldn't do that for a living.

[JoeyT]

57. +1 n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

64. Yep, totally agree...

If they are scamming, it is not my fault. If I don't honestly try to help someone who says they need it, it is my fault.

[Aristus]

67. That's the way I've always approached it.

I say to myself:

"If I give them something, and they are scammers, and not in genuine need, I'm out a few bucks. Someday, that scammer will stand before God and God will say: 'Why did you cheat that man out of some money you didn't need?'

However, if I don't give the person some money, and it turns out they were in genuine need, then I'll be the one standing before God, who will ask: 'That person was in need, and you didn't help. Why?' "

[Arugula Latte]

26. I assume most people who approach me with a bus/gas money scenario are "scammers" -- however

I usually still give them a buck or two or three if I have it because I figure if they're resorting to hitting up strangers for money, "legit" or not, something has gone wrong in their life and they could definitely use it.

[LanternWaste]

27. I tend to give, regardless of the number of scams in the world.

I tend to give, regardless of the number of scams in the world. I'm guessing that at the end of my days, the question "did I do enough good" will easily over-ride the question "did I get scammed too many times?"

[Warpy]

47. Me too. I even give to the honest ones who want a bottle, they probably need that bottle

because DTs are nothing to play with.

[Demobrat]

32. I've been approached by the same people with the same story over and over.

There are plenty of scam artists out there. On the other hand, I've had people ask me to buy them food - a burrito or a pizza slice. I always do, and add a can of soda and a cookie. If somebody asks me for food I cannot walk away. Money for gas is a different story. Usually there isn't even a car in evidence.

[sendero]

37. You have to pay close attention..

... I was scammed by a young man once out of $40 with a similar sob story. My failure was also to not think on my feet, I could have asked him for a bit of evidence to corroborate his his story but I went on emotion, which is of course what they are playing on.

Once my wife and I had walked another block or so, we both looked at each other and knew we'd been had.

Now, I restrict my ad-hoc donations to people who are obviously homeless, its not that hard to tell.

[blueamy66]

60. You should feel good that you gave...nothing else should matter.

nt

[arcane1]

29. How was she shamed if she was a scammer?

She got exactly what she was scamming for, if that were the case.

[sendero]

38. She might not..

... FEEL shame, but there is definitely shame on her.

[Warpy]

46. Because she took the last few dollars from a real poor person.

I doubt she was a scammer inthis case, but if she was....

[arcane1]

48. Ahh, go it! That makes sense.

I'll have to remember that next time, just in case I think I'm being scammed

[Stargazer99]

5. Please don't feel bad-at least you cared

which is what is missing in this country

[flyingfysh]

7. at a gas station a few years back

When the price of gas had spiked, I was filling my tank, and a boy walked over to me asking for help filling his dad's truck. So I went and filled his tank, no questions asked. They clearly needed the money.

At a Laundromat I saw a obviously poor immigrant lady with small kids who didn't have enough to start her wash load. So I went over and inserted my Laundromat card to take care of it.

There are too many people who are this poor, this country is too wealthy to allow this situation to exist. Raising the minimum wage would be a good first step.

[packman]

8. Good move

however; here in the Florida Panhandle it seems we have a group of con artists that roam the gas stations and approach people as they fill their tanks with much the same story. A young women did the same thing to me and as I reached into my car, another customer confronted her at being at another station doing same act with same story and he had given her money. When called out, she cursed at him -telling him to mind his own business - and got into a car parked outside the deli-gas station.
I am turning into quite a cynical person what with phone calls from police organizations selling jellies, internet scams, and just daily crap. Hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

[notadmblnd]

9. Don't feel bad, you did more than most would have.

nt

[hollysmom]

20. I ran out of gas by accident, called triple A but they never came

My gas gauge had broken, but I did have cash and ended up pay 50 dollars for a gallon of gas to get to the next gas station. Pfft.
It happens, not often.

[closeupready]

11. You did the right thing, in either case.

You cared.

[applegrove]

12. You helped. You done good. If there is a next time you'll remember to do it.

[pinboy3niner]

13. Don't feel bad

A couple of guys once hit me up for change. I didn't have much, but I gave it to them.

It was only later that I thought about their calling me "Brother." And realized I had a VN vet T-shirt on...I could have gotten them more money at a nearby bank.

[Divernan]

35. NEVER take a stranger to a cash machine with you.

I'm a pretty good-hearted person, and do give money to people who ask me for some change or a few bucks, but only when I can do so without putting myself in physical danger, i.e, in daylight, in public, other people around, etc.

[elleng]

14. Most of us wouldn't have thought of EVERYTHING we might have done;

that's human nature.

Thanks that you did help her.

[Nye Bevan]

15. Yep. Scam.

"Mister, can you help me? Me and my husband ran out of gas, and we've no money to buy any — we spent what little we had on formula for the baby. If you could spare a twenty, we could get her home 'cause it's getting awfully cold out." Her voice drops a bit. "It's just a loan I'm asking for, mister. I'll mail it right back to you, soon as I get my paycheck this Friday." At this point you see an equally scroungy-looking young man standing by the van clutching a blanket-swaddled bundle you assume is the couple's infant.

Your kind heart says to give this young woman the twenty dollars she asks for. But your common sense says otherwise. So which do you listen to?

If you're like a great many folks, you fork over the twenty . . . only to later discover you've been had. The "stranded baby-toting couple at the gas station" is but one of the many successful "distressed stranger" scams common to the urban experience.

These swindles are a fact of modern life, and it is only a matter of time before you encounter one being run on you. Our desire to believe what we've been told coupled with our urge to perform occasional good deeds leaves us vulnerable to such cons. We take folks at face value, which sets us up as pigeons to be taken advantage of.

Read more at http://www.snopes.com/fraud/distress/stranded.asp#T7yTWczmmeb8pP3S.99

By all means I would pump them some gas and pay for it myself. But I'm not handing over any cash.

[Whisp]

22. I don't believe a lot of those 'swindler' stories either.

These stories tend to make people less likely to give, and that is always bad.

The swindlers are the ones on Wall Street and Koch Street and Billionaire Street. Liar Street, War sTreet or all those other streets paved with our misery and suffering, not someone you meet in a parking lot who asks for twenty bucks. Why should I judge what they spend it on or how they decide to tell their stories?

I am unable to mind read and judge people's motives so once that money leaves my hands, it is not mine any more and it is not my business what is done with it and the last thing I do is wonder whether I got 'scammed' or not.

I've heard people say 'well, ALL charities are SCAMS, ya know!' and I know why they say it because they feel guilty that they don't give a penny to anyone but their own selves. 'Charity begins in the Home' is a favourite of theirs to relieve themselves of any responsibilities and caring for 'strangers'.

It's easier to not give if 'everyone is out to scam you'. People get so sick and helpless of the Big Scammers they can do shit about so they take out the anger on easy targets.

[Glassunion]

16. You did a good thing and you're kicking yourself for not doing a gooder thing.

We all have those moments. I have charity regrets myself.

You did the right thing with what you could think of at the moment. Don't live in hindsight. If you feel you made a mistake, then learn from it, instead of harping on it.

[hollysmom]

19. Having worked in NYC for so many years, there were people with well rehearsed scams,

it has made me less charitable. Living in the suburbs, though I don't see many homeless. I wonder where they go, probably to cities that might have facilities, there are certainly none here.
Good for you. I just donate to the food bank and the family service and leave it at that.

[arcane1]

43. Living in San Francisco for a decade has done that to me too.

[NaturalHigh]

23. You did a very good thing, more than most people would have.

You have nothing to be ashamed of.

[DesMoinesDem]

24. How to Spot the "no gas" Travel Scam

Instructions

1

Beware if you're approached by someone who seems to be in distress either on the side of the road or in a public place.
2

Listen to the scammer's story. Scammers who claim to not have gas often convince strangers of their need to immediately visit a location. Stories of relatives in hospitals, emergencies and recent trauma (like muggings) are common.
3

Examine any props that the scammer may have with her. A scammer may have an accomplice or a bundle that looks like a baby or, in some instances, a real baby and claim to have used the last of her cash on formula or other necessities. Scammers can be dressed in black if they claim to be on their way to a funeral. They may also make reference to a religious affiliation.
4

Assess the validity of the claims. If you're approached at a place where pay phones exist, know that if he really needed gas money, he could probably call a friend or family member to help him. Realize that if a recent trauma occurred, he would likely want to call the police before asking for money. Know that the stories are carefully designed to encourage sympathy and get cash out of a stranger.
5

Refuse the scammer's request for cash. If you feel the need to offer help, try offering a service instead of money, such as calling the police to handle the emergency, trauma or the baby's needs. The scammers will likely not want contact with the police and will immediately decline or claim to have already called. Remember that if the police have been called, then help is already on the way.

Tips & Warnings

Some people who are targeted for this scam offer to take the scammer to a gas station and pay for the gas themselves. This usually results in the scammer declining the offer. However, if the scammer accepts, you should not get into a vehicle with him, as he may try to rob you.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2273806_spot-no-gas-travel-scam.html

[lunasun]

63. She said her husband and kids were in the car, they spent all their money and WIC money buying food

and her husband didn't have enough gas in the car to get to work. Lady got everything but the funeral line in....a cute dog that needs food is sometimes abused and used as a prop. being white and polite gets you turf in more affluent parts of town

I travel in my work and have heard these lines too often....gas station and malls are their work places and some will appear across town and be seen again in distress asking me for help.
The ones in need of a fix right away sometimes work stop lights or highway exits with a gas can and can be aggressive. I will be working a shelter for homeless this weekend . Unfortunately it will include many families with children, There are many working poor who live day to day money wise

I am not against helping families in need but the gas routine is so old, overused and usually false.
$ ends up in a drug dealer's pocket more likely than helping a kid or puppy.

Yes, someone could buy too much and at the same time run out of gas just before work I know., and need fellow man's help............it sucks that I may have given the hand to someone truly in need.....and also sucks if scamming is the only job available to someone!

[SamKnause]

30. You responded perfectly.

Maybe another caring person like you will fill up their tank.

The first time I gave food to a homeless couple with children, it dawned on me they would have no way to cook many of the items I gave them.

[MineralMan]

31. Could have been a scam or it could be legitimate.

I try to make some sort of judgment in such cases and make a decision.

One time, I had stopped in at a Taco Bell. A guy was digging in their dumpster. There was a car nearby with a woman in it. My judgment was that someone was trying to eat, so I went over and asked the man if I could give him money to go into the store and buy some food. He said thank you, so I gave him $10.

The evidence indicated that there was a real need. I got in my car, and saw the man going into the Taco Bell.

The gas money request is a little more suspicious to me, but I'd make a decision based on the person who was asking. If I thought it sounded true, I'd try to help. If the car was there, I'd ask them to drive over to the pump, where I'd put some fuel in their tank for them. If not, I'd have to rely on my intuition.

I often don't actually have any cash on me, these days. I pay for everything with a debit card, so cash tends to stay in my wallet for a long time. Then, once I spend it, I often don't bother to get more.

[Hoyt]

41. That's how I do too. Once, a guy came to my office on Christmas eve saying he had lost everything,

and his family would not have anything for Christmas. I gave him $20, figuring it was likely a scam, but it was also Christmas eve.

A few years later, I was working in a town about 150 miles away. I swear, the same guy walked in and hit up our receptionist with a similar story. I asked him to leave. It wasn't Christmas.

[wercal]

33. I'm too cynical

My truck's fuel pump went out at a gas station once, so I changed it out in the parking lot...spending a few hours lying under the truck and listening to the world around me.

At least two sets of scammers hit this station. And the stories changed...one minute they had to get home (they had been at a funeral)...then the next person would be told a completely different tale about needing to get to work...etc. etc.

The first group left when the employees came out and asked them to leave...and another set showed up a half hour later....with even more stories.

And of course I've been approached many times - usually the 'stranded coming back from a funeral' story.

Anyway, I'm very cynical about these stories.

[Douglas Carpenter]

36. if the price for helping others is occasionally being taken for a ride - for me it is a price worth

paying

[sendero]

40. Yes..

.... you have to make a snap judgment, and sometimes you will be wrong. I'm not going to let the scammers keep me from helping out someone that really needs it.

That's like being a Republican who is against any and all welfare/disability because there are a small percentage of people abusing it. It's the human condition, no person is perfect and neither is any group of people.

[Whisp]

53. best answer.

[Zorra]

58. Not me. Professional scammers are lying sociopaths who are expert at recognizing and preying

upon nice, kind, good hearted people. Scammers are easily trapped in their lies, and the only thing scammers ever get from me is shot down and schooled.

Since I have something, and they want something, that gives me the power to immediately and confidently assert control of the situation. I become the player, and the scammer loses all control and power, and becomes the mark. It's totally unnecessary to ever get taken for a ride by a scammer.

There's a lot of nice, kind people, who are not very world wise out there who are always willing to help people in need, and scammers all too often play these nice people, and burn them, and turn them into cynics who are no longer willing to help people.

So fuck scammers, all of them. I'll play them and humiliate them whenever I get the opportunity; there's nothing a slimy sociopath hates worse than having their ego smashed by being totally made a fool of at their own game by someone they marked.

I'll always help people who honestly need and are seeking help. Even if a drunk tells me he's a drunk and needs a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 and a ham sandwich "to get back right with the world", I have no problem buying him a bottle and some food.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Been in that boat before. Took a young man grocery shopping, and tried to connect

him with some churches that might help him. (It was a Sunday, nothing else available.)

But I always felt bad about how temporary our assistance was, and have wondered how he and his mother have fared since then.

[Rex]

42. Don't beat yourself up over it, most people would have said they couldn't help

and drove off. They have gas money and food, maybe not a lot of gas money...but what you gave them got them home to see another day.

You did good.

[woodsprite]

44. I came out of the docs office last weekend, got in my car and

some guy came up and knocked on my window. Scared the crap out of me because I wasn't paying attention. I was sitting right in front of the docs office trying to figure out where the closest pharmacy was that took my prescription card. I said a little prayer as I reached into my pocket. My daughter had given me a $50 to pay a bill for her, which I didn't really want to part with. I didn't want to pull it out to go scrounging through the money in my pocket. I had some other smaller bills (a $5 and a $1). That's what I gave him. He had said he was cold and wet and just wanted to duck in someplace to warm up and call his brother to come get him. He thanked me and walked on. After my loop around the parking lot out the exit, I saw him going into a bar. I figured it was only $6 to me, but it may buy him something, he was out of the rain, and if he wanted to call for a ride, he could.

I've since made up about 4 bags to keep inside the car with some other things plus a $5 bill and a $10 card to the local grocery store. It also has a pack of tissues, a couple granola bars, tuna/crackers or pb/crackers or cheese/crackers, a small bottle or two of water, small pack of band aids, lip balm, a few packs of wet ones. I figure each bag cost me about $20-$25 to make up. I could do better if I bought in bulk, but I just got the things from the dollar store to see if people could/would actually use them. I guess it's good to say that I haven't seen anyone since last weekend that I needed to give one to. Just something to keep in my car that if someone knocks again, I can be ready with something to hand them. Of course, if my family got stuck in the car some place, they'd come in handy as well. Not a bad idea.

[phylny]

62. What a great idea! n/t

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

49. It reads like scam.

And the story is typical of scammers.Food store parking lots is just where scammers operate and many of those stores also have gas pumps. When you toss the coin up and give them something, you must also be alert to your surroundings . Scamers are predators.A situation such as you described can turn ugly fast.

The car also allows them to change shopping parking lot areas or localities to operate in, in some cases it is a full time occupation. As is drugs and alcohol abuse. So it was the store or work, the store where pan handling can be easy pick'ens. I have heard that same story 1000 or more times at least. The other one is the baby needs diapers & formula and now he is going to
miss a job interview because there is not enough gas to get there or back and his unemployment ran out and the rent is soon due. It goes on and on. On and on in those parking lots that are big and full of patrons coming and going .My work takes me all over the city and I see the same sham time and time again. Sometimes faces I saw in a different part of town across town, same story,same act. They like food store parking lots better than shopping mall parking lots because security at shopping mall parking lots is far better than food store parking lots. Less or no security means little to no chance of being run off.

At food stores it is the shift managers responsibility to run them off. And if there is or has been a run on problem with panhandling at your local, the shift managers at the food stores are obligated to tell you about that problem should you confront them about it, because if you are robbed in their parking lot,that becomes a matter for corporate security at the district management level. The scamers operate in time allotments because they know sooner or later somebody will alert store management.The automobile is the quick escape. They like to pick as a matter of preference shoppers leaving the store rather entering by way of the parking lot. They move in between cars from row to row in the approach-it can look like the shortest distance between two points, but the parked cars offer camouflage ,like a buffer zone between the pan handler and the security cameras. But if foot traffic is slow going,they will panhandle coming and going .Many shopping mall parking lots now also have mobile security units on patrol in the parking lots, that is part of reason why food store parking lots offer a better chance at the gain.

In some food stores pictures of chronic repeat panhandlers that have been run off many times and also run off at other food stores owned by the same food store chain are posted in the managers office. Many in those pictures have lengthy rap sheets -petty theft, disorderly ,and public nuisance type charges, dui's, drunk and disorderly, drug possession and so fourth.

Some of the pan handlers carry empty gas containers at gas station food marts to lend some validity to the scam.Also if a city ordnance is in place prohibiting pan handling, that may be a way around the ordnance-the gas container.

We donate to food banks and charitable organizations that assist such people in need .It good for them and it's good for you. and when we drive by local food banks from time to time and see the lines, we know we have done something good and continue to do so.Because the truth is there for you to see.

You see in the worst case scenario a free tank of gas and what little cash and change you have on hand could later lead to somebody across town who opens their wallet in a parking lot who happens to be carrying a considerable amount of cash and credit cards may be conked over the head than robbed because a full tank of gas got the scamers all the way to virgin territory.A locality where there is no competition between scamers. What the scammers call easy pick'ens.

Management at food chain stores have all the information about it, as does shopping mall security operations.

No doubt this not a popular view to it, but it is reality based and supported by facts.

[X_Digger]

65. I was hit up at Kroger this past weekend.

The wife was doing the shopping while I sat and read on my kindle. I saw him hit up everyone coming and going at least once.

He had all the props- gas can, semi-nice clothes, sob story and purported family waiting 'just over there'.

However, what he actually had was a partner, who snatched a purse from a woman's shopping cart while the scammer was giving the sob story to her. Luckily she saw it, followed the guy to his car, whipped out her camera phone, took a picture of him and his license plate, and then called the cops. This guy must've had ice water running in his veins. Didn't respond to her yelling at him, didn't look up, just calmly got in his car and left. Unsurprisingly, gas can man had mysteriously disappeared.

Before my wife got back with the groceries, a Fort Worth cop had pulled up and was talking to the woman.

It pays to be aware of your surroundings.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

68. That is exactly what I meant by be aware of your surroundings.

Last edited Thu Apr 10, 2014, 10:41 PM - Edit history (2)

What you observed is what I seen time and time again, where they operate as a team or in pairs. The situation where a store patron was hit over the head with a small blunt object than robbed of wallet,money and credit cards and identification actually happened> As it so happened police investigators got the information on the criminals at another grocery store same company.The victim didn't know the make/model of the car or year of make but was able to give the color/condition of the car and a description. By the days end the crooks were caught but not before activity showed up on at least two of her credit cards. But do you know what ? At that same grocery store a Safeway the provided the information, the video surveillance showed the crooks car filling up at the pumps, and the gas bill was paid by a credit card and a safeway discount card of a kind hearted person believing a good deed was done.

Imagine a cop being put in a position to have to question the kind hearted unsuspecting lady about possible prior connections/affiliations to the perpetrators.

Being cleared of any suspicion and than being brought into what came about as a result of the act of kindness, than further being brought into the facts about scamers. The lady who was robbed was treated for head injuries, trauma at the hospital. She was hit with a 6 inch by 3/4 " threaded gas pipe galvanized ,black in color ,filled with b b's out of shot gun shells and capped at the ends with galvanized 3/4 " caps ,easy to conceal.They make pipe bombs that way too.

So the scumbags drove off and immediately ran up charges in her credit line.

It also pays to be aware of the kinds of things that go on in the world of those scamers.

With the unemployment situation being what it is today nation wide, you can believe those scamer stories are more-so heart felt to the unsuspecting victims.And scamers know that.

And not enough of are caught before the worst case scenario happens. As a rule,drug addiction/abuse is somewhere in the mix or at the bottom of it.

There is this story about a woman who wrote a heart felt letter to JFK back there in history, and she said in her letter that she and her family were too poor to afford a television set and they could not fallow the elections like everybody else because of that.

Kennedy read that letter and responded himself so the story goes, and he ordered up a good used television set and had it delivered to their home. The next letter was very nasty, all the money you Kennedy's got and you send us this piece of junk.

So thats the story, was J.F.K. a man of wisdom ?

You have to know how to protect yourself and your family from those predators, and being aware of your surroundings is part of that. Knowing how predators operate is another part of it.

Predators don't want you to think about it, they want to capture you in their whirlwind of false emotions and react with money in the form of kindness quick like ,before too much attention is drawn in your/their direction. Some people shop daily and those scamers know that too, believe it they watch everything. They don't want somebody that knows about their scam operation telling somebody they are scamming it's a scam.

Lastly, I keep a change jar where my donation to DU is collected up. This year there was more in it than the other years, when I cashed in the change ,the food drive was on at the food banks, I bought 5 ten dollar bags and a money order.There was a line of people there, I said to the clerk, not bad for a change jar hua ! He said yea and really good this time of the year for those in need. I believe if you want to make a difference ,make the difference where you know it will make the difference. I don't believe that random spontaneous donations to persons in the streets is very well thought out.

One can make ones self believe one has done something good for someone other, but that is not always the case. One could very well be feeding one others crack pipe. $30 or $40 dollars in generosity divides up nice for a pair of crack heads.

Bottom line, if you don't know what goes on in the streets,where it's at and what it's about, you really have to be careful. But hay, isn't that life in the big city ?

Veterans services has fund drives, homeless shelters have fund drives and organizations that offer housing assistance and job placement services also have fund drives.

Catholic charities provides services and financial assistance for just such a situation as mentioned in the original post. They got there ,spent it all ,than got stuck, isn't something a little odd about that ? I mean if one were to stop and think about it in logic. Because if you catch that red flag at the beginning, than the story might not seem so convincing after you have detected a number of flaws and inconsistencies .

In day light they use selective targeting.People they think will be he the least likely to cause complications for them.Get them caught than run off. Under cover of dark they ask any passers by.
The night stalkers wear dark clothing as cover to make it difficult for surveillance cameras to make positive identification of the clothing. And those scammers know where those cameras are and how those cameras are positioned.

if you know that too, as some people do, you can tell by parking positioning some times,than you are better positioned to get an angle on the pan handlers . Supermarket parking lots, mall parking lots are just where cars are hit by people in a hurry, so if you want your insurance to remain at your current cost, you will want to park your car in an area of the parking lot where you know surveillance is optimal. To know that all one need do is ask.

The store will prefer the cost damages to your car fall upon the hit and run driver as does your insurance company. Even if your car or truck is an old car or truck you want to protect it too, as well as keep your insurance rates down. What you can do is find out where store managers park their cars if the store is hesitant to give up the information about the best parking areas in their lots.The best security surveillance that is. Sometimes they don't like to inform customers which areas are lacking or the cameras are not operating for whatever the reasons. I mean think about it, supermarket parking lots are notorious for cars getting whacked, how many times will that happen to an employee before those premiums go up into the sky ? And the store won't keep paying for it either. Maybe once they will for a shift manager ,but after that they are on their own.And if the insurance company knows you work at a supermarket and drive to work, your first claim will bring rise to your payment with a quicknss. That leaves surveilance as your friend and informer.

A bit off topic ,but you know. If you don't do all you can to protect yourself, your family and your assets from those predators,who will ?

[hunter]

50. I'm never bothered. It's horribly real, or it's a good story.

The story tellers? I usually make them work for it a little and sometimes I learn the true horrible story.

When I was a kid our family had landed in Franco's Spain. (That's another story...)

My mom is the sort of person who always says what she thinks. (It's possible I am too, which is why I got kicked out of college twice. I graduated before the third strike.)

One sunny day a Spanish government official came by to check our passports and other documents. My mom, of course, was entirely honest about everything, answered all the questions he asked, most especially her political and religious perspectives. The man went away.

My dad couldn't sleep that night. He woke us all up and we loaded all our stuff in the car and drove to France.

Mostly I remember amber headlights. Amber headlights were something common in France then. The closer we got to the French border, the more amber headlights we saw coming the other way.

The Spanish border guards were disinterested and only wanted to go back to sleep. They waved the Americans through. The French border guard asked my dad if he had any cigarettes. He was disappointed that we had none and raised the gate without looking at our papers.

Then we were living in a public park in France, indigent Americans who did not speak French. My dad couldn't get his money from Spain. People gave us food. We were using the most hideous toilet I have ever seen in my life -- very drunk people, vomit, and masturbating perverts. Toilet buddy system, male or female.

Eventually the local community bought us a full tank of gas and ferry tickets to England. (We were embarrassing them I think.) An English bank managed to retrieve my parent's money from the Spanish bank and this adventure was done.

Stories like this happen in the U.S.A. too, but often don't end so well.

[TlalocW]

54. It's okay

It's happened to me three times. The first time I just gave them some money out of my wallet, and then I thought like you did. The next two times, I said okay and told them to follow me to the gas station, and I would fill their vehicle up. One accepted and was very grateful - still could have been an act, but there wasn't much gas in her car. The other guy declined, and you could tell he was pissed because I had got him.

TlalocW

[SummerSnow]

55. If she was a scammer or not, you showed compassion to a fellow human.

1 trillion + k and r's for you. Its people like you who show that there is still good people in this cruel world.

[Omaha Steve]

56. DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER THIS!!!!

You did a lot more than many that have much more $ do.

[Jake2413]

59. Thans for the tip....I'll remember if I get the chance

[Liberal_in_LA]

66. You did plenty

[johnlucas]

69. NEVER give money. If you're gonna give, give the ITEM

Good don't have to be dumb, you know.
See TVTropes for the reference (Good Is Dumb vs. Good Is Not Dumb).

If your money is going to further enhance somebody's crookedness, you haven't done anything useful.

Most people are not gonna be in that type of predicament in this country.
Food banks exist & only if there's not one in your town should you consider someone with a food emergency.

My rule of thumb is to give the item if you decide to give something.
That way you'll be more certain they are sincere in what they're asking for.

I was at a bus station during a layover & had a packaged hamburger bought from the previous station.
A man came up to me asking for a few dollars for something to eat.
Without hesitation, I picked up my unopened & warm hamburger out of my bag & offered it to him.
This was a big deal since this was a long trip & I didn't have much to eat on the trip.
All of a sudden he said "that's OK" & walked away without the burger.
I put my hamburger back.

Dude was out for beer money or drug money.

One time I saw a homeless man in a stairwell at work.
He said he was hungry.
I said I could get some things out of the snack machines & asked him what he wanted to eat.
I had just told him what the selections were.
He said pork rinds, a Snickers bar, & a Sunkist.
I bought the items & brought them back to the man.
He was thankful & ate/drank the items.

He was sincere.

There's nothing wrong with helping people but be smart about how you do it.
Don't enable drug abusers or petty crooks with their hustles.

The honest truth is that if the lady needed gas money, they could have returned a few items to the store & got some of their money back.
If anything, you could have just covered the cost of her food items.
She didn't need money for gas, I bet money on it.

How are you gonna go all the way into town grocery shopping & not realize you don't have enough gas?
If you live in any decent sized city or town, I bet money there's a food bank in a church or designated building somewhere.
If the family's going through times THAT rough, they should be referred there so won't have to spend so much money on food.
One thing America got down is the food situation.
At least we won't let you go hungry in this country.

Kindness doesn't HAVE to be weakness.
Use your judgment wisely before you give to others.
All may not be what it appears to be.

If someone was cold & homeless, I'll buy them a blanket AND THEN give them the card to the homeless shelter.
If someone was hungry, I'll buy them some food AND THEN give them the card to the food bank for future emergencies.
I don't take chances on hitchhikers.
And those guys with the cardboard signs panhandling on the highways, I ignore.
And I NEVER just give direct money anymore.

You may feel good about giving money thinking you're helping others.
But so do the old ladies giving money to those crooked televangelists.
Make your money work EFFECTIVELY so you will see less people on the streets having to beg for it.

Have a heart but be streetsmart.
John Lucas