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Originally Posted by Josephus Magnus  I could see he put you in a very uncomfortable position. I would have felt bad for not helping, but it was likely a con job.
Here is what happened to me, several years ago. I was driving to class on a Saturday morning. On the exit ramp, a man with some kind of car part in his hand was hitting up all the cars that pulled up to the intersection. He said his car broke down and he only needed a few more dollars to buy the part to fix it. Well I gave him my last 3 bucks and drove on to school.
The following Saturday, I saw the same guy out there doing the same thing. It must have worked well for him.
I'm not saying all panhandlers are cons, but some people just want your money. I guess to them, it's easier than working. |
Reminds me of a comic strip.
Guy walks in front of a Wal-mart parody store with a "help wanted" sign posted. A panhandler stands right beside the sign, so the guy asks him why he doesn't just get a job. The panhandler responds that he wouldn't be able to take such a sharp cut in his pay.
Anyways, OP, it does sound like a con of some sort, considering no one's going to call his bluff and check the accident or drive him there.
That being said, a lot of these people panhandling on the streets are stricken with mental illnesses and/or addictions and/or really bad personal situations. I volunteered in a soup kitchen and though they may seem disheveled and distressed, most of them are good people. In reality, most of us are just a bad experience away from ending up in their situation as well. Being a student myself, I don't exactly have loads of cash to give away, but I do chip in a dollar every now and then.
However, I honestly don't like being lied to. Although there probably wasn't any threat in your situation (it was after all, in the middle of the cafe), I wouldn't have given any money either.