A woman’s just knocked on my door, asking to ‘borrow’ a fiver so she can get a taxi back to Woking, because her daughter’s there and needs an insulin injection. It’s a 20 quid fare from here. Her car’s broken down and she only has £15. I offered to look at the car for her – but it’s right down the other end of the road, apparently. I offered to call a cab but she said that’s ok, she only needs the money. Can’t she pay the taxi once she gets home, but apparently she knows there’s no money in the house. Or go to a cash point on the way? – but that’ll take too long. And she stinks of alcohol.

I told her no, and she swore at me and went.

Just a chancer / weak scam attempt, or something else? Not worth a call to the police is it (should have offered that, given her ‘daughter at home needing an insulin injection’ could be an emergency!!)

We have a man come in the shop every year with a similar story.
Just once a year , we think he starts in Scotland and works his way through every shop in the UK.

I’ve never been asked for money for public transport that wasn’t someone chancing his or her arm.

It might be true though – maybe keep an eye on the local rag for the next few days for a story of a woman who couldn’t make it back to give her now dead daughter an insulin injection because there’s no such thing as community anymore. 😐

Emergency, let me call the emergency services…
a) Scam – “And she stinks of alcohol.” Confirmed report for Drink Driving
b) Diabetic Kid left at home with no ability to administer insulin – Neglect – Call Police and report for Neglecting her children
c) not may other options there

Had this at a service station a few years ago. A lady wanted £11 to get a taxi home. Husband (cos I am very thick) spotted it immediately. When we suggested she talks to the bobbies in the service station a load of old crap came out.

It’s a scam. I tend to fall for these things as I’m as soft as something that rhymes with ‘hite’. 😀

Oh, and before you ask, no I don’t want to buy a bridge. The garden’s full of the bloody things!

Scam. There have been reports of similar things, allegedly. Asking for money, turning down offers of help…

It might be true though – maybe keep an eye on the local rag for the next few days for a story of a woman who couldn’t make it back to give her now dead daughter an insulin injection because there’s no such thing as community anymore.

If it helps, I killed her before her insulin ran out.

Conscious clear, OP.

Scam and quite a common one at that.

The best one I know of though is a bloke I know used to run a van with a V8 in it. Every New Year he’d upto Scotland from the Midlands and party his money away. New Years day he’d swap some of the plug leads call the AA and tell the van wouldnt start. They’d turn take one loo at it and recover him home thus saving him the £60 plus quid (late eighties petrol prices) back home.

I’ve been asked a couple of times for money to pay for a prescription of insulin.

I always offer them the exact amount it costs for an insulin prescription, the same it costs me.

Nothing.

Round here £20 won’t get you much farther than a mile in a taxi, so the scam needs updating.

‘I think perhaps you’d better… come inside!’

I’ve fallen for it twice, once an elderly English lady in a hotel lift in Budapest – only 400 Forint or £1.00 and once the son of my neighbour who called to “borrow” a tenner from his mum, who was out, so he tapped me for it. Never saw him again.

Bloke called out to us in Brighton last week:
“Can you spare some money for drink and drugs?!”

I told him I admired his honesty, but didn’t give him any money. I’m not that nice.

When I was a student in Manchester, a bloke used to hang around outside the university asking for his bus fare to the YMCA. He was there for years, same story every time.
There was another bloke who used to knock on all the student houses saying he was “collecting for the blind”

I’d have given him a pair of old curtains instead.

I once bought a couple of blankets for an apparently freezing apparently homeless guy who used to sit outside the high street shops in Southampton. Saw him the next day, still asking for change for ‘a cup of tea, I’m freezing mate’. Blankets nowhere to be seen. Still, for the cost of a cup of tea or similar, I’d rather be had by a chancer than ignore a genuine one. I don’t give them money though. There used to be one outside Portswood Safeway until he was jarred by someone who’d seen him stroll off the previous night, get in his car and drive off, presumably home! Cheeky bastard,

Years back my friend went on holiday with his parents.
His brother concocted a plan whereby he knocked on the neighbours and said that the family had all been killed in a car crash.
He said he needed some money to tide him over.
Of course 2 weeks later the plans one major shortcoming came home to roost.
Strange family.

might be worth a call to the non emergency police number. Sounds like she was aggressive to you when you turned her down. How would she be with more vulnerable neighbours?

Still, for the cost of a cup of tea or similar, I’d rather be had by a chancer than ignore a genuine one.

I only give to charities that help the homless – saddly giving it an individual is unlikely to help IME.

I tend to offer food if they ask me – very very few accept and haggle for money – kind if gives away their absence of need – well they need something and that something is help

Its a fine line between helping and aiding

I tend to offer food if they ask me

glad you wait to be asked, as a dishevelled student sat on my suitcase waiting in a bus station some random guy bought me a sandwich & a cup of tea – didn’t have the heart to tell him I was on the first leg of a trip to Africa

A friend of mine at Uni bought a Boots meal deal for a homeless chap, and a bottle of water for his dog. He was massively indignant, and demanded the money instead, and not politely.

I died a little inside watching that confrontation take place.

There’s a guy sleeps rough near the office, spends his day outside a supermarket begging. The other day I saw him in a cafe, surfing on a big Samsung smartphone. Not sure what to think – assume he is a chancer, or that even homeless people need to keep in touch with their kids back in Romania or wherever?

Got hit up by a guy after going to the panto in December. Was on the way back to the car with missus and her parents when this guy approached (my fault for making eye contact) with story about disabled daughter, insulin and lack of petrol. Smelt a rat but it was late and tbh a little bit of me admired his ingenuity, so I gave him a couple of quid and sent him on his way.

100% definitely a scam in your case and, echoing others on this thread, if she called on you at your house and got aggressive you should notify the police (not 999 though, whatever your local number is) if only to maybe help out more vulnerable members fo your community.

I was approached in a petrol station by a young woamn with a kid, asking for petrol money to get the kid home, I had no cash only my fuel card, so said I couldn’t help. Went in and told the cashier about it, he said they’d been moved on 3 times already by the police that day, they were always at it.

I agree junkyard, tea/sandwich yes (not a cake though), cash no. I meant for the sake of the cost of a cup of tea that the cup of tea cost me etc………and only if asked, as also alluded to above.

On another note. Years ago got approached by a well dressed and apparently confused/distraught elderly gentlemen at Bristol Temple Meads station. His card wasn’t working and he had no money to get home. Ended up buying him a ticket to his destination (£20 or so) and he took my address. About a week later, and much to my surprise, a postal order for the exact amount turned up. Was tempted to frame it! I guess they’re not always scams, but your case most definitely is and very common too by the looks of it 😐

Ended up buying him a ticket to his destination (£20 or so) and he took my address.

I’d be more inclined to do that frankly – if he said “give me £20 so I can get home” he can jog on, but it’s quite an elaborate ploy if all he’s doing is avoiding buying the ticket he needs to get anyway!

There used to be a bloke who sat begging opposite Manchester Cathedral and one day my son aged about ten bought him a Mars bar and gave it to him, feeling sorry for him. On his way back to the car park later with Mrs Gti my son was shocked when a black Rangie pulled up and the miserable hungry beggar suddenly jumped up saying: “I’ve been waiting for you!” and climbed straight in the back of the Rangie. He will think twice next time he feels charitable.