so i was at best buy earlier. right after i got out of my car, this black man about age 45-55 came up to me. he was wearing a hat, and a old jacket. he came up to me really nicely, shook my hand and said: "can you help me? i got rip off, $150 dollars. i live in Sacramento and i can't get home because i don't have money for gas." and he said that he can help me do anything, wash my car or anything like that, and he would get on his knee to promise me that he is telling the truth.

normally i would always walk away from stuff like that. but today i have no idea why at that moment, somehow i felt really bad for him, and pretty much believed his story. maybe is because gas is so expensive now, and what if i stuck in somewhere and i needed money. as i was thinking, i reached in to my pocket and took out my wallet. i only had a few $20 dollar bills, no changes. i was like, damn it i only have $20 =\. alright ill just give it to him. so i did, and he said thank you very very much and god bless you and stuff like that.

afterward, i don't know if i did the right thing. maybe he was lying? but maybe he was telling me the truth.

do you guys think i was stupid to gave that $20 dollar to him? or should i just tell my self that he was telling the truth, and god will bless me in the future for being kind?

 

what goes around comes around...don't look for it, it will happen.

Sometime, you may find yourself in a pinch, and someone comes through for you...might not be money, but if you're broken down on the side of the road on a Sunday night...

...just remember, it all comes back around.

 

A good deed is a good deed.

As Roo mentioned "what goes around comes around...don't look for it, it will happen."

 

^^^ +1 thats how i see it too

 

i would just give the man the benefit of the doubt...

 

Well give him the benefit of the doubt. You did the right thing. It is good to know that there are still kind people in this world. BTW...did you ask him to wash your car? j/k

 

Con or not, OP did a NICE thing.

On the other hand, I used to have Burger King gift certificates which I would give whenever someone said "need money for food". After a couple of people took the certificates and didn't even bother to put it away and let it blow in the wind, I stopped doing this.

 

You got scammed. He thought you were a sucker and he was right.

If any of you want to argue differently, Paypal me $20. I promise you I really need it. :banana:

 

I wouldn't worry about it. You did a good thing whether he was full of crap or not.
Good deeds bring good deeds. Hopefully someone will be there when you need it. That's how I feel about doing things like that anyways. I wouldn't want to have to ask for dough.




on a side note...it's a fairly common scam. I've been hit up with similar deals more time than I can count. He knows people are shopping..have money. He knows it's the holiday season. You're not the only person that's gonna give him money. He'll move from spot to spot with the same story and probably make more than you or I do in a day in a few hours.

My brother got hit up like that once. Black dude. Similar deal. Couple days later he saw him in a lexus on the freeway. Turns out the guys not only local but a scammer...the dude told my brother he'd mail it back to him..haaa. Never saw that dough.




But like I said...scammer or not. You're deed is what it is...a good one.

 

Try not to think about it too much. The more you think the more you will reduce your satisfaction with your decision. Your utility per dollar from giving that man $20 will go down.

 

...except when you've been hustled! Sorry but that's the truth. One of the oldest lines in the book.

 

i'll agree with others, you did a good thing. when you go to bed tonight, you will know that. he will either feel the same way or not. whatever, that's life.

after living in the city and getting this same request day after day, i have learned that food is the only option. there are a lot of homeless people around who are addicted to whatever substance...but we all need food.

when these people ask me for cash when they are in a bind, i personally say no but offer to treat them to lunch in the meantime if they are hungry. most say no...and i usually let it be. we all need food though - no matter what kind of bind you are in.

just my 2 cents

 

Paying $20 just to have someone go away, sometimes it's worth every penny.

 

you did a good thing. don't think about the negatives. he needed help, you helped him. you never know when you might be in a less than ideal situation.

if he was scamming you, oh well, that's $20 you lost. we spend that kind of money on random stuff all the time - overpriced drinks at a bar, electronics/games that you only used for 2 weeks, eating out for lunch everyday, etc.

i got asked for money at a gas station because the guy said he forgot his wallet, but he had his checkbook. he said he'd give me a check to cover the cost if he could use my credit card to fill up. he seemed genuinely in need (we were in buttonwillow; he said he was driving up from riverside to the bay area). he filled up his car using my cc, gave me a $50 check for a $40 fill up. i cashed the check the next day and it went through.

 

**** that guy he just bought some drugs with that money if you were in his situation people wouldnt give you the benefit of the doubt