I snarled at a scammer today...

[Dreamstalker]

Oy vey, don't get me started. There are a few genuine panhandlers here who I will give some money to; they're polite, quiet and in a few cases break into the realm of street performance (one guy around tax time dressed in a ratty suit and said "I'll make better use of your spare change than the IRS will!"...I gave him a buck or two just for being amusing). The ones who are truly down on their luck I don't have a problem with donating to.

The "ride" scammers really irk me, they have pledge sheets for some ride/run/walk or another, and can be spotted thus: all the "signatures" are in the same hand; the entire thing has been poorly photocopied; and/or they are woefully out of season for whatever they're using as a hook.

There used to be a guy in one of the subway stations (come to think of it I haven't seen him in a few months, maybe he got picked up) with some professional-looking-if-you-didn't-look-too-closely laminated stuff about stopping prejudice. He would get in people's faces and try to take them for as much as he could. I caught onto him one day on the way from work when I spied him on the main platform counting a seriously huge wad of cash. He finishes with this, stuffs it back in a pocket (I was hoping it would fall out and go all over the place) and tries to ply someone else.

[lupo pazzesco]

(one guy around tax time dressed in a ratty suit and said "I'll make better use of your spare change than the IRS will!"...I gave him a buck or two just for being amusing).

The "ride" scammers really irk me,

There used to be a guy in one of the subway stations (come to think of it I haven't seen him in a few months, maybe he got picked up) with some professional-looking-if-you-didn't-look-too-closely laminated stuff about stopping prejudice.

1. I have given money to people who are amusing. One fellow who sticks out had a sign that read "Why lie? I'll just buy beer. But all food donations accepted!"

I gave him a sandwich and two bucks. He thanked me and when I asked about the sign, he shrugged and said people ignored the "Homeless & Hungry, please help" signs because they were everywhere, and people like him didn't really stand a chance of getting help because of scammers.

2. "ride" scammers, pledge scammers, whatever-a-thon scammers. Urk. I want to beat them all with a stick...I've had a few of those. I've DONE a few myself. (30 hour fast for ending hunger and a walk-a-thon for the local women's and childrens center for victims of domestic violence) They irritate me.

3. Oh, we had a parking lot preacher! (At least that's what he claimed!) Said he was trying to raise money for a non-profit org that helped drug addicts and alcoholics get clean and find work. Sounded wonderful, and he was singing the praises of the program, having been through it himself. But he had no literature except for one laminated sheet of paper, that he waved around. Funny how he wouldn't let anyone read it too closely, or make a copy to peruse in their own time. I told him to get bent. As a child of an alcoholic, and with family members who were addicts/recovering addicts I thought he was the lowest scum of the earth, trying to profit off of legitimate problems. He tried to cuss me out. I giggled at him and walked away.

[Blade_Raver]

IS (Idiot Scammer)
Me

IS: Hey, Hey, EXCUSE ME!! HELLO>
Me: <Turning around> Yes? (At this point I recognize him. Fuck...)
IS: Hey, can I ask a favor?
Me: I don't have any money. Go away.
IS: <Has an offended look on his face> You don't even know what I was gonna say, bitch!
Me: No, but I can guess. So, is it your truck? Your dad's? Your brother's? Your great uncle on your father's side's second cousin twice removed's truck?
IS: <has a sudden "oh, shit!" look on his face, which I'm not ashamed to admit I took a small amount of glee in. But hes quick to go on the offensive> You're being a selfish cunt then, if you're not willing to help a guy in need out!
Me: If you're going to scam, people, at least try and keep track of who you've asked! Or, and here's a novel idea, maybe STOP scamming people and try your luck at finding a REAL job!!
IS: <Storms away and glares over his shoulder> FUCKING CUNT!!
Me: Oh yeah. That's mature...

Lupo, you did good there. Keep your pimp hand strong and keep the scammers at bay

My choice of words would have been a bit different.

IS: Hey, Hey, EXCUSE ME!! HELLO>
Me: <Turning around> What the f*ck do you want now?
IS: Hey, can I ask a favor?
Me: No.
IS: (Insert pissy comment here about being treated unfairly)
Me: Yes. I'm an a**hole who likes to keep scamming idiots like you from earning a living off of us working folk. If you have a problem with this, stop being a cancer to society and get a real job!

[Kinoo]

Don't feel bad, they can get so damn irritating when you see them so capable of regularly devoting time to scamming/begging but so incapable of just getting a real job like the rest of us!
The best (not the most appropriate word) one I've seen (and heard straight from the scammer himself) was a guy who used to hang out at Central Station in Sydney, near the country trains area, with a backpack, neatly dressed.
His story was a variation of - "I've just caught the train here from Melbourne/Brisbane/Back'O'Bourke on my way to Melbourne/Brisbane/Back'O'Bourke and I was asleep and got my ticket/wallet stolen, now I need to buy a new ticket to get to where-ever."
This is where he gets good though - after telling this part, he continues with "I just knew something like that would happen to me, so I was smart & stashed some cash in my shoe/sock/jocks just in case. See" (and here he shows a pile of cash from his pocket) "but im $10/20/50 short of the fare (to where-ever it was his stolen ticket was for) can you give me some money so I can buy a new ticket?"
Because he always has a pile of cash people fall for it all the time. He has told me he makes at least $300 a day doing it, then he spends it on pokies, booze & heroin.
Shame, as he's a nice guy, but the last time I saw him he was starting to look really scary from all the drugs & not so clean-cut & trustworthy.

[bunnyboy]

Heh, if there's one thing Seattle's done right for the homeless population here, it was enacting anti-agressive panhandling laws.

I've given to a few but never to anyone aside from the guys in wheelchairs all thanks to having been on those same streets myself.

And why don't I? I know where it goes for about 60%...

Meth. Reason to this day I hate that drug. Basically kept the kids and folks really trying from getting any real help.

I hate both sides of that debate now...

[Dreamstalker]

One of the walkathon scammers I encountered, I had a friend who was legitimately participating in the same event. After hearing of this, she suggested I contact the organization and let them know (I guess all the legit walkers are registered with them somehow). Come the next week, the guy was gone.

But he had no literature except for one laminated sheet of paper, that he waved around. Funny how he wouldn't let anyone read it too closely, or make a copy to peruse in their own time.

Same as this guy. The second time I ran into the leech, I had to scream to get him to go away (as I made my escape that day he was being approached by two construction worker types).

He wore a very distinctive sports-team jacket, so he was easy to spot and avoid.

[edible_hat]

One of my favourites wants money "so I can buy a meat pie so that I can stay awake so that the Pope can't sneak up on me while I sleep". I'm not sure if she's genuine crazy or just pretending.

[NightWatch]

I've only ever helped out a beggar (and I use that term EXTREMELY loosely) twice that I can recall.
1) Guy was hanging out at the gas station by my work. As I was leaving for the night he asked if there were any extra sandwiches. He genuinely just wanted food, so I took him to Wendy's and got him what he wanted.
2) This kid was about college age, and definately by no means homeless. He was sitting at the gas pump on his motorcycle (it was a crotch rocket, not a real motorcycle, not like mine ) and asked me for help while I was filling my car. I filled his tank cuz I'd hate to be stranded on my bike far from home (he said he lived in a town about an hour from where we were).

Then the guy I snubbed... I was at an outdoor bar&grill in the city with some friends and this hobo kept coming over and asking people for change or stealing tips off the tables when he thought no one was looking. So then he starts to approach me and my friends and as soon as he got close enough to actually speak to us; I stood up and faced him and just started shrieking like my leg was being ripped off. He got really scared and confused (understandably) and ran across the street and stood there shaking like a chihuahua til we left. It made my night.

PS: Filling a motorcycle costs like $5, so it wasn't any great charity on my part.

[AriRashkae]

PS: Filling a motorcycle costs like $5, so it wasn't any great charity on my part.

Betcha to him it was.

[Andara Bledin]

I've only ever helped out a beggar (and I use that term EXTREMELY loosely) twice that I can recall.
1) Guy was hanging out at the gas station by my work. As I was leaving for the night he asked if there were any extra sandwiches. He genuinely just wanted food, so I took him to Wendy's and got him what he wanted.
2) This kid was about college age, and definately by no means homeless. He was sitting at the gas pump on his motorcycle (it was a crotch rocket, not a real motorcycle, not like mine ) and asked me for help while I was filling my car. I filled his tank cuz I'd hate to be stranded on my bike far from home (he said he lived in a town about an hour from where we were).

Those two right there are the sorts I would help out, myself.

They both were requesting specific things and not just looking to haul in a massive amount of cash that might possibly go to better use.

^-.-^

[Uncle Silly Head]

As a truck driver I get to see these guys all the time.I had one at a Petro TS that was trying the I just ran out of gas one.I didn't have any money so I just said sorry and went on my way.2 months later I was in the same TS and was approached by the same guy with the same story and I just looked at him and said Holy Crap you've been here for 8 or 9 weeks and still haven't got enough gas to home.

I have also started to have some fun with the ones that like to approach me while I am fueling my truck,By waiting until the get a few feet away and looking at them and saying ( Excuse me,you wouldn't happen to have a couple of $$ I could get would you ? ) Most of look at me and go What...I was going to ask you that and walk away.

[Kaylyn]

Uncle Silly Head, I hated the beggars when I was over the road. I had one that I felt genuinely bad for, he handed me a handwritten note with his spiel on it, including the fact he was deaf. Since I know sign language, I signed to him that I'd grab him some food. He seemed grateful that I'd offered but declined. If he was a scammer he was polite about it.

Then there was the one lady in Kentucky that was probably a lot lizard, but did the begging thing for the lady truckers. She went on about her son was stuck in daycare because she didn't have enough gas to get there to pick him up...I gave her $5 and then she spent five minutes showing me pictures of her son. Lady, if you're that worried about him, go get him! In retrospect I should have offered to put $5 in her tank directly, but I was naive and stupid at the time.

I don't miss being OTR... :P

[NightWatch]

As a truck driver I get to see these guys all the time.

Oh man! I went to a Flying J truck stop to get some M&M's at an obscene hour. This guy comes up and gives me this spiel about how his truck (the 18-wheeler sort) is up on the freeway (you can see the freeway from there, I saw no truck) and he is out of gas blah blah blah.
In my best innocent child impersonation, I hold up my $2 and proudly announce, "Yes!!! I have $2 whole dollars!" Guy starts to smile and reach for it... "And I'm gonna use it to buy M&M's!!" I snapped the money back into my pocket and skipped inside. He didn't seem too pleased. Hehe!

[Uncle Silly Head]

The sad part of it is.I don't mind helping out some one who need's it, but 99 out of 100 are scammers.and after getting hit up for money at least once a day,and often more for years now.I have become very jaded and rarely will even try to help any one.

[lupo pazzesco]

He came BACK this week!!

The scammer from the original post was back in our parking lot today! I was helping a customer with a buyback, and explaining how we don't give cash anymore, and she said that was a relief because on her way in, some guy tried to hit her up for cash....because his truck ran out of gas.

Sound familiar...?

I explained to her he was a scammer and she look UNhappy! So, I went to peek out the window, and sure enough, he's there! And worse, he's got a girl cornered at the ATM while she's trying to pull money out! I told the MOD and she said to call the cops. But of course, he was gone by the time they got there. <Sigh> I wish they'd let me go out and chase him away. I could see if he remembered me from last week! though, my advice seemingly had no effect, he was still using the same sorry scam!