Being conned whilst shopping

Ah well, in their minds they needed the money. The kid was probably not from a good family being not in school so maybe the money bought him a meal. I wouldn’t regret it, just feel sorry for them that they had to resort to this.

i wouldn't have even spoken to them.
i'm afraid they saw you coming, literally.
never mind, but check your wallet etc as pickpockets often operate like that too, by distraction, flourishing papers, maps etc.
don't let anyone stand too close to you and develop what is called a RBF over on MN.
has its uses.

Don’t beat yourself up. These vultures prey on peoples good nature.
If you had thought, you should have taken a photo and put it on your local FB.

There is a lady who hangs around fast food places in town. She always has a food voucher and asks for enough for the meal. She never buys the meal.

I often give her the money anyway. She obviously needs it for something.

Maybe she spends it on alcohol or drugs but her life does not look happy and I don't begrudge her what ever happiness she is capable of finding at this stage in her life.

Just give and don't worry where it goes.

You just don't know what someone else is dealing with in life

I'm fairly sure that I've been conned a few times by older kids knocking on the door with those 'school sponsorship' forms for charity. Anyone could print them. Now, I wouldn't give money in advance, just ask them to come back when they've completed the challenge - I bet they don't.

Same as VioletSky. Who are we to judge ?

Whilst the initial reaction is to support those raising money for charities - I now don't hand out cash. If approached by someone to sign up for a charity I never do so on the spot, I ask for leaflets to take away so I can consider whether to support or not.

I never used to be like this but with so many scams and fraudsters around I'm afraid I have become suspicious of anyone asking me for money

I would never give to a random request like this, by complete strangers.

Well unfortunately violetsky and nana8 you are just compounding the woman’s problem by giving her money that is just to make your own conscious better if a woman is living on the street genuinely, then give her a cup of coffee a sandwich or go to the charity shop and buy her a coat or a blanket giving her money to make you feel good only keeps her in the miserable condenser she’s already in

On the bright side, maybe he is going to do a sponsored swim and was on his way back to school after going to the Dentist.

How bad would you have felt if you had said No?

On the other hand that might have fed him and his family and prevented him going hungry. It was £5 not £50.

Condition not condenser oh dear the curse of predictive text and rushing to post
Must do better

BlueBelle

Well unfortunately violetsky and nana8 you are just compounding the woman’s problem by giving her money that is just to make your own conscious better if a woman is living on the street genuinely, then give her a cup of coffee a sandwich or go to the charity shop and buy her a coat or a blanket giving her money to make you feel good only keeps her in the miserable condenser she’s already in

This is the advice given by several charity Directors etc.

You were kind Oldmutton. That is the main thing

Don’t fret, OP - there’s a small chance that it was genuine, and even if it wasn’t, console yourself with thinking, who on earth would be reduced to doing that if they didn’t really need the money?

I know I was conned once,,by a a bloke in his 20s, apparently in distress - his young child was sick on the other side of London and he had no money for the bus fare.
Although I was pretty sure it was a con, I gave him a few £ - just on the off-chance that it wasn’t.

Not long afterwards I saw him get on the same bus as me. We made eye contact, he sat a few seats in front. But when he got off soon afterwards, he gave me such a long ‘look’ - sort of smugly, cunningly knowing - it said as plainly as anything, ‘Yes, it was me, and yes, you were a right mug - I saw you coming.’

Another time when I was with dh, a woman who was almost hysterical - something about her car - begged for a desperately needed fiver. Again, we were 99% sure it was a con, but just in case it wasn’t….

mumofmadboys

You were kind Oldmutton. That is the main thing

I agree. It was only £5 and it may have been genuine. It’s easy to be suspicious these days, but I try and put myself in the shoes of those who need to approach complete strangers for money.

I got caught by one of those too Witzend - man talking on the phone explaining that the bus wasn't running so he needed to get the train etc but clearly intending me to hear, and so yes I handed over the £10 needed to make up the fare. OH was not impressed at all when I got home, but I could sleep.

Oldmutton as others have said, you did the kind thing.

If it makes you feel better,try and think of it as giving £5t o a charity.

We all make mistakes OP so don't beat yourself up about. You're probably too nice to say no. Look at it as a lesson for the future. "Forget the mistake, learn the lesson" is something I've read recently.

You are just kind hearted so don't feel bad. There are so many scammers around nowadays, next time say you are sorry, but I've already sponsored my grandson and walk away.

You have a kind and generous heart Oldmutton, something to be proud of .

BlueBelle

Well unfortunately violetsky and nana8 you are just compounding the woman’s problem by giving her money that is just to make your own conscious better if a woman is living on the street genuinely, then give her a cup of coffee a sandwich or go to the charity shop and buy her a coat or a blanket giving her money to make you feel good only keeps her in the miserable condenser she’s already in

Actually, no you are wrong.

If the money is wanted for those kind of things there are more dangerous ways to get it.

Also I don't know what she wants the money for. It isn't for the meal and she obviously needs it.

Thank you everyone. Plenty of wisdom. I feel so much better

I was walking up the station approach at Bristol Temple Meads when a 50-ish lady with a strong Welsh accent stopped me & said she needed £15 to get her and her daughter back to Newport. Could I help? Sorry, no. Further on, an identical copy of the lady, only about 30 years younger, the same story, except she wanted to get herself and her mother back to Cardiff. I said 'You'd better talk to your mother, because she thinks you're going to Newport'. Cue a stream of swearing.

I don’t understand how this could’ve been a scam. I remember a 5k charity run which included kids and they accepted cash donations around the supermarket