Being asked for money in the street

[Scotrail12]

I've just came back from walking through Argyle Street/Trongate in Glasgow and got stopped by a guy who came across the road to explain to me that he had lost some things and needed £15 for a bus to Edinburgh. I had a tenner but he kept insisting I went to get him more money from an ATM. I had to leave eventually but let him keep the tenner since I thought he genuinely needed it.

I'm 20 and am fairly inexperienced with situations like this. Do you think he was being genuine or was it a scam? The thing that made me wary was asking for ATM money which I know is an absolute no-no in case he was to try and obtain bank details (my parents have always insisted I never do this).

I feel really guilty if he was genuine. How should I have handled this? What do you do when asked for money in the street?

 

[maniacmartin]

In my experience, if you offer to buy the bus ticket for them, they're suddenly not interested in your help after all

 

[AlterEgo]

I feel really guilty if he was genuine. How should I have handled this? What do you do when asked for money in the street?

I walk on by or say I don’t have any cash.

You got lifted for £10 which probably got spent on something unsavoury.

 

[Scotrail12]

I see that Megabus prices from Glasgow-Edinburgh are well below £15. Oh dear.

 

[dakta]

I don't give money on request - I do donate to a few causes but that comes out of the salary by prior arrangement

I did rrecently cover a taxi fare for someone I'd never met but we were both stranded late at night by a rail operator who decided they hadn't met their quota of cancelled services that day and made some rash moves to fix the situation - it turned out we lived near each other so i invited them to jump in as well (I Paid the taxi directly).

If someone approaches me for money it's no. You can call it cold but hey ho. Why not? because people will say anything for money.

 

[hexagon789]

What do you do when asked for money in the street?

Always refuse, I'm sorry but it's difficult if not impossible to be sure if someone's sincerity. You can't give to everyone after all, it's arguably thus much fairer to give to no one.

If someone approaches me for money it's no. You can call it cold but hey ho. Why not? because people will say anything for money.

This exactly, and I don't think it's "cold".

 

[LowLevel]

I know it's easier said than done but never entertain aggressive beggars.

Passive beggars on the other hand, I suppose it's up to you. There's a chap I've been passing by for years who sits outside work, I get him a bacon roll and a latte with 2 sugars from Greggs occasionally if he asks (he has a banning order from that part of the street, such is life) and that's all he ever asks for. I know his name, I'm vaguely aware of his issues and apart from begging I've never known him shoplifting or anything like that so I have no issue getting him some breakfast once in a while.

 

[Busaholic]

There used to be a woman in Penzance aged around 60 to 65 who regularly stopped people in the street asking for £10 so she could travel to the Royal Cornwall Hospital to visit her mother. If anyone, male or female, offered to drive her there, they met abuse! She did well out of the scam so far as I could see: I must have been approached four or five times, and never gave her anything, but I saw loads of holidaymakers do otherwise.

 

[Cowley]

Always refuse, I'm sorry but it's difficult if not impossible to be sure if someone's sincerity. You can't give to everyone after all, it's arguably thus much fairer to give to no one.


This exactly, and I don't think it's "cold".

Yes I agree.
@Scotrail12 - The way he pressured you to go to the cash point should tell you everything you need to know in a situation like that.
We’ve all been caught out by being too trusting of people though at one time or another so learn from it but don’t be too hard on yourself.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Do you think he was being genuine or was it a scam?

Almost certainly 100% a scam. At least you're only down £10.

However, no real harm done. Chalk it up to experience and move on.

 

[yorkie]

I've just came back from walking through Argyle Street/Trongate in Glasgow and got stopped by a guy who came across the road to explain to me that he had lost some things and needed £15 for a bus to Edinburgh. I had a tenner but he kept insisting I went to get him more money from an ATM. I had to leave eventually but let him keep the tenner since I thought he genuinely needed it.

I'm 20 and am fairly inexperienced with situations like this. Do you think he was being genuine or was it a scam? The thing that made me wary was asking for ATM money which I know is an absolute no-no in case he was to try and obtain bank details (my parents have always insisted I never do this).

I feel really guilty if he was genuine. How should I have handled this? What do you do when asked for money in the street?

It was a scam; we know this because the fare is about half that amount (8.50 for a single, I think). Even if they asked for a lesser amount, the likelihood is very much that it would be a scam.

If you felt it was genuine and you feel you want to help, you could offer to buy the ticket for them; a genuine person would gratefully accept that.

 

[Springs Branch]

In my experience, if you offer to buy the bus ticket for them, they're suddenly not interested in your help after all

If you felt it was genuine and you feel you want to help, you could offer to buy the ticket for them; a genuine person would gratefully accept that.

I was collared late one evening by a pale, scrawny young man as I was leaving Holloway Road tube station.

His story was he needed a donation of cash for his fare back home to somewhere in West London.

Since I had no further use for my paper Z1-6 Day Travelcard, I half-jokingly offered it to him, telling him it would get him wherever he needed to go that night. He was very unappreciative in his comments, and didn't take my ticket!

I related this story on this forum some time ago. Of course, someone immediately posted to point out that Travelcards were non-transferrable and I might well be prosecuted for offering to do that!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Of course the story about needing money for a journey to West London was just that, a story, and you effectively called his bluff. He was obviously hoping for a few ££ from you all in one go rather than accumulating lots of bits of loose change. Less effort!

Talking of day travelcards, didn't LU once use to have a major problem, back in the days immediately before Oyster cards, with beggars asking for no-longer needed paper travelcards at "London Terminals" tube stations, which could then be onsold at a discount for cash to arriving passengers?

 

[Paul Jones 88]

I was in Liverpool about ten years ago, out side a coffee shop a young girl asked me for money because she had been thrown out of her family home.
She appeared to be quite upset so I gave her twenty pounds, I wish now that I had tried to do more for her because the thought of a young girl sleeping rough in a big city is quite disturbing.

 

[birchesgreen]

I never carry cash so its a waste of time them asking me!

I was once approached by a bloke who wanted some money so he could "get the bus to see his wife in hospital as she had just given birth". He seemed honest but as soon as i said (genuinely) i had no cash on me it was like a switch turned off in him and he just walked off without another word. Presumably a well rehearsed routine.

 

[DelayRepay]

I was once approached at London Bridge station by a woman with a sob story about needing £15 to get home to somewhere in Kent. She claimed to be pregnant, and to have been robbed. I didn't have any cash on me so could not help. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a police officer, so I said we should ask him for help. She scarpered quickly!

 

[davews]

Keep well away.
As one who recently was approached by such a person who wanted me to tell him how to use the phone box with a problem with his car and ended up having my debit card stolen you cannot be too careful. Remember if he gets you to an ATM the next step is stealing our card and PIN. (and Metropolitan Police have now dropped the case as the video evidence they claimed to have of 'the named suspect' turned out not to be.)

 

[dk1]

Keep walking.

 

[nanstallon]

"insisted that I get him more money from an ATM" - what a strange world we live in. Beggars don't insist on anything as far as I'm concerned!

He took you for a tenner; put it down to experience. It is never worth engaging with a beggar.

 

[Urobach]

I don't give money on request - I do donate to a few causes but that comes out of the salary by prior arrangement

I did rrecently cover a taxi fare for someone I'd never met but we were both stranded late at night by a rail operator who decided they hadn't met their quota of cancelled services that day and made some rash moves to fix the situation - it turned out we lived near each other so i invited them to jump in as well (I Paid the taxi directly).

If someone approaches me for money it's no. You can call it cold but hey ho. Why not? because people will say anything for money.

Always refuse, I'm sorry but it's difficult if not impossible to be sure if someone's sincerity. You can't give to everyone after all, it's arguably thus much fairer to give to no one.


This exactly, and I don't think it's "cold".

I know it's easier said than done but never entertain aggressive beggars.

Passive beggars on the other hand, I suppose it's up to you. There's a chap I've been passing by for years who sits outside work, I get him a bacon roll and a latte with 2 sugars from Greggs occasionally if he asks (he has a banning order from that part of the street, such is life) and that's all he ever asks for. I know his name, I'm vaguely aware of his issues and apart from begging I've never known him shoplifting or anything like that so I have no issue getting him some breakfast once in a while.

Essentially my view, like many others I very rarely carry cash around anyway, but I really can't stand people coming up to me asking for change. Manchester and Bolton are full of them and whilst I really do sympathize with those in a position who genuinely have no choice, I have a zero tolerance to anyone asking, especially if a sob story comes first, 99 times out of 100 they move on quickly to the next attempt.

One to watch out for on a night out, I've had a woman come up to everyone in a pub Saturday night with a pot collecting for some cancer charity, soon escorted off premises by the bouncers once they were aware.

 

[yorkie]

...Of course, someone immediately posted to point out that Travelcards were non-transferrable and I might well be prosecuted for offering to do that!

...Talking of day travelcards, didn't LU once use to have a major problem, back in the days immediately before Oyster cards, with beggars asking for no-longer needed paper travelcards at "London Terminals" tube stations, which could then be onsold at a discount for cash to arriving passengers?

Yes, before the widespread use of PAYG, Travelcards had a resale value and some beggers would specifically ask for them, in order to resell them.

It is never worth engaging with a beggar.

Agreed; the only time I may engage with them is to tell them to stop begging and/or point out that it is illegal; I'd use a judgement call as to whether to do that depending on the situation.

 

[adc82140]

I got stopped in Salisbury last week by someone in a car who claimed that their mother was in hospital and they needed £15 to buy fuel to get to Bristol. Not a particularly convincing actor (crying but no tears). I told them I was off duty (I'm not a policeman, but I never said I was) and gave them directions to the local police station. They took off rather quickly.

 

[skyhigh]

I had a tenner but he kept insisting I went to get him more money from an ATM. I had to leave eventually but let him keep the tenner since I thought he genuinely needed it.

I'm 20 and am fairly inexperienced with situations like this. Do you think he was being genuine or was it a scam?

Scam all day long. They will lead you to an ATM they've 'modified' to retain your card, watch for your PIN over your shoulder then retrieve the card and go off on a spending spree.

Never give money to a beggar, aggressive or otherwise. If you think someone is genuine, offer to buy them food - but don't give them money to buy it themselves.

 

[306024]

Strangest scam I encountered was on the platform at West Drayton of all places. Beggar asks for £10, I politely decline, then a girl appears from nowhere, gives him a tenner, and calls me heartless.

Obviously they were in it together trying to shame me, but failed miserably.

 

[johntea]

Stand just outside Leeds station (either the 'main' entrance or the taxi rank entrance) and if you don't get approached by at least 5 people begging within half an hour you're doing something wrong!

I think a lot of them have refined their stories since the lockdown to try and get you to an ATM with your card as they know a lot of people don't carry loose change these days!

 

[AY1975]

I usually simply say no and carry on walking, or if I know of somewhere nearby where I could suggest that they go for help (such as the local Salvation Army) I sometimes suggest it to them. They often say that they either don't fancy going there or claim to have tried going there and been turned away or found it was closed, though.

Another thing that I sometimes do if I have time and am not in a hurry is to offer to go with them to a shop or cafe and buy them whatever they claim to want money for. Doing that stops them from running off with the money and spending it on something else. Very often if you offer to do that they will run a mile if they're not telling the truth about what they want.

Several years ago I was putting my bag in a luggage locker at Frankfurt main station in Germany and a young man came up to me and told me that his wallet had been stolen and he desperately needed to get home and could I lend him the money for his fare.

I was initially reluctant to help him, but he seemed determined not to leave me alone until I gave him what he wanted, and he claimed to have exhausted all other possible sources of help so I very reluctantly gave in, but instead of simply giving him the money then and there I offered to go with him to the ticket office to buy his ticket for him. He said he wanted a single to Friedrichshafen, so I bought it for him and paid for it with my debit card. At least then he couldn't spend the money on anything else. On a number of previous occasions when I've offered to do that they have run off.

I found out afterwards that I could have advised him to go to the "Bahnhofsmission" for help. That's a church-run organisation that has a presence at most major stations in Germany to help people who are in any kind of need. Knowing him, though, he would probably have claimed to have tried them and been turned away or found it closed.

 

[Busaholic]

Strangest scam I encountered was on the platform at West Drayton of all places. Beggar asks for £10, I politely decline, then a girl appears from nowhere, gives him a tenner, and calls me heartless.

Obviously they were in it together trying to shame me, but failed miserably.

That's a variation on the old 'three card trick' set-up that used to operate in Central London, particularly the south side of Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road end. Tourists were the target, and there were always a minimum of four in the gang, one a 'winning' punter. A 'spotter' or two would scour the street around, one for police in cars, much more obvious now with motor traffic banned.

 

[Gloster]

That's a variation on the old 'three card trick' set-up that used to operate in Central London, particularly the south side of Oxford Street near the Tottenham Court Road end. Tourists were the target, and there were always a minimum of four in the gang, one a 'winning' punter. A 'spotter' or two would scour the street around, one for police in cars, much more obvious now with motor traffic banned.

I was once a winner with one of these ‘Find the Lady’ gangs: I did it out of pure curiosity on (or near) Berwick Street. I reckoned he would try to take me to £10 at least, so as soon as I was £5 up I grabbed my winnings and scooted. There were enough members of the general public around that I felt they wouldn’t try any rough stuff.

 

[Busaholic]

I was once a winner with one of these ‘Find the Lady’ gangs: I did it out of pure curiosity on (or near) Berwick Street. I reckoned he would try to take me to £10 at least, so as soon as I was £5 up I grabbed my winnings and scooted. There were enough members of the general public around that I felt they wouldn’t try any rough stuff.

You were lucky! I never saw a genuine winner, unless you include a tourist surrounded by burly, tattooed men 'suggesting' they reinvest their winnings, which, unsurprisingly, they did, when in a puff of smoke everybody bar the punter had disappeared. The pub on the northwest side of the market was the dodgiest I've ever been in, bar a couple of Irish ones in Kilburn!

 

[Trackman]

Scam all day long. They will lead you to an ATM they've 'modified' to retain your card, watch for your PIN over your shoulder then retrieve the card and go off on a spending spree.

A similar thing has happened to someone on these forums.
--
Going back to subject, I never give anything or let them know I have any money.
I know someone who was mugged that way by pulling out a tenner out of a big wad- they followed him home.