MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you give a stranger £3?

hollydays

This is a well practiced scam where I live,it's usually money for drugs,
If she was well dressed I would offer to go with her to buy her the ticket,then watch her get on the train-I don't like being rippped off.

Anne_Marie_2

Random_User_Name wrote: »

Usually when you ask these people, they will say they cannot get in contact with any of their friends, that they have something important (and usually heart-string pulling, ie visiting sick mother, etc), and it's urgent. It's usually designed to put the person under pressure for a quick response, and it's relying on people being conditioned to be "nice".

I always ask them the questions, and when they reply as above, I say "how terrible, I can't in good concience leave you here alone, let's both go to the police booth / call police so I can ensure that you are helped". Not surprisingly, I have yet to meet one who actually wants this - it's a rather abrupt end to the conversation normally! :rotfl:

Of course, should they ever turn out to be legit, like some posters on here say they have been, then I'm sure they wouldn't mind the police asking them for ID / questions.

Quite agree with you. Did exactly the same in Edinburgh when approached by a very smartly dressed man, who wanted money to phone his very ill mother in Argentina. I offered to show him to the police station, where they would be able to help him out. He wasn't to keen on that, wonder why? :rotfl:

geri1965_2

Has anyone else had people with large gaping wounds ask them for money to get a taxi to hospital? This has happened to me twice now (years apart) - how do they get these injuries?

donny-gal

No way, if she is well dressed and still has here handbag, then where is her mobile phone? If she claims to have had her money/phone stolen then why isn't she in the nearest police station reporting it. Sorry it can only be a scam. A penny for the loo, is another matter!;) (Don't react it's a figure of speech I know there are few places you can get a loo for a penny.)

DG

Blackboard

This is definitely a scam - my husband and I have both responded to this by offering to go to the station with them and make up the amount they need to buy the ticket. In my husband's case the guy had enough in his pocket for the ticket and ended up with a ticket he didn't actually want! In my case of a girl with baby in pushchair - she also had enough in her pocket to buy the ticket but chickened out of buying the ticket by saying she needed to have a cigarette before she went on the train.
My husband was stopped by the same guy a couple of days later!

sparrer

This scam was featured on The Real Hustle last year, I was amazed at how many people fell for it. I'm just an old cynic so no, I never give money to a stranger.

auntyp_2

20+ years in central London! absolutely no - but I would do what almost everyone else has suggested and offer to buy the ticket.

auntyp

hollydays

geri1965 wrote: »

Has anyone else had people with large gaping wounds ask them for money to get a taxi to hospital? This has happened to me twice now (years apart) - how do they get these injuries?

Probably asking for trainfare...:p

bennymac

i would use my instinct and if she seemed genuine give her the money without hesitation.

tsstss7

MSE_Archna wrote: »

Here's this week's hypothetical situation for you to cogitate on:

Would you help out a stranger with £3?

A well-dressed, smart, woman approaches you on your way home, apologetically asking you for £3 for a train ticket. She says she has lost her wallet. You don’t usually give to people who ask for money on the street, preferring to donate to charity. Would you give her £3?

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Previous MMDs: View All

No this is a well known scam.

If I thought it was genuine then maybe I'd go to the station with her and stick it on my debit card (I don't carry much cash generally) but I would never part with cash.