How to anger a random dude asking for money at the gas station....

[Farmer]

Yeah, you fing show those homeless people, you!

 

[kranky]

A few months ago I noticed a guy standing on the sidewalk at a traffic light pacing around and generally trying to look distraught but not really pulling it off. While I waited for the light to change he came up to the car and said his wife was stranded at a gas station with a flat and he needed bus fare to get to where she was plus $19 to fix the flat. She was on her way to pick him up when the tire went flat. He wouldn't look me in the eye so I was 99% sure the story was bogus. Light turned green and I shook my head no and drove off.

A couple weeks later, here's the same guy at the same intersection pacing around and looking distraught again. Comes up to my car, gives the same story. Obviously does not remember me from before. This time I ask what gas station, and he names one about 7 miles away. It just happens to be on the way to where I'm headed. So now that I know for a fact the story is BS, just when the light turned green I say sure, hop in, I can't hold up traffic. He does and we drive off. I say I'll cover the tire repair and give him a ride to the gas station. He tells me that's too generous, he can't let me drive him all the way out to the gas station. I insist. A short trip on the highway and we get to the gas station. He hops out and says thanks so much, they said the tire repair was $19. I ask which car is his so I can go in and pay for the tire repair.

Stutter. Stammer.

"Where's your wife?"

Uh, gee, don't see her, I wonder... Oh, I guess someone else covered the cost and she got the tire fixed and headed back to town to pick me up.

"Great, dude, it's all good. See you later."

Oh, wait, man, can you give me a lift back into town? That must be where she was headed, to pick me up.

"Can't, I have an appointment up the road. Anyway, she knew you were trying to get bus fare here anyway, she'll expect you to be here. Take it easy."

Wait, man, I don't have any money to get back to town.

"She'll be back to get you, she knows you were headed here. Gotta run."

Was that mean? I hope not. I did everything anyone could have done to help someone in the situation he described.

 

[alkemyst]

The dudes looking for free money are usually the most likely to escalate to violence. I have offered to buy food and they actually started moving to meet me and were happy.

Sadly, it's easy to stand at a corner and get free money.

 

[Balt]

A few months ago I noticed a guy standing on the sidewalk at a traffic light pacing around and generally trying to look distraught but not really pulling it off. While I waited for the light to change he came up to the car and said his wife was stranded at a gas station with a flat and he needed bus fare to get to where she was plus $19 to fix the flat. She was on her way to pick him up when the tire went flat. He wouldn't look me in the eye so I was 99% sure the story was bogus. Light turned green and I shook my head no and drove off.

A couple weeks later, here's the same guy at the same intersection pacing around and looking distraught again. Comes up to my car, gives the same story. Obviously does not remember me from before. This time I ask what gas station, and he names one about 7 miles away. It just happens to be on the way to where I'm headed. So now that I know for a fact the story is BS, just when the light turned green I say sure, hop in, I can't hold up traffic. He does and we drive off.

Dude, never let some stranger in your car. You are playing with fire.

 

[qliveur]

^Yeah, that's some risky shit right there.

I'm with those who offer to buy food or gas. This is the right thing to do, and they'll almost never take you up on it because all they're usually after is your money.

 

[Bignate603]

^Yeah, that's some risky shit right there.

I'm with those who offer to buy food or gas. This is the right thing to do, and they'll almost never take you up on it because all they're usually after is your money.

I had one guy take my offer for food. He wandered in to the laundromat I was in and walked around asking each person if they wanted to buy some things he found. I remember he had some weird shirt and some other random junk, it wasn't in terrible conditions but it was pretty obvious he had probably pulled it out of a dumpster. Nobody took him up on the offer so he just went and sat quietly in the corner, it was cold and rainy outside so I assume he was just trying to get warm.

He spent quite a while sitting there quietly but he really looked sad. Not the "crying your eyes out" kind of sad, more like the "what the hell do I do now" kind of sad. On my way out I asked if he wanted something to eat. He stared at me a second and asked if I was serious. After I convinced him the offer was real we walked across the street to get a burger. I spent a nice dinner with him, he said he was living out of his car because it started overheating as he was trying to drive through to get to family in another state. He was stuck because the car would only run for a little while before it overheated and he didn't know what to do. He was thinking that he should just sell the car and buy a bus ticket but he wasn't sure how to do that without an address or a phone.

At no point in time did he ever ask for help or money. The only thing he did ask for was if I knew any group in town that could help. There was a salvation army a few blocks over so I told him how to get there. He seemed genuinely grateful.

 

[Turin39789]

Had several accept offers for food years ago, none lately. Made the mistake of letting on in my car once as well, but ended well. Ah youth.

My wife and I were at a target near my parents house a few years ago and a guy gave us the out of gas story and we said we had no cash. We headed back to our house but stopped off at a ValuCity furniture to look at some kitchen tables. Store was closing and as we left the same guy was in THIS parking lot, hitting up employees and shoppers as they left. Let everyone know we had seen him across town an hour before and all left, despite his protest that we were mistaken.

 

[Number1]

Fausto, is that you beating on the homeless man?

 

[Fausto]

Yeah, you fing show those homeless people, you!

Read my post; this asshole was not anything like homeless.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I give money to hobos who claim it's to buy booze. But not the ones who claim it's for food. Food stamps don't cover booze, but they do cover food.

 

[Locut0s]

I give money to hobos who claim it's to buy booze. But not the ones who claim it's for food. Food stamps don't cover booze, but they do cover food.

LOL. Wouldn't have thought of this. :awe:

 

[Doppel]

A few months ago I noticed a guy standing on the sidewalk at a traffic light pacing around and generally trying to look distraught but not really pulling it off. While I waited for the light to change he came up to the car and said his wife was stranded at a gas station with a flat and he needed bus fare to get to where she was plus $19 to fix the flat. She was on her way to pick him up when the tire went flat. He wouldn't look me in the eye so I was 99% sure the story was bogus. Light turned green and I shook my head no and drove off.

A couple weeks later, here's the same guy at the same intersection pacing around and looking distraught again. Comes up to my car, gives the same story. Obviously does not remember me from before. This time I ask what gas station, and he names one about 7 miles away. It just happens to be on the way to where I'm headed. So now that I know for a fact the story is BS, just when the light turned green I say sure, hop in, I can't hold up traffic. He does and we drive off. I say I'll cover the tire repair and give him a ride to the gas station. He tells me that's too generous, he can't let me drive him all the way out to the gas station. I insist. A short trip on the highway and we get to the gas station. He hops out and says thanks so much, they said the tire repair was $19. I ask which car is his so I can go in and pay for the tire repair.

Stutter. Stammer.

"Where's your wife?"

Uh, gee, don't see her, I wonder... Oh, I guess someone else covered the cost and she got the tire fixed and headed back to town to pick me up.

"Great, dude, it's all good. See you later."

Oh, wait, man, can you give me a lift back into town? That must be where she was headed, to pick me up.

"Can't, I have an appointment up the road. Anyway, she knew you were trying to get bus fare here anyway, she'll expect you to be here. Take it easy."

Wait, man, I don't have any money to get back to town.

"She'll be back to get you, she knows you were headed here. Gotta run."

Was that mean? I hope not. I did everything anyone could have done to help someone in the situation he described.

Not mean at all, in fact you were kind to him by not calling him out on the spot.

The common gas tank scam has been attempted on me a few times. Last time was only a month or two ago, a crowd of people coming out of somewhere (I was one of them) and some dude walking around like he did NOT fit in actually carrying the gas can (I think his story was not even well thought out in his head).