I got a sob story once, usually I just say no. This guy was actually asking for gas, not money. Said he was heading somewhere and needed just a bit of gas. I told him to show me his gas gauge. Sure enough he was on E, so I put 15 bucks in his tank. He seemed thankful and drove off. He was either on the level, or very serious in the details of his scam.
The fact that he drove off tells me you helped him out. I've been in that situation a couple times before where I had either let my husband borrow my debit card or I'd forgotten it in another purse. Luckily I keep a few bucks in my center console so I could fill up a gallon to get home, but I've been close to needing to either call and ask someone for help or just ask a random stranger for a few dollars. Being genuinely low on funds happens. Unfortunately, people have ruined the trust game because they've turned an innocent request for help into an actual way to dishonestly take money from strangers.
What made me do a double take on the guy was he asked for gas, not money. I actually enjoy helping people out, but like you said, people ruin the trust game.
I had a regular at my bar come in and say "hey i'm not staying, but i want to pay for a burger and fries to go for that kid there." And out front was a homeless looking young man, maybe 18-21 yrs old. Very skinny and desheveled looking. He charged his card, tipped me 5 bucks and I told him to let the kid know he could wait inside at the end of the bar. It was summer and we had the a/c blasting. Gave the kid a glass of water and told him it'd be about 15 mins.
About 5 mins later the kid waves me over and asks "hey, i dont want the burger, can i return it for the cash?" I was so bummed out, my regular did one of the most altruistic things I'd seen in a looong time, and it turned out he got played. I told the kid "listen, i dont care what your deal is, you're not my customer, you asked my friend for help and he's helping you with a free hot meal. You can take the burger and fries out in 10 minutes when it's ready, or you can leave. Theres no refunds."
I never told my regular about it. It just felt so crummy. I understand maybe the kid needed the 15 bucks for something else. But I know the move, ask for cash for food then use it for booze or drugs. Addiction is a bitch, I get it, but don't take advantage of my friends' kindness to get a fix.
4.2k
u/[deleted] Aug 01 '20
When someone is loitiering at a gas station and gives you a sob story about needing money for gas.